The Best Web Stuff

9 Aug 2006

How to setup your own vanity web site

You've always wanted to setup your own web site but you've never understood how to get started. It does take quite a few steps but it is not very complicated. I'll walk you through the process and provide some tips along the way.

First off, are you sure you must have your own domain name (like danhounshell.com) to go along with your site?  There are plenty of cheap or free alternatives that will give you approximately the same result. With community sites like MySpace or blogging services like Blogger and Wordpress you can have URLs like http://www.myspace.com/hounshellandy or http://corrupthockeyfan.blogspot.com. If a site/service like those is good enough then great. It is very easy and quick to get a site setup with them and because you'll have no money invested you will not feel bad if you end up ignoring it after the novelty wears off.

If you are determined that you need your own domain name and your own website then here is what you need to do.

1. Register the domain name
2. Purchase hosting for your site through a hosting provider
3. Point your domain's name server to the address your hosting provider gives you
4. Create your site design/layout/content
5. Upload your content to your site

That's all there really is to it. Let's take a look at each of the steps and I'll provide a little more detail.

To register your domain name visit the web site of a domain registrar like GoDaddy.com. Do a search for the domain you are looking for to make sure it is not already taken (look for the "Start your domain search here" pointer).  If the name is not already registered then you will be offered the opportunity to purchase it. Go ahead and click through the process, accepting the defaults will be sufficient for the most part and pay the fee. A two-year domain name registration will cost you just under $20 at GoDaddy.com. There are probably cheaper alternatives if you look hard enough, but I have used GoDaddy for years and I like their tools and approve of the way they do business. At the end of the two years (or whatever length of time you choose) you will have to re-register your domain name to be able to keep using it. It is a bit of a pain, but if you only have one or two domains then it is not that big of a deal.

There are more alternatives for hosting than you or even I can imagine. If you like one-stop shopping you can choose GoDaddy to host your site as well. They have inexpensive plans and offer basic hosting for almost any need. GoDaddy and many other hosting providers can also handle registering your domain and pointing it to the right place as an additional service. If you choose to go this route then you can basically wrap up steps 1 through 3 above into one package.  The provider and plan that you choose should be based on your requirements. If you're just looking for a simple personal site then feel free to choose GoDaddy or another inexpensive full-service provider. If you need something a little larger then do some comparative shopping. I have had good service and performance from DiscountASP.NET and WebHost4Life.

Read The Best Web Stuff Web Hosting Provider Tips and Reviews article for more options and information.

If you haven't chosen the one-stop route then after you setup your account your hosting provider will supply you with a couple of name servers (something like ns1.hostingprovider.net and ns14.hostingprovider.net). You will have to go back to your GoDaddy account (or whichever domain registrar that you chose) and update the name server entries to the name provided by your hosting company. These are called DNS changes (Domain Name Server) and it can sometimes take several hours to a couple of days before DNS changes are replicated through the Internet. So do not be disappointed if it takes a couple of hours before you can actually get to your new site.

Finally, now you need to create something to put on your new site. Once again there are lots of different options ranging from free to cheap to fairly expensive. Your choice depends on what you want your site to be and the results that you will satisfy you. Many hosting providers offer free site builders with which you can build a site based on a generic template as part of their basic services. These allow you to walk through a series of steps, selecting options (like background colors, etc) and then publishing the results to your site. Some of them also offer basic content management functionality that allow you to update the site when you get the urge. If you don't want to use a template or would prefer to tackle the design and some HTML yourself then you may want to take a look at a tool like Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia/Adobe DreamWeaver. If you want to build a blog or community site and don't mind messing around with code a bit to make any customizations you may want then look into applications like Community Server or Typepad.  Alternately if you have friends who are professional or amateur web developers or designers perhaps they would be willing to put together a little site for you for a couple of dollars. The final and most expensive alternative is to contact a professional developer/designer individual or company. (At a later date I will provide my guidance for selecting a web developer.)

Once your site has been designed and you've added your content then all that's left to do is upload it to your site. There are usually two ways to do this, though some tools like FrontPage have built-in support for publishing directly to your site. Some hosting providers provide you the ability to upload your files through your site's administrative control panel. The other tried-and-true method is to FTP your files to your site. (More info on FTP tools coming soon, too.)

That's all there is to it. You should be able to joyfully view your new web site now and bask in the glory of all your hard work. It will be our little secret that it wasn't all that difficult.


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