Knowledgebase

Starting a Website – Everything You’ll Need

It seems like everyone either has or wants a website. For the latter group–those who don’t have a website yet – it might seem like a daunting task to start one.

In reality, starting a website can be very simple.

There are three main components to every website.

• Domain name
• Web Hosting
• The Website Files with Your Code/Design

Domain Name

A domain name is usually a .com, .net, or .org address that visitors use to view your website on the web. The most popular top level domain (TLD) is the .com extension.

Domain names are typically sold annually, so when you register a domain name, you have it for one year and then have the option to renew it (unless you go ahead and purchase multiple years upfront). When starting a website, it’s important to find a good domain name that represents your brand or business, and preferably one that is easy for visitors to remember.

Web Hosting

After you have a domain name registered, the next step is to get a web hosting package.

At Spastic Ghost, we recommend signing up with our least expensive package and then upgrading later if you need extra space or bandwidth (if you are exceeding your bandwidth, we will contact you to let you know). An exception to this would be if you need custom software or packages (such as live video streaming) that aren’t offered in our smaller plans.

Your domain name gets “pointed” to your web hosting account by changing the name servers for that domain name. Once the name servers have been updated, anyone going to your domain name will be viewing the website that is being hosted through us.

The Website Files

There are many ways to make a website. A website usually consists of files that are coded with HTML and CSS, and the images or media displayed in them. Websites that need extra features (like slideshows, drop-down menus and other animated effects) would also use javascript or jQuery. Dynamic sites (sites with forms, administration panels and other dynamic features) will use programming code such as ASP .NET, or PHP.

If you don’t know how to write code, you can still have a website! By installing pre-built, dynamic interfaces like WordPress, Drupal and Joomla, you can create and manage a website on your own. These platforms are free, and provide free templates or themes for you to choose from.

If you need a custom design to match your company brand, you can hire Spastic Ghost, or a web designer to create and develop a custom website or custom theme for you.

If you do know how to write HTML and CSS, you can build your site files on your local machine and then upload them to your website using an FTP client like Filezilla, or Cyberduck.