Launching a website can be extremely complicated. From design, content, development, and even maintaining it. We want to provide you with some of the basics.
Establish a Web Address
To start, each website needs an address that helps web users find and navigate to your website. This address is called a domain name. A domain name has two parts: first, your website name (Cover3Marketing, for example).. Second, a domain has an extension that categorizes your website. Some well-known examples include “.com” (commercial websites), “.org”(organization websites), or “.gov” (government related websites). A domain extension can also include the location of your site such as “.ca” (Canada), or “.uk” (United Kingdom). After deciding on a domain name, check to make sure it is available and then register through a domain name registrar.
Choose a Web Host
Once the domain name is set, you need a device to electronically house and display your website with the registered domain name.This is called a web server. For those technical individuals, using your own VPS or physical servers is a great way to have full control over your website and data stored within the server. Although depending on your budget, to maintain and properly configure a server may not be worth the hassle for some. Renting these devices is an option but you may not have 100% control over the server, and still may need to perform some configurations.
For the non-technical individuals who simply want to launch a website or avoid dealing with server configurations and included expenses, websites such as Wix, BlueHost, DreamHost, and WordPress allow you to verify an available domain, register a domain, host your website, all while leaving one single job left in your hands: the design!
As you set up your web address and web host, don’t forget to make sure you are buying a secure url. This means your url has a little lock icon to it when someone sees it (like ours does). If you don’t, it will have an “unsecure” next to your url, which severely hurts your credibility. Most places when you purchase the domain & web host will give you the option, so make sure you take it!
Design Your Site
Many of the previously mentioned website hosting platforms provide a user-friendly interface to assist in building your website. They may also provide templates which you can use as is or with additional modifications. For new web developers, research on web hosting platforms is advised considering some may be more development friendly than others. Whether you decide to develop and design your own website or to use a template, your website is your business’s voice, arms, hand, and digital persona to reach out into an increasingly-technological world.
If you need help along the way, we can assist. We have content specialists, designers, and developers to create the best looking and engaging website. You can reach out to our team, or follow us on LinkedIn for some useful tips. If you want an expert team to build a website for you, check out our services here.
