Want to create a website? Here’s a quick look at the steps:
- Find a hosting provider
- Get a domain name
- Install an FTP client
- Install Wordpress
Find a hosting provider
A hosting provider will store your data and keep the site online. This site uses Hostmonster, but there are many hosting providers to choose from. Here are some things to look for:
- 24/7 support
- unlimited storage and bandwidth
- unlimited email accounts
- multiple domains/subdomains
- php 5/MySQL
- free domain name registration
You should not need to spend more than $15/month on hosting for a site with light traffic and basic ecommerce.
Get a domain name
The domain name is the web address of your site (i.e. http://www.mysite.com). Often the hosting provider will offer domain registration for free or at a discount. Alternatively, you can use a domain registrar such as Go Daddy to buy the domain.
note: be sure to enter valid contact information for your site. If you don’t your site may be shut down and the domain name auctioned off. Many services offer a privacy feature that will obscure contact details from the public, around $5 – 10 per year.
Install an FTP Client
In order to get your data onto the website server, you can either use the hosting provider’s built in control panel, or use an FTP (file transfer protocol) client, an application that can upload your files directly to the server. There are plenty of these around, LTLTB uses cyberduck, a free, lightweight application. If you are using Windows, FileZilla is a good choice.
Install WordPress
WordPress is a blog platform that is also a good content management system for a lightweight website. Please check out the full instructions on the WordPress site. Here is a quick outline of the steps.
- Create a database for WordPress using your hosting provider control panel.
- Download WordPress and expand the file on your desktop. You’ll need to tweak some settings in a configuration file to tell it where the database is.
- Connect to your site with your FTP client and drag the folder contents into the site folder on the server.
- Enter the web address of the WP installation file (i.e. http://www.mysite.com/wp-admin/install.php). WordPress will automatically install.
You now have a website and a content management system that you can use to create pages, add plugins, and post articles! To get started creating content, visit the WordPress first steps documention for a tutorial.