Step by Step Instructions for Starting Up Your First Website

Copyright (c) 2008 Matt Helphrey

Starting up your own website today would prove to be a very wise decision because of the popularity and sheer size of the internet. A small web page could land you a full time income and is much easier than most think. Here is just a brief guide on how to start up your first website

It would be helpful if you have an idea or direction of what you want to do with your website! This will definitely give you a head start in promoting efforts and setting your site up. Even if you have no idea where to start or no experience with html, it is no problem. Today you can find plenty of starter websites that will have everything all set up for you and if you do want to make any changes (which I do recommend) you can always learn how sometime in the near future. The only thing is, if you decide to go this route, make sure you really do your homework and research on which sites work best. There are plenty of scams out there and people more interested in taking your money than helping you out.

If you are not scared to learn at least a tad bit of html and have an idea of what type of site you want to start, the first thing you need to do is find a reputable host for your site. There are plenty of free hosts out there but I do not recomend using these hosts because they will own your website. What I mean by that is that they don't have to charge you because advertisers pay them money to advertise on everyones site who goes through them. They also control traffic flow and have been known to shut down with little or no warning. Using a free host is not a good business decision and running your own website IS running your own business.

You want to find a reputtable host who has a good history with clients and allows you several options. These options include ftp options, pop mail server accounts, unlimited traffic, and a great support staff. Most of these types of hosts will have a monthly fee but you pay for what you get. A lot them will even have affiliate programs where you can earn money for referring others to host their websites.

Once you have your have your reputtable host selected, it's time to build your website. There are numerous amounts of software all over the internet to help you build your first website. Some are cheap or free, others can cost up to a thousand dollars or more. When first starting out I suggest you take the tougher but cheaper route and learn the html yourself. It's really not that difficult, just more tedious than anything, and it's good to know for future reference anyways. Enrolling in a premade site is the fastest and easiest way to go for a beginner. Make sure that you sign up for a premade site that has all the training and tools you need to succeed.

The fun really begins once your site is up and running. To promote your site and get traffic to it you need to learn how to write articles, run a blog, submit your site to directories, talk with others in forums, and much more! Checking your daily stats and watching your website grow is truly a joy to see. After awhile and using correct marketing methods, the money will come with the traffic. Starting up your first website is not as hard as it may seem. Start today!