Please see the Preface for the directory.

The Basics

So you want to build your own website? Great! Here is a rundown of what you will need. A lot of these points will be elaborated upon in further posts but this should give you a good idea of what you’ll be getting into.

1. Your own computer with internet access! This isn’t a deal breaker but it will make your life a lot easier. Also, keep in mind that for security reasons having a secure internet connection is very important.

2. You will have to decide whether you want to use a hosted service (your site is hosted on their server – but usually with limitations to you) or a self hosted service (you purchase server space and a domain address from a host but have essentially unlimited freedom).

There are dozens of popular hosted services. Some require that their domain be appended to yours (yoursite.wordpress.com) while some make their money from ad revenue on your site.

A couple examples of hosted services are:

• WordPress.com
• Blogger.com

Hosted services, on the other hand, allow you to work within the limits of the particular service you use. Most are infinitely flexible and use a plug-in system to extent a light weight core. There are also dozens for you to choose from. In fact, the bar has been set so high by the free packages that I will rule out any that charge.

Here are a few examples of self hosted services:

• WordPress.org
• Joomla!
• Movable Type
• Drupal

The package you choose will ultimately depend on your needs. It’s perhaps one of the most important decisions you’re going to make, so take your time and review all of the links above and any that you come across elsewhere. I will go into greater detail on the subject in the next couple of posts.

I should also mention that Devtronik is powered by WordPress.org and hosted by Bluehost.

3. Once you’ve decided upon a service (we should probably be using the term CMS – although it might not apply to the most basic blogging software) you will have to choose a template, or theme. Chose a theme that fits your needs the closest as you will have to make the least amount of customizations. There are some fantastic themes out there. Generally, each CMS will have a theme directory to help you select a theme that works with their product.

4. You will need some kind of editing program. I use CSSEdit for CSS (I’ll elaborate upon this later) and TextWrangler for HTML and PHP code.

5. Some kind of image editing software if you plan to include custom images on your site. You can go with Photoshop on the high end or any of the free packages, such as Gimp. A lot of great websites don’t use any image editing software at all. Things like font color and size, header color can all be changes using CSS.

6. Most of all, you will need patience and persistence. Stalk the forums for information. Use Google. If you are stumped on something and can’t find a solution ask on the forums.

So, in summary, to begin building a website you will need…

• a computer with internet
• a CMS and perhaps a host
• some style and code editing software
• some graphic editing software
• patience!

Please feel free to post any questions or comments below! The next installment will be about choosing a Host.

Each of the posts will be linked to from this page and posted when I’ve finished writing it. So, if you see the post title, but no link, check back soon as I’ve just not completed it yet.

All of the articles will take into consideration cost, time and technical ability.

1. The Basics – the minimum that you will need to start a website
2. Choosing a Host
3. Choosing a CMS and Theme
4. CSS, PHP & HTML
5. Customizing your theme
6. SEO and all things Google
7. Increasing your traffic
8. Monetizing your site
9. Protecting your site
10. Additional resources

Please see the Preface for the directory.

So you’ve made it unscathed through the previous summary of tools needed to build a website and you’re ready to look into hosting? Great!

As I mentioned before hosting your website yourself (and by this I mean using one of many paid hosting services) is an alternative to the kind of service offered by WordPress.com (not to be confused with WordPress.org), Blogger, Type Pad and others. The benefits include unlimited gain from ad revenue and maximum flexibility. Your host literally does just that: hosts your website on their server. Let’s get you set up in a few easy steps.

Choosing your host

I spent quite a while on this step when I was starting out. There are a tonne of hosts out there. If you ask 5 webmasters who they use you will most likely get 5 different answers. Massive websites either use dedicated servers or host themselves but you shouldn’t have to worry about that for a while.

In an attempt to be fair I’m going to outline some of the criteria that you should keep in mind, provide you with a list of hosts that I generally recommend and tell you who I use.

• By far the most important feature to me is free and toll free 24/7 customer service.  This is non-negotiable.
• A lot of hosts advertise that they host unlimited domains but cap your MySQL databases. Since you will most likely create a new database for each subsequent site and perhaps for each forum or gallery you add the amount of sites you host is essentially restricted by the number of MySQL databases you can create. They are right to say that you can host unlimited domains though – if all you are doing is hosting them.
• Make sure you have unlimited or very high gigs of site transfer. If someone Diggs you, you don’t want the whole thing to come crashing down!
• Some hosts throw in some amount (usually $50) of Google Adwords, or Yahoo Search cash. This can be a great way to promote your new site.
• Look for a number of add-on domains that is high or unlimited.
• Low domain registration fee. $10 is about right.

Keeping the above points in mind it’s time to shop around for a host. Here is a list of 5 hosts that are considered to be leaders in the industry.

BlueHost – I run 6 websites from a single BlueHost account. I think the yearly fee breaks down to a total of $6.99 a month if you commit to 36 months and slightly more if you commit to 24 or 12 months. You can see a full table of the pricing here. I’ve never had a problem with BlueHost and recommend it fully.

DreamHost – They claim to be a “green” host. They are very popular and offer essentially the same features and prices as BlueHost.

GoDaddy - Again, another one of the most recognized hosts.

This is the third part of a ten part series called; Building Your Own Website. This part will deal with CMS – Content Management Systems. As always the focus will be on simplicity and cost efficiency.

Please see the Preface for the directory.

The most important thing you need to keep in mind when choosing a CMS is that depending on your choice you may need to be self-hosted (see my tutorial on hosts). You will also want to have some idea of the size and scale of your planned website as certain CMS’s better suit larger sites.

I will focus only on free and self-hosted software.

Choosing a CMS

Let’s have a look at some of the better known CMS’s.

WordPress – Started as blogging software, WordPress has exploded into a full on CMS in recent years. I very happily use it for all of my sites. I the case of my art gallery site I use WordPress along with bbPress (forum software by the same folks as WordPress and ZenPhoto gallery software. WordPress has an extremely helpful support forum and well established community. Recently it has introduced an instant upgrade feature that has saved me a lot of headaches. More than anything, though, I get the sense that the folks behind it are very dedicated to it’s continual improvment.

Joomla!

No matter which of these you choose you will not go wrong. Most people who swear by their CMS have never tried another. The most important thing is to spend a little time getting a feel for each system and to go with the one that best suits your criteria.