Website
Walkthrough
Website
Walkthrough
This walkthrough explains the process of making a website active on the internet, including additional steps that may be relevant for you
Step 1: Purchasing Your Domain Name
Research and choose a suitable domain name for your website that reflects your business name or its core offering. (Example: clientdomain.com)
Register the chosen domain name through a reputable domain registrar. (Example: GoDaddy or Namecheap)
Locate the DNS (Domain Name System) settings and prepare to point the domain to the web hosting provider.
Step 2: Purchasing Web Hosting Services
Set up a hosting account with a web host provider and choose an appropriate hosting plan based on your needs.
Point the domain name to the hosting provider by updating the DNS settings.
Install an SSL certificate to secure the website.
Set up any necessary email accounts associated with the domain. (Example: info@clientdomain.com).
Step 2: Purchasing Web Hosting Services
Set up a hosting account with a web host provider and choose an appropriate hosting plan based on your needs.
Point the domain name to the hosting provider by updating the DNS settings.
Install an SSL certificate to secure the website.
Set up any necessary email accounts associated with the domain (Example: info@clientdomain.com).
Step 3: Use WordPress to Design Your Website
Install WordPress on your hosting account.
Choose a suitable WordPress theme that aligns with your brand and requirements.
Customize the theme by adding branding elements (logo, colors, fonts) and content (text, images, videos) using the WordPress dashboard.
Optimize the website for mobile responsiveness, ensuring it looks and functions well across different devices.
This three step process can be done in an alternative order.
For example you can buy web hosting services before buying your domain.
You can also buy your domain through your web host provider.
Please scroll down to learn more about websites in-depth as well as defintions for terms used.
Websites
In-Depth
Websites
In-Depth
Domain
Think of your website like a house. The Domain Name is like your address, the unique location where your house is situated. It’s what people use to find you in the vast online landscape. Just like a house needs a physical plot, your website needs a digital ‘plot’ which is your Domain Name.
- Search for Available Domains: Look for domain names that match your company and purchase one that resonates with your brand, such as “yourdomain.com.”
- Choose Trusted Domain Registrars: Reputable companies for domains include Namecheap and GoDaddy, among others.
- Pricing Considerations: The price for a one-year domain purchase generally ranges from $5 to $15, depending on the popularity of the name.
- Specificity and Availability: More specific names are more likely to be available and less expensive.
You can choose to have your domain and hosting with the same company, but if you later decide to change hosting providers, the domain remains with the original company. Transferring a domain to another provider usually incurs a cost ranging from $15 to $25.
Our recommendation is to purchase your domain separately from your hosting service. If you acquire your domain through companies like Namecheap or GoDaddy, you retain the flexibility to change hosting providers without incurring additional transfer fees.
To link or ‘point’ your domain to a hosting provider, you simply input the hosting provider’s server names into the DNS settings of your domain company. Your hosting provider’s server names will show when you select to create a website and choose the option of already having a domain purchased.
Web Hosting
Now, your Web Hosting Provider is like the land on which your house is built. It’s the foundation that provides the space and infrastructure for your website to exist. Just as a house needs a sturdy foundation to stand, your website needs reliable hosting to support its content and functionality.
- Space for Your Files: Just like land provides space for your house, web hosting gives you storage space for all the files that make up your website – images, text, videos, and more.
- Infrastructure and Performance: The hosting provider’s servers are like the support beams of your digital house, ensuring your website loads quickly, performs well, and provides a positive user experience.
- 24/7 Accessibility: Your hosting provider keeps your website accessible around the clock, much like a sturdy foundation keeps your house standing through all weather conditions.
- Security and Protection: Just as a solid foundation secures your house, hosting providers offer security features to safeguard your website from threats like malware and hacking attempts.
Choosing the right hosting provider is vital for the success of your online presence. It’s the digital foundation upon which everything else is built.
Hosting plans typically begin at approximately $50 to $100 per year, with variations based on the hosting company and the features included. Renowned companies in the hosting industry, such as SiteGround, Bluehost, and HostGator, offer a range of hosting plans to cater to different needs.
It’s essential to carefully assess the features, performance, and customer support offered by each hosting provider to determine the best fit for your website’s requirements.
Web Hosting
Now, your Web Hosting Provider is like the land on which your house is built. It’s the foundation that provides the space and infrastructure for your website to exist. Just as a house needs a sturdy foundation to stand, your website needs reliable hosting to support its content and functionality.
- Space for Your Files: Just like land provides space for your house, web hosting gives you storage space for all the files that make up your website – images, text, videos, and more.
- Infrastructure and Performance: The hosting provider’s servers are like the support beams of your digital house, ensuring your website loads quickly, performs well, and provides a positive user experience.
- 24/7 Accessibility: Your hosting provider keeps your website accessible around the clock, much like a sturdy foundation keeps your house standing through all weather conditions.
- Security and Protection: Just as a solid foundation secures your house, hosting providers offer security features to safeguard your website from threats like malware and hacking attempts.
Choosing the right hosting provider is vital for the success of your online presence. It’s the digital foundation upon which everything else is built.
Hosting plans typically begin at approximately $50 to $100 per year, with variations based on the hosting company and the features included. Renowned companies in the hosting industry, such as SiteGround, Bluehost, and HostGator, offer a range of hosting plans to cater to different needs.
It’s essential to carefully assess the features, performance, and customer support offered by each hosting provider to determine the best fit for your website’s requirements.
WordPress
Finally, imagine your house’s interior is designed and decorated to make it comfortable and inviting. Similarly, WordPress is like your interior designer. It’s a powerful tool that helps you create and arrange the rooms (pages), paint the walls (design), and choose the furniture (content) that suits your style and purpose.
- Creating Rooms (Pages): Just like an interior designer arranges rooms in a house, WordPress helps you create and organize web pages that serve different purposes – home, about, services, contact, and more.
- Painting the Walls (Design): Similar to how an interior designer selects colors and patterns, WordPress offers a range of themes and customizable designs that determine the look and feel of your website.
- Choosing Furniture (Content): Just as an interior designer chooses furniture to suit the style and function of each room, you use WordPress to add content – text, images, videos – that enhances your website’s appeal and informs visitors.
- User-Friendly Tools: Like an interior designer’s toolkit, WordPress provides user-friendly tools and plugins that simplify complex tasks, enabling you to manage your website’s functionality easily.
WordPress is free and using it as your digital interior designer, you can create a website that not only reflects your style but also effectively communicates your brand’s message to visitors.
WordPress offers an array of plugins, you can tailor your website’s functionality to your specific needs. These plugins act like tools that can add features such as contact forms, social media integration, and more, enhancing the overall user experience.
Additionally, if your business involves selling products or services online, WordPress offers a powerful tool called WooCommerce. WooCommerce is a plugin that seamlessly transforms your website into an e-commerce platform. It enables you to showcase and manage products, process payments, and create a user-friendly shopping experience for your customers, all within the familiar WordPress environment.
When all three elements work together, your website springs to life, just like a house becomes a home when it’s furnished and inhabited. Visitors can find your ‘address,’ explore your ‘house,’ and interact with your ‘interior’ in a seamless and enjoyable manner.
Definitions
Domain: A unique address that identifies a website on the internet. It consists of a name followed by an extension (such as .com, .org, or .net). Domains are used to navigate to websites and are integral to a website’s online identity.
DNS (Domain Name System): A decentralized system that translates human-readable domain names into the numerical IP addresses that computers use to identify each other on the internet. DNS ensures that when a user enters a domain name in a web browser, the correct IP address is located, enabling the user to access the desired website.
Web Hosting: The service of providing storage space and server resources to make a website accessible on the internet. Hosting companies allocate space on their servers to store website files, ensuring that the website is accessible to users worldwide at all times
Web Host Provider: A company that offers services and technology needed to make websites accessible on the internet. These providers offer server space, resources, security features, and technical support to ensure websites are operational and available to users.
WordPress: A popular and user-friendly content management system (CMS) used to create and manage websites. It provides a platform with tools to design, customize, and publish web content without requiring advanced technical knowledge. WordPress offers themes, plugins, and a range of features that enable users to build various types of websites.
Choose Your Website
The Service Showcase Website is perfect for businesses looking to showcase their services online. With a home page, about page, and contact page, it provides a professional online presence to inform and engage potential clients.
The E-commerce Website is perfect for businesses ready to sell their products or services online. With a home page, about page, contact page, and a shop page featuring a secure paywall, it enables businesses to reach customers and facilitate seamless online transactions.
(After choosing which type of website fits your business we will talk about the design)
Contact US
Please send us your info and a message with your website idea, question, or concern and we will reach out to you within 24 hours.
Also feel free to call or email us directly.