Your Own Website - What a Great Idea!
First Rule: Do NOT panic. If the following information makes you break out into a cold sweat - don't worry about it. We know all about this and we can help you with everything you need to know. But go ahead and read it anyway - you might find it is not that bad after all.URL: Name that web site!
What exactly do you need to have a web site? Well, first you need a URL, which is just a fancy word for your web address. For example, the web address for our site is www.cutaiadesigns.com. You can purchase a URL for less than $10 (don't you dare pay more than that!) from many reputable web hosting companies and some companies will give you a FREE URL if you sign up for hosting. What's hosting? We'll get to that.
Remember that your URL needs to be available so you will want to check and see if someone else has it. The best URLS are .com/.org/.net. We don't recommend .info URLs.
Web Hosting:
You will need a company to host your web site We like Host Gator because they are cheap and give you lots of stuff for your money. You should not be paying more than $10 a month for hosting and if you buy in bulk (one year in advance, for example), you get a discount.
Where to get your URL and Hosting?
We buy all of our domain names through Go Daddy, but use Host Gator for hosting. Go Daddy has really cheap prices for domain names, but their hosting can be expensive for what you get (and don't get). Don't sign up for email or anything else when you buy your domain name at Go Daddy (and trust us, they will try to sell you everything on your way to the checkout), just get your domain name.
Site Navigation and Site Design
Start thinking about what you want your site to look like and what menu items you want. Check out our web design questionnaire, which will help you get started.
Check out other sites - especially your competitors' sites - and competitors' sites that are not in your area. It may make you a little anxious to see what your competitors are doing - but it is an important step in making your site successful.