What is needed to create my own web site... ??

[Equaliser]

hello all at SevenForums

I have a a question I would really like some trustworthy help and advice for please..


I would like to create my own web site.
i understand I need to purchase some web space to do this.
this is where my problems begin. I do not know where to start.

What do I need to do to purchase my own web site ?
what things do I need to buy (always keeping in mind that I need to keep cost down)
I know cheapest is'nt always best. but I'm pretty sure there must be some good places to buy the things I need, to create my own web site for a bargain price. considering all the competition out there.

where do I start ?
what do I need to buy ?
where is the best and safest place to buy the things I need ?

I look forward to any help and advice

regards

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
I suggest you FIRST attempt this on a LOCAL machine. You normally need to install IIS (it's standard in Windows) and then create a Web page and browse it.

However you can avoid this type of hassle by :

IMO actually the best way of learning this stuff is to either use LINUX - L.A.M.P --Linux/Apache/MySQL/php or W.A.M.P which is the same thing but in WINDOWS-- this then won't need IIS.

Look for tutorials on the web about doing this -- then when you are happy you can purchase webspace on a public server -- although if your site initially won't be too busy you could run it via the ISP --careful however as some ISP's exclude running a Server or a Web site on their broadband service.

Even if you DO have public web space always test it out locally first -- and remember also that not everybody uses I.E as their browser so you need to check your stuff with different browsers too.


Try something like this to play with -- suggest you test it on a Virtual Machine first.

Z:WAMP Server Pack - a lightweight, portable, and easy-to-install Web server package for Windows


Cheers
jimbo

 

[KingZeph]

You could save yourself some time and create a 'wordpress' website. You don't need to purchase any webspace or anything else. (there are also other providers of free websites but I can't think of any off the top of my head.)

I'm not sure how much space you get with it but it's a good place to start. There are many themes that are customizable to make it look like you want.

If you later find that you need more than this you can look into buying some space from a web hosting provider (I use IPOWER, but there are many others) I think I pay about $6/month for about 3gig of space and many other features.

You can also (with either a free wordpress site or a web hosting site) pay a small amount for a domain name so you can have a nice URL like 'YourSite.com'.

 

[Oaken]

Hi,

First of all you need to think about what type of website you want? Will it be just a blog, or will it require a store/eCommerce software and/or it's own forum, etc?

Generally speaking if you are not a coder, and it will be a modest site with or without perhaps a small shop element then I'd suggest WordPress. If you want a more solid and capable eCommerce solution then Drupal would likely be your best bet currently. If it's a community forum site then I'd probably go with phpBB. These are all free and each powerful in their own ways.

Unless you intend your website to only be used by friends and family- avoid one-stop free website and hosting packages where you will not have your own independent domain name. For example- mysite.cheapaschipsweb.blah. Because as soon as you outgrow this you will pretty much have to start over, and probably have a good deal of hassle into the bargain.

Next as Jimbo says you should do a test build. The last time I looked all of the above mentioned solutions can be installed and developed on your local machine via installing only Xampp for Windows.

When you are clear about the design and have mastered the basic building elements, only then think about buying a name and any hosting.
At this juncture it's pointless thinking about hosting as it will depend on the type of site you will be building, as to what you will need and where best to get it.

One thing you should never do is buy/host a domain name with the same company your website is hosted with. Keep them separate and you will potentially avoid a lot of grief if/when you need to change your website hosting.

You can build a very credible site for free with minimal coding knowledge. Setting up your domain shouldn't cost more than £10-£20max, the hosting depends on the type of site you want/build.

If you need any detailed help as you progress please don't hesitate to ask...

 

[A Guy]

There are also services that basically do it for you, and you just pay a monthly fee. Like Intuit which charges $4.99 a month for their starter package (the 1st 30 days are free). Not used it myself, but often hear their radio commercials.

Intuit® | Website Building Software & Website Design

A Guy

 

[arkhi]

You guys need reps. Those are the most detailed instructions I have received so far when it comes to web hosting. I, for one, still has a thing or two to learn about web hosting and the above advices helped, even me, a lot.

 

[Borg 386]

You might want to look at Kompozer, it's free and it has some good features for building a web page

KompoZer - Easy web authoring

Finally, a top-notch WYSIWYG web page program for the rest of us! Now there's no need to pay a little fortune for a program to create and edit great-looking web pages, including powerful and easy to use CSS capabilities.

KompoZer is a complete Web Authoring System that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing capabilities found in Microsoft FrontPage, Adobe DreamWeaver and other high end programs.

KompoZer is designed to be extremely easy to use, making it ideal for non-technical computer users who want to create an attractive professional-looking web site without needing to know HTML or web coding.

 

[Coram Daes]

As representative of the CMS PHP-Fusion on this forum (I think ) I would recommend:
1. Read above posts
2. Narrow down where you want to go with your site
3. Find a cheapish web host (localhost tip above is for testing stuff out, unless you have your own server with static IP). I suggest IXWebhosting (long standing customer there).
4. In doing step 3, you may want to consider a domain name, as Oaken mentioned.
5. I would perhaps suggest looking for a host with "preinstallation scripts" like Servage.net and many other, saves you the trouble to actually "create" the site framework.
6. I can recommend PHP-Fusion since it requires a minimun of configuration in order to have the site up and running, it has a strong community, been around since 2004 or longer (and I am the Community Manager. )
7. You need to be aware of the fact that many systems posted here and above requires two things: The web files as such (mostly PHP files) and a database (mostly a MySQL database). The files present the content that you create and it gets saved in the database. Hence you will always need backups of both, being the database the most important part.

and lots more...

 

[Dinesh]

OK I think I have a better and easy way to create your personal website.

1: Register for a domain name. A free one is available here.
2: Get a web hosting space. byethost.com offers good space for free.
3: Get a blogging tool. I prefer wordpress.org
4: Link your domain with the web host. (Once you login to your web host, they will let you know how to link your domain name to the web host.
5: Then install any blogging tool like drupal or wordpress on your web server.

That's it.

Here's an example of what it looks like: LifeHijack | A Guide to Life…

Hope it helps,
Dinesh.

 

[Coram Daes]

Why a blogging tool? Wordpress can be used for many things aside blogging. You can actually make a site that is not a blog with Wordpress. :sarc:

 

[rippled]

I think someone said it earlier...before you do anything you have to decide what type of website you want and what do you want the website to do IE: advertising, E-commerce, blogging etc. There are three basic elements to an online website...you will need a domain name (1) www.mywebsite.com for example...then you will need the actual site itself with all its pages and images and functionality (2) and lastly you will need some webspace to upload the website to so that its visible online to the world (3)...start small with half a dozen pages or so and then build on it, which is what most people do.
Start with basic HTML and work from there...HTML is the easiest web language to create websites...failing that you could always employ someone to do it for you
Good luck with your venture

 

[Equaliser]

Hello all who replied to my post.

I really appreciate all your help and advice. I could not have asked for any more. From a begginer looking to begin creating a web site. You have all given valid, extremely helpful points. On how I can achieve creating my own web site. And the tools I need to get started.

Thank-you very much.

please feel free to add any more replies if you feel they would help.