| 1. Register Your Domain Name | | | | There are some for-pay and free web editors around. |
| The first step you need to do is decide on a domain | | | | Some of the best free ones are and Kompozer is |
| name and register it as your business name for a | | | | also excellent (it is a free download). Find any of these |
| year. This will be the name you give your website. To | | | | via a Google-search. Other web design software is |
| obtain a domain name, you have to pay a one-time | | | | available, just Google-search for them (use the word |
| yearly fee to a registrar for the right to use that name. | | | | "free' as your first word in the search bar). If you |
| Getting a name does not get you a website. It will just | | | | prefer not to use either of the above, you can find |
| be the name for your website. It is quite similar to | | | | some others listed on thefreecountry.com's Free |
| registering a business name in the regular business | | | | HTML Editors and WYSIWYG Web Editors page. |
| world. Just type in "Domain name registrar" into the | | | | 5. Testing Your Website Pages |
| Google search bar and you will be shown a variety of | | | | Testing the functionality of your web pages should be |
| registrar sites to research and choose one from. This | | | | done during all the steps of your web design |
| typically costs about $8.95 for an annual charge. | | | | progression. I list it separately so it will stand out, as |
| 2. Choose a Web Host and Sign Up for an Account | | | | many website builders fail to accomplish adequate |
| A web 'host' is a company that has many large | | | | testing. You will need to test your web pages to see if |
| computers connected to the Internet in one place, like | | | | they pull up in the major search browsers as you |
| Atlanta, GA.. When you park your web pages on their | | | | design them: Internet Explorer (versions 6,7,8), Firefox, |
| computers, everyone in the world will be able to | | | | and Safari browser are the main ones. Because all |
| connect to it and view them via their own computer. | | | | these browsers are free, it should be relatively easy to |
| You have to sign up for an account with a web host | | | | download and install them. The trick is to test them |
| so that your website has a home on the web. | | | | with more than one version of Internet Explorer |
| Obtaining a web hosting account is the same as | | | | browser since the later version will overwrite the |
| renting office space for an off-line business. After you | | | | earlier browser version. |
| get the web hosting account, you will need to point | | | | 6. Collecting Credit Card Information: Making Money |
| your domain to that account on your web host. This is | | | | You will need a way to collect credit card information, |
| done by changing the 'dns settings' at your domain | | | | as most persons make purchases online with the use |
| registrars' site. Most domain name-registrars will have | | | | of their credit card. The easiest and most reliable |
| a video or text tutorial to explain how to accomplish | | | | method is to sign up for a free Paypal account. It is |
| this easy function on your way to creating your own | | | | one of the best credit card collecting processors on |
| website business. | | | | the web. |
| 3. Decide What To Sell, or, Create a Splash Page (1-pg | | | | 7. Getting Your WebSite Noticed |
| website) | | | | When your site is ready, you will need to submit your |
| You will need to make the decision whether to create | | | | sites' URL address (EX. yourdomain name.com) to the |
| a 1-pg splash pg., or a multi-pg. website where you will | | | | search engines, particularly Google. You can find the |
| offer products for sale. The 1-pg. splash pg. is much | | | | Google submission page by clicking on the "About |
| easier for a beginner to manage. Again, you can | | | | Google" link on Google, and then locating the "Submit |
| search the web via different search engines for more | | | | your content to Google" link on the page that appears. |
| information on the differences in these two websites. | | | | You will need to trade site links with other websites to |
| 4. Designing your Web-Business Pages | | | | build up "link strength' for the Google site-robots (bots) |
| Your next step is to design the web site itself. I | | | | to like your site and give it favorable ranking on their |
| assume you will be doing this yourself. If you are using | | | | site. The more links to your site you accumulate, the |
| a web designer to do it, you can probably skip this | | | | better page ranking you will achieve with Google, and |
| step. Although, it is always a good practice to know as | | | | thus, the more visitors, which can create more sales. |
| much as possible about all the facets of your website | | | | 8. Article Writing and Marketing |
| and how they work together. There are free website | | | | Another great way to let web-browsing people know |
| creators/software you can use, just do a | | | | of your sites' URl address is to write articles and post |
| Google-search for "free website builders" or similar | | | | them on the major article directories. You are allowed |
| term. You will find them. Be sure to search through and | | | | to list your websites' URL/business address in the |
| read about them, they do not all do a great job. | | | | 'Resource box' at the bottom of the article. Readers |
| There are many facets to web design, but your main | | | | who may want to know more about you can click on |
| goal is to actually get something out onto the web. | | | | your domain name address and will be taken to your |
| One way is to use a WYSIWYG (What You See Is | | | | website pages. In time, some of them will purchase |
| What You Get) web editor to do it. These editors | | | | what you offer and you will have some sales, and |
| allow you to design your site visually, right in front of | | | | thus, realize the magic of the web. Follow these |
| you-on your computer, without having to learn about | | | | primary steps to create your own website business |
| the technical details. They work similar to a | | | | and you will fulfill your website dream. |
| wordprocessor most persons are familiar with. | | | | |