HOW TO GET YOUR OWN WEBSITE – Step-by-Step Details

Getting started online, whether you’re thinking of starting a website for the purpose of creating a full-blown online business or just so you can blog for the fun of it, can often seem like a steep hill to climb just to get started.  It actually is quite a bit of work, but the key to getting anywhere, especially online, is to take the first step(s) and to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  As for this article, I’m going to take you step-by-step through the very initial stages of getting yourself set up with your own piece of online real-estate… in the form of getting your very own website.

These days, starting a business using the Internet is easier than every when you know what you’re doing and being a successful businessperson no longer requires massive start-up costs or high risks.  In fact, you can set up your own online business for less than $100, and that’s assuming you’re going ‘all out’.  If you just want to get a website setup and start adding value to the world (and hopefully make some cash along the way), then let’s get started, and allow me to take you step-by-step through the process of setting up your own website.

WHAT IS HOSTING?

Hosting is simply the word we use to describe a company that acts as a virtual “rental agency” for our websites.  Anytime you head to a website on the Internet, that site is being ‘hosted’ by a hosting company.  Thing of it like this – a hosting company is like a hotel, and every room in the hotel is a unique website (domain), if you want to maintain your website you simply pay a fee and they’ll let you stay.

So the first step in getting a website is to find a quality, reputable hosting company with a record of dependability and customer service.  I am a BIG fan of using BlueHost, which is one of the major hosting companies you will find out there today.  They’ve been around since 1996, which means they’ve been hosting for a majority of the life of the Internet.

What makes BlueHost my ‘go-to’ hosting provider is mainly the wonderful experiences I’ve had with them over my 4 years of running online businesses.  Anytime I’ve had a website problem (even if it was beyond the scope of their service), I was quickly and easily able to contact them via instant messaging, get the problem fixed, and quickly resumed my business.

In a virtual world, where you can’t really walk into the store and ask for help?  These guys are world-class and have not yet let me down.

HOW TO GET HOSTING WITH BLUEHOST?

Now that I’ve given you a fantastic option for hosting of your website, it is only a matter of the ‘how-to’ in setting it all up.  DON’T BE AFRAID… this is not going to be too difficult.  In fact, what I’m about to give you is the step-by-step process you need in order to get yourself set up TODAY!

Here we go….

STEP 1 – Decide on what you’d like to name your website.  In all honesty, if you were starting a business online 10 years ago the actual name of the domain (ie.  www.domainname.com), would have been more important, but these days there are so many websites out there that it’s not so much what you name the website, rather how much value you can provide through it.

So if you aren’t too shy, one of the best ways to start your online business (or blog, whatever you want), could be to simply use your name as the domain (ex.  www.yournamehere.com).  If you are less than excited with that option, then simply use your imagination and decide on a few potential options… Got a few?  Good, now head over to BlueHost by clicking HERE, and follow the images posted below to determine whether or not it is available.

IMPORTANT:  when you head over to BlueHost (or if you haven’t yet click HERE), the first domain you register with them is 100% FREE!  That’s right, you can actually get your first domain from them completely free, the cost comes when you have to pay monthly to keep it up and running… But, luckily hosting is one of the cheapest parts of running an online business, and right now they’re running a special where you can get your domain for FREE and pay only $5.95/month.  Trust me, this is awesome.  Okay, head over to BlueHost and follow the steps I outlined in the pictures below.

FIRST STEP – Click the “Sign up now” button

SECOND STEP – Check to see if your desired domain name is available

STEP 3 – Register your domain (NOTE:  the longer you subscribe for, the cheaper the long-term monthly cost).  You don’t have to register all of the security measures, but if you can afford it, it gives your site some privacy from potential intruders.

At this point, you have successfully registered your domain! CONGRATULATIONS!

Now, it’s not quite over yet, because even though you do have a registered domain name, we still have to set it up so that you can actually use it.  This simply means activating it and activating ‘WordPress’, which is nothing complicated, it is simply the world’s most popular platform for running a website (don’t worry, I’m going to outline all of this for you below so you can start creating your website today).

NOW…

It’s time to add the software to the domain name so that it’s functional, follow these steps and you’ll be all set to get started!

STEP 1 – Log in to BlueHost with the registration details you received upon registration

STEP 2 – Click the WordPress icon in your Simple Scripts Installation (NOTE:  this is all found on ‘cPanel’)

STEP 3 – Follow the images below to finish the installation process

CONGRATULATIONS… You have now registered your domain and installed WordPress.  At this point you will be taken to a page with your website name, as well as a URL that should say this:  http://www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin.  You should also see a username and password, save them and head over to the ‘wp-admin’ URL mentioned above.

When you arrive at your new site, it will look just like this:

At this point you are all set up and ready to roll… but if you have NO clue what you’re supposed to do once the website is actually up and running, don’t worry… Below, I’ve got a short video for you where you can watch me log into my website and I’ll show you how to get started.

Before you watch the video and learn how to get started, I want you to realize that it will take time to really get the hang of using your website and it will definitely take you some time to learn how to maneuver your way around seamlessly, but building your own online business takes time and you always have to be learning more and more.  I like to compare my journey as an Internet Entrepreneur to that of being a Physician; you always have to be reading, you always have to be learning.  If you think you’ve mastered it, you haven’t, there will always be more for you to learn… so keep that in mind.

In the near future I plan on releasing a free product that will teach you WordPress from A to Z, but until that time you’re stuck with the basics in the video and it should still be enough to help you get started.

I hope that helps and if you’ve made it this far, congrats!  You are well-ahead of so many others out there who want to start their own website!

Here’s a link to the Thesis theme I talked about in the video, I suggest you consider purchasing a premium theme for your website as it will really make your life easier in the long-run.  Check out the THESIS THEME HERE.

And here’s a link to BlueHost again in case you decided to read all the way through before taking action… The key to making it all happen is to take that first step!  Go ahead and get yourself a website HERE and you’ll be on your way to success!

To your success!