Know-How Exchange : Other

For a modern website you need to be quite a specialist. Way more than html and css - which I'm proficient at. It's nowhere near enough these days, especially if you want to post easily. With my hand-cranked html/css site it would take me an hour just to sort out all the code.

So: if you choose to find a host and register your domain name then my advice is to install a CMS (content management system). This could be Wordpress, Drupal or Joomla (there are 500 more ... ). Be warned that Drupal is impenetrable and Joomla a jungle - and the online support for Wordpress is frankly laughable. My own website uses https://bolt.cm as a CMS becuase it's developed by a friend of mine and I can cry on his shoulder when it all goes pop. The point of a CMS is that it's searchengine friendly in that all your posts are stored in a database where they're easy to find. All the gubbins - the templates, the header code and whatever is kept elsewhere. The search engine ain't worried about that anyway (hence the metatags no longer being so effective).

If you choose the free version, such as wordpress you need to register with them and claim your site. The process is much the same with weebly or wix or blogger. In all cases your domain name will be in the form "yourname.wordpress.com" or somesuch.

Now: you have a CMS. You knows what that is now. Your next task is to learn how to use it, and believe me, you will discover levels of frustration that you have never encountered before! Nothing makes sense, buttons are hidden (with the fullest of intention that they should be "clearly visible" - only someone forgot a line of code ... ) and things happen that are wholly and completely unexpected. Like the whole lot vanishes.

I'm going to take you on a swift tour of the Wordpress interface. It's one of the easier - but still a jolly minefield.

You need to go to the signup page and organize that bit. If you've installed it on your website's back end (the bit you gets to see as the site's owner) it'll be the same login panel*. On logging in you'll find the rather dull interface. On it you'll see a bar to put in your headline and a space for your content.

Pop it in and you're sailing.

It really is that simple.

Now when it comes to the finer details, that's another issue altogether. There are some really cool websites at https://arcsin.se which I have used in the past. You can pop these into Wordpress or the like. All this is done under the "appearance" tab in Wordpress.

I could go on, but my cauliflower's cooked. I strongly suggest sorting out something and getting going, even just as a test site. When you hit a problem use the 200 points you have to post your problems here - or take a chance on the Wordpress forum.

Have fun! Once you get the measure of this, it's huge fun. Good blogging and success!

(*Be warned that this is frequently attacked and an **extremely** strong password is recommended. for suggestions see my website. I have tactics for passwords).

Try this: https://webdesign.about.com/od/beforeyoustartawebsite/p/build_website.htm

Also, try Googling the terms "how to build a website". There are any number of free or low cost options to build a website: Wix, Weebly, Wordpress, Vistaprint, GoDaddy ... to name a few.

Just figure out what works for you and then follow the directions.

Website should be a bit more responsive and or your else visitors will leave your site right away and this means losing business opportunity.You should be doing social media campaigns to promote your business.