You’ve decided to create your first website: Congratulations! A website is your identity and your brand on the Internet, so it’s important to make it the way you want it.
If you’re worried about where to start or intimidated by the intricacies of web authoring, don’t. We’ll guide you through the process of creating your website in the clear and easy steps below. You will learn the basics of a unique and impactful site for business or personal use.
Basics First
Building a Website
All websites start with three basic elements : a domain name, hosting and a platform.
Domain Name
Domain Basics
Every website needs a domain name. Your domain is like the street address of your house. It will allow people to find your website and link to you.
But what should your domain name be? If you’re running a business, that should be an easy question to answer, since your website should match your business name. However, if you’re building a personal site or blog, you can be a little more creative with your name.
I already have a domain name. I want to learn about hosting →
How to choose a domain name
A domain name will look something like http://www.yoursite.com. It is common to use the name of your organization or company here. For example, if you have a bookstore, you might choose thebookstorename.com. The same format would work for just about any other business name.
If you don’t already have a business name, it’s a good idea to choose one based on what might be available as a domain. This is a great opportunity to match your business and online identities right from the start.
Curious to find out if your ideal domain is available? Go ahead and write it here:
For more help on choosing a domain name, check out our articles on Why Your Domain Name Is Your Business and the Right and Wrong Ways to Register Your Domain. Namecheap as your registrar has the added benefit of having your privacy and security at the center of everything we do. Also, for those who want that extra special level of security, we recently introduced Domain Vault.
Further reading
– What is a domain? →
– Why your domain name is your business →
– Right (and wrong) ways to register a domain name →
Hosting
Explanation of hosting</h3
Now that your site has a name, you’ll need a place to store all the stuff that’s going to be on it, some “real estate” on top of which you can build that beautiful virtual home with all your photos and stories and products. We call that real estate web hosting.
All web hosting happens on a server, which, in the simplest terms, is a remote hard drive connected to your computer over (you guessed it) the Internet. This server stores all the documents, images, data, and files associated with your website.
Since the server contains all your important stuff, it is important to choose a reliable provider that will ensure that your content stays alive and well. protected. When you bought your domain name, the registrar (the company that sells domains) may have offered to include a website building plan that included hosting. Alternatively, you can install software, such as WordPress, to help you build your site.
Further reading
– Learn how to choose the right hosting for your site →
– What is shared hosting? →
– Managed WordPress Hosting →
Platforms
Site Builders and WordPress
If you’re building your first website, you may not have the time or the experience to create it completely from scratch. Okay, we all need a little guidance and inspiration to help us out.
That’s where site building platforms come in. They provide the practical tools and resources used to create and design your site, from design templates to text editors to design elements. This is a great option if you have limited or no experience with web design and creation, or if you just want a quick and easy setup process.
However, if you want more control over customization, functionality and customization of your site, and you have a little more technical knowledge (or even the time and desire to learn!), we recommend installing WordPress. A complete ecosystem, complete with plugins and plugins, WordPress offers an all-in-one site building option.Learn more about why WordPress is a great choice and how to get started.
More Reading
– Why Choose WordPress? →
– Learn about WordPress Control Panel →
– Learn about Namecheap Website Builder →
Connect
How do I connect my hosting with my domain?</h3
You have your domain for a unique site name and your hosting plan where all your site data resides. But how do the two connect, especially if you’re dealing with two different providers?
Learn about DNS (short for Domain Name System), the series of networks that keep people and the computers that make up the internet talking to each other. By attaching the correct nameservers to your site, the connections between your domain and the hosting provider remain clear, allowing data to work seamlessly.
Click the connect to link below to see how to connect your nameservers and DNS, whether you’re a Namecheap customer or using another company.
Get Connected
Further Reading
– What is DNS? →
Secure
How do I keep my site secure?
Just like anything else you own or care about, the data on your website needs to be protected. Safer sites mean safer customers and a more trusted brand for your organization or business. And since everything on the web is connected, your online security contributes to a safer Internet, like a link in a chain.
Here are three things you can do right now to have a safer website. secure:
SSL
Verify and Encrypt
The handy security tool with a boring name, Secure Sockets Layer (or SSL) certificates are a security add-on for your domain. If you’ve ever visited a web address that begins with “HTTPS,” has a lock icon, or turns green when loaded, it means the site is protected with SSL.
So what does a lock mean? SSL? do for you?
SSL certificates serve two main functions for the security of your site: they keep your data encrypted as it travels to and from your site, and they verify that the sites they are coming from and going to they really are who they say they are. Quite important when your site is talking to banks or government agencies, or handling e-commerce.
As a bonus to your business, SSL can also help you improve your search engine rankings. Without HTTPS, your site will actually be marked as “not secure” in Google’s Chrome browser.
SSL certificates come in several levels of security, so it’s important to choose the one that works best for you. to your site.
Further reading
– HTTPS: Protect your site and improve your SEO →
– Google Chrome to mark no HTTPS →
– Choose the best SSL for your website →
DNS
The Internet Phone Book
Say you want to visit our website , Namecheap.com. It’s as easy as typing “namecheap.com” into the search bar and hitting enter, right? This is thanks to the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS for short). DNS allows you to type familiar words and names into your browser or address bar when searching for websites and sending email, instead of a long string of numbers.
Here’s how it works: when you search a domain name in a browser, it sends a query across the Internet to match the domain name (words) with its corresponding IP address (numbers). Once located, it uses the IP to retrieve the website’s content and return it to you. Cool, right?
This essential process works behind the scenes in a matter of milliseconds, but that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free. In fact, hackers can interrupt and hijack the process as soon as it happens, spoofing your site’s data and committing fraud without you realizing it until it’s too late.
Adding DNS protection ensures that Your site’s data is correctly sent and received by the correct parties. It also makes it more likely that search engines will end up on your site, which can help your business.
Further reading
– Why you need DNS Premium for a more secure site →
VPN
Secure, Anonymous, Global Browsing
A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, allows you to connect to the Internet using a hidden and encrypted network.VPNs are commonly used by employees who want to securely access their work files from remote locations, but they can also mask your connection for private browsing or allow you to bypass regional network restrictions.
Use A VPN when you connect keeps your network details anonymous and hidden from third party interference. This is a crucial thing to keep in mind if you are often away from the trusted networks of your home or office. VPN keeps your connection secure when you’re on open, public Wi-Fi networks.
Security shouldn’t slow you down, either. When choosing a VPN service, make sure it builds in speed, as well as online security and protection.
Learn more about online security for your site →
Read additional
– Users don’t feel safe online →
– Namecheap keeps you safe online →
Design
How do I make a website attractive?
Flashy websites aren’t just about winning beauty pageants. Your site’s navigation should be as easy on the brain as its design is easy on the eyes.
Site architecture
Start with a solid foundation
You don’t have to be Frank Lloyd Wright to design a great website, but building one on a strong information architecture is a must for any business. The two main questions that all web builders must address are: “Who is my audience?” and “what do I want them to do when they first come to my site?” Structuring your site and all the products and services it contains to appeal to these two issues will make the rest of the pieces of your architectural puzzle fall into place.
When you design your site so that the customer use it from the very beginning, at the beginning, you are paving the way for happy, confident and loyal customers in the future.
Website Design Step by Step
Read additional
– How to Design a Website with Users in Mind →
– Site Architecture Basics: Organizing Your Small Business Website →
Visual aspect
There is power in beauty
Good design is useful design. When you strive to give your site the most visual impact, you’re not just cleaning up the internet (although thanks for that too), you’re cultivating attention and trust in your brand. The result is that your customers feel better about staying on your site.
More than just aesthetic intuition, good design can be broken down into key elements that anyone can understand and repeat, regardless of their artistic style. . talent. Things like “human connection” (why we humans like photos of ourselves instead of images of objects), the mechanics of good design, and the science behind color palettes are key elements in making make your site stand out visually.
And let’s not forget that in addition to attractive web design elements, some sites contain intellectual property that deserves to be protected. Don’t let someone else take credit for your hard work.
The truth is, you can create a visually appealing website to drive more engagement and conversions. A degree in Fine Arts is not necessary.
Additional reading
– How to protect your intellectual property online →
– Who cares about an ugly website anyway? →
Use of multimedia
Minimize multimedia
We are all eager to make our sites stand out to the eye . capture videos, gifs and dynamic graphic effects. But it’s wise to have a plan first before you start uploading large files and embedding YouTube videos.
You see, not only too many images and videos can slow down your page load times considerably, but you won’t be able to they subtitle correctly. , tagging and embedding your media can actually hurt your SEO ranking. If you don’t understand the unique features of media on your site, you could be driving away business. Take a look at these tips for hosting multimedia the right way.
Further reading
– Boosting website performance with multimedia →
– Optimize for mobile with Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) →
Great job! You have your site up and running and securely protected, with fully optimized content and design elements. No matter what you do online, Your visitors and customers can trust your site as a safe, reliable, and eye-catching place to land in. Good luck!
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