Not too long ago, I was a newcomer to the web as a business opportunity although I’d always worked in marketing and IT, and I can clearly recall the utter confusion and frustration I felt at how inaccessible the whole process seemed.

For most beginners, and especially those getting a bit of a late start, the seemingly endless lists of specialized, technical terms and different options available are almost enough to make a person wash their hands of the whole thing. With all of the options available in the web industry these days, it is understandable that newcomers can often find themselves feeling lost and confused. Before you decide to give up, there is one undeniable law of the web, progress and technology that may help you. That is ‘It’s always working towards being simpler to get involved’.

Compare a beginner’s knowledge requirements 10 years even 5 years ago to starting today. Entry level knowledge is much lower. So don’t worry a little application will take you a long way.

I know it sounds a bit boring but ‘a plan’ of sorts is essential. Not necessarily a full blown financial business plan or even something written down, unless of course you require funding or other peoples involvement/commitment.

I suggest just an idea of where you want to be and thoughts of how you are going to get there at this stage. Don’t get stifled by over complicating things and over planning.

A great idea and the passion to bring it to fruition are paramount.

So let’s get going

Step One: Choosing a Domain Name.

The first step in getting your web site ready for the web is selecting and registering a domain name. This name will serve as your online identity, and help your visitors remember what your site is about. For more details on Domain name selection, please feel free to check our Domains section (link). 

Step Two: Creating your website.

Once you have successfully registered your domain name, the next step is to create your website to give it the look and feel you want. When coming up with a design for your website, it is extremely important to do a good deal of research to see what works for a website like yours, and what doesn’t. 

Creating a site is much easier than many novices imagine. Once again, a little application will be rewarded. Remember if you get stuck with almost any site design package there is a forum with answers somewhere. If you are a true beginner and don’t have the time to learn a little, you may want to consider hiring a design company to help you create your web pages.

The most important advice I can give is to ensure you adhere to the adage ‘content is king’ writing it can be time consuming and very hard work but with a bit of thought most things are accessible online to get you started. Learn from others and write about what you know or have a passion about.

For more information on the basics of site design, please feel free to check out our article on web design (link)

Step Three: Choosing your host.

During building the site or as it’s being finished, the next step is to choose a server for your site that makes the most sense for both your site and your budget. Although many simple and therefore limited capability site come with build in hosting. See web design (link)

Choosing a host is a relatively complicated process, and one which requires a great deal of research. The best way to start is by making a preliminary search for the type of host you want, and then reading reviews on the hosts that the search engine turned up.

For more information, you can check out following:-

Step Four: Uploading your site.

Once you have selected your host of choice, the next step to getting your site up on the web is uploading your page, text, and image files to your server. With most sites, you will need to use an FTP program, which these days are relatively simple. The role of an FTP program is to upload your created web pages, text, and image files to your server. Once you have uploaded your files, your page files will then be served to users who enter your site. Some of the more popular programs are Cute FTP and WSFTP. Once you have successfully uploaded your files and pages to the web, your site will be up and running! 

Step Five: On and offline marketing of your site.

Ok, so now your site is up on the web, you can sit back and relax, browsing your beautifully crafted web pages, right? Wrong. Simply having a functional web site on the Internet is only the first step down the long and winding road to web success.

Get your site seen ‘on and offline’. In order to make sure your site enjoys the best chances of success, it is essential that you do your fair share of promotion. Before you go out and start passing out flyers or putting up billboards, make sure you give your site the best chance of being found on the web by following these links:-

Search engine optimisation aka SEO, Email marketing, Local offline activity, Keywords, Social Networks, Affiliate Marketing.