How to set up your own website

Beginners guide to web hosting

If you are hoping to make money online, whether through running your own affiliate programme or any other business venture, your own website is a must. If you are new to buying web hosting or running a web site, this page will answer some of those nagging questions and help you to get started.

What is web hosting?

Think about the files and folders on your computer. They are stored on the hard disk of your desktop or laptop computer, ready for you to access them whenever you like. A web page is a file, just like your word processing documents. Just as your word processing documents require your computer to store them, all web pages require a computer to store them.

The difference is that web pages are generally intended to be seen by the general public. To enable this, the computer on which they must be stored must be of a much higher specification than your desktop PC, and must be connected to the Internet through a very powerful link.

A computer on which web pages are stored is called a web server (because it serves pages, on request, to users on the Internet). Collectively a bunch of web pages is a web site , and collectively all the web pages in the world form the World Wide Web (WWW).

Why do I need web hosting?

It is technically possible to connect your desktop PC to the Internet and have it serve pages. But it is not practical since generally a home-based Internet connection is not powerful enough to serve many users at the same time.

For this reason, web hosting companies exist. They own and maintain very powerful web servers which house your documents. They also connect their web servers to the Internet by very powerful connections, enabling many web users to access your web pages at the same time.

If you want to run a web site you need web hosting because unless you've got unlimited funds you would not be able to afford the web servers and connections necessary.




What else do web hosting companies do?

As well as providing web space web hosting companies invariably provide a number of other "value-added" services. The extent of these varies from company to company but there are some key services provided by nearly all. These are the registration of domain names (see below) and provision of email services. They may also provide technical support either through their web sites or by email or telephone

What kind of web hosting do I need?

The hosting package you choose will depend on what kind of web site you wish to set up, and how big you think it may get. Most web hosting companies offer a range of products which are aimed meeting the needs of personal users, small businesses and larger corporate concerns. The package you decide on will depend on the amount of web space and additional features e.g. e mail that you need.

Once I have web hosting how do I get my web site online?

Once you've decided on your web hosting package, you will need to design your web site and get it online. This isn't as hard as it sounds and there are thousands of web sites built by people who've never built one before!

You will need to start with a software program that will help you to create and edit your web pages. An excellent choice is Microsoft Front page.

Many web hosting services also provide their own website creation tools which are simple and fast to use.


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Where do domain names come into it?

As well as providing web space web hosting companies invariably provide a number of other "value-added" services. The extent of these varies from company to company but there are some key services provided by nearly all. These are the registration of domain names A domain name is your identity on the Internet.

A good domain name can make a site

Coming up with a good name for your website is crucial to the success of your business.

A decent domain name that is easy to remember you will get more traffic from direct hits (people typing in your name direct) and more traffic from search engines.

What exactly is a domain name and why are they important to the world wide web?

A domain name is a unique word or set of words / numbers that differentiates your web site from the millions of others on the Internet. it means no matter where you are in the world you can type in the name and get to the site that corresponds to that Internet address.

How is a domain name made up?

Domain names always have an extension on the end. The most widely known is dot com. There are many others, some country specific like .co.uk or .de or specific to an industry like .travel or general usage such as .net or .info

The first part of the domain is what you can decide on. Remember that virtually all dot coms with a generic dictionary word beforehand have been taken. If you really want the domain name 'londonhotels' you can either offer to buy the name 'londonhotels.com' from the existing owner or register a different extension such as 'londonhotels.info' (if available). You can even try a hyphen between london and hotels.

Which extension should I decide on?

This will depend on your audience. If you are creating a site that is non geographic in terms of audience then you should always go for dot com (like this site). If you web site targets the UK then you should go for .co.uk. Some people believe you should go for the dot com whatever the circumstances.

The fact is many dot com names have already gone.

Which name should I decide on and what length is acceptable?

There is no hard and fast rules here. The shorter the name the easier it is to remember and therefore the better. Don't be put off using long names though. Travelinsuranceforseniors for instance does very well because it is very descriptive of what the site offers and has done well in the search engines.

Remember if you can't register travelinsurance you could always try travel-insurance. Some people think using a hyphen can improve search engine ratings yet this has never really been proved. I think it is better not to use hyphens if you can.

The key is to be creative. With millions of names being registered everyday you have to be!

I have a name which is available - what next?

You need to register the domain name with a company who will register it on your behalf with the authority that is in charge of that domain extension.