Hiring someone to make your website can be expensive. Nowadays, many people are making their own websites. Before you start building, it is important to know what type of site you want to make. For example, if you are an artist looking to display your work, the format of your site will be quite different than a site that is geared towards selling wholesale products. When you know what you want your site to be about, you can find the best web host to suit your specific needs. Use a search engine to find a web host that caters best to your niche. Register your domain name (choose a good one!), and you are ready to start.

Building Your Website

There are several options for building your web site. An easy way to start is to choose templates your website builder software provides. This does not offer a great deal of flexibility, but you may be able to change colors and settings to make the site suitable for your needs. If you prefer more control and flexibility, it may be a good idea to teach yourself programming. There is a wealth of information available on the Internet that can guide you with tutorials and instructions to aid you in learning a programming language. HTML is a very popular first choice when learning a programming language because it is very easy to learn and great for beginners.  CSS  (or Cascading Style Sheets) is another option that allows more range of style. Consequently, it is more difficult to learn than HTML. Other options for programming include XHTML, Javascript, and PHP. If your web site is for blogging, WordPress is an excellent and free choice for building a site.

Gain Visibility for Your Site

Search engines that Google use a variety of factors to determine web site ranking, but for a budding site, it is important to use keywords that your audience would choose when performing searches. Using these keywords in excess throughout your site will inevitably cause more damage than good to your web site’s content.  But a subtle scattering of good keywords will bring more visitors to your site, and improve your site’s Google ranking. For tips on how to do this well, research SEO (it stands for Search Engine Optimization). The more time and effort you put into learning what makes a site popular, the more successful your site will be.

The Final Stages in Making a Website

When you feel confident that your site is ready to be seen, publish it! Test your site out by showing it to friends, and family. For a less biased opinion, try showing it to colleagues in your field. Be sure to ask for constructive criticism; compliments are great, but constructive criticism can be more valuable in helping you see what may need adjustments or fixing. Consider posting in a forum designed for sharing web sites and generating input.  Making your own website can be challenging but also very satisfactory! It will make you feel accomplished, and proud that you put in the time and work to make your site on your own.