How to Create a Website

[Get Boldened]

Note: If you feel obligated to spread your spiritual knowledge...
http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Website

How to Create a Website

Ever wanted to make your own website? With this article, you'll be able to develop your own little corner of Internet real estate and show the world what you're made of!


Steps

1. Think of ideas for your new website. Make note of those moments when you think to yourself "I wish there was a website that..." Whenever you see a friend with any kind of problem or frustration, try and think of a website that would help him/her. Write down all of your ideas, no matter how ridiculous they may seem. There's no better place than the Internet to turn a quirky idea into gold.
   
2. Identify your market. What kinds of people would each of your website ideas serve? Some websites, like Yahoo or Google, are as general as it gets, while other sites, like ILoveAlpacas.com, serve a very specific bunch. Write down the target market next to each of the ideas on your list.
   
3. Figure out your commitment. How much time and money are you willing to put into your website? You can start and run a website for free, but the more money you want to make from your site, the more time and money you'll have to invest. If you don't care too much about making money (like if you're just interested in showing off your dried bug collection) you can get away with free web hosting and sporadic maintenance.
   
4. Narrow down your list. Which ideas stand to make the most profits? Which ideas require the most commitment? Which ideas look like they'd be fun to pursue?
   
5. Register a domain name (one that's easy to remember and spell) and choose a web host. For more complicated websites, be willing to shell out the extra bucks; or, you can opt for a free web hosting, which will probably mean having a URL like www.yourdomain.webhostname.com and ads plastered all over your webpage. Read the fine print.
   
6. Build your website. Here you have a few different options.
   
   
   • Get a website-building program like Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web or find one online and do it yourself. While this might work for your dried bug page, it's not the best choice if you're trying to make a sharp, professional impression, especially if you're trying to get people to part with their money.
     
   • Learn HTML and build a website from scratch. HTML is incredibly easy to learn, and if you're up to it, you'll be able to tweak your web design any way you want, and you won't have to pay anybody else to update or change your site. XHTML is the new web language set by W3C's standards. Almost identical to HTML, it follows a stricter set of rules for marking up information - what this means, for the most part, is minor changes to the way you write code.
     
   • Learn CSS and PHP. CSS stands for "Cascading Style Sheets" and it helps keep your site pretty, organized, and professional. PHP is a scripting language, and may be a tad bit harder than CSS and HTML, but is definitely worth it. With it, you can make scripts to make things on your site move and be user-interactive. Not to mention that a good knowledge of PHP and MySQL can help you edit or create beautiful and powerful forums.
     
   • Hire a professional. This is the best option for more advanced sites, especially e-commerce sites.
7. Use keywords that your target audience would search for. Sprinkle them throughout your text, but not to the extent that it hurts the quality of your content. Check your spelling and grammar. Remember that quality is in the details.
   
8. Upload your website. Your webhost may have an FTP feature, or you can download your own FTP program.
   
9. Advertise. Submit your site to major search engines. Tell your friends. Use an e-mail address with your domain. Visit other websites that complement (not compete with) yours, and offer to exchange links. Post on blogs, and put your URL in your signature.
   
10. Provide quality content and service. This is what will ultimately make your website awesome. Be sensitive to feedback - take it seriously. Think about your target market: their needs, their frustrations, their circumstances, and seek to make their lives easier. Strive for a win-win situation for you and your visitors. Most of all, remember to have fun!

Tips

• People are in a hurry. This means that you have between 10 and 30 seconds to capture your visitor's attention. To minimize your load time, keep graphics small. Compress them where possible. Use flashy technology JavaScript, Flash, Streaming Audio/Video, etc. sparingly and only if it is important to your presentation.
  
• If you intend to sell products on your website, you'll need to be able to accept secure credit card payments. You can apply for a merchant account, which charges a per-transaction fee, or use a free payment service like PayPal.
  
• Find popular websites, even if they don't have much to do with yours, and use them as models. What are they doing right? Incorporate what you learn from the big shots into your own website. Don't be a copycat, but don't re-invent the wheel.
  
• If you hire a professional to code a complicated site, remember that programmers are not all graphic designers. The most eye-catching sites out there have been made by or with the input of someone involved in graphic design.
  
• When you finish your website, do usability testing. You can do this by simply asking a few friends or family members to use your website. Give them a specific task like "edit your profile" or "buy an alpaca sweater from the bargains page." Sit behind them and watch them navigate. Do not help them. You will likely find areas where you need to improve navigation or clarify some instructions.
  
• Try exploring new languages for your website like PHP and Javascript when you get more experienced. Just make sure your server can handle the server side languages.

Warnings

• Never violate your visitors' trust. Respect their privacy. Spam, annoying pop-ups, and irrelevant ads will hurt your credibility. A clear privacy statement is one way to build your credibility. Provide a prominent link to your privacy statement from every page on the site as well as from any location that you are asking your visitors for personal information. Provide legitimate contact information online. If you need to use ads on your website, explain to your visitors why, and show them that you're doing your best to accommodate their visit. And mean it.
  
• Remember, never delete the details (username, password, etc.) of your account. If you don't have the details when you forget them, you will not be able to work on your website again. More importantly, never give out your details (except for your website address).
  
• If you use something from another website, be it a picture, a Javascript, or whatever, give them credit for it. If you don't, they might sue you.