How to build a website for dummies
A few years ago I figured out that in order to get direct clients for my translation business I needed to get myself a website. First of all, I thought I could pay someone to do it for me but after seeing what these web designers charge, I changed my mind. The only other option was to do it myself. The problem was I had no clue where to start, no money and not a lot of technical knowledge. But as it turned out you don’t really need any of those. All you need to build your own website is time, patience, intelligence. A lot of time, a lot of patience, reasonable brain power. My decision to build a website myself was followed by a mad few days’ “Googling”. I sat at the computer when the kids had gone to bed and searched and searched. I found all the information I needed on the internet and after a few days I was ready to get down to business.
The first three things you need to build a website
The following are the three pinnacles of building a website and getting it up and running:
1. Get a host
2. Get a domain name
3. Get a platform
If you’re like me, you might not have ever heard of one or two of those. Most of you probably would have. What you might not know, though, is how to put those three together and turn them into a fully-functioning website in no time at all.
How I had my website up and running in minutes
I am no expert but the way I did it was simple and quick. Since starting my translation website, I have started a few others in the same way and have had no problems at all. All are still functioning, including this one obviously 🙂 So hopefully, that will give you confidence for starting your own.
1. Get a host
I signed up with a hosting company. I chose Cloud Next to be my host because they seemed to be the best choice. Their reviews were excellent and the price was right for someone with two young kids and a not-too-well out-of-work hubby at the time… So I went to their website and bought a hosting package. In fact I see that their price has gone up slightly but it’s still very good value for what one gets I think. I chose the option of three hosted domains, which proved useful as I was soon to have three different websites hosted by them for only an extra £3 each a year. Their support whenever I’ve had a problem has always been brilliant and very prompt. There are hundreds of hosting companies out there so have a browse and choose what you think best suits your needs.
2. Get a domain name
Another reason I chose Cloud Next was the fact that they offered the option of buying a domain through their website. For all I know all hosts may offer that option but not knowing a lot about these things back then, it just sounded easier to have two things bundled in one. So after buying hosting and creating an account with them, the next step was to choose and buy a domain name. I opted for www.czechenglishtranslator.co.uk Domain name is quite important of course. It should be relevant to your business so that when it comes up in search results, people can see straightaway it has something to do with what they were looking for. Also, if it contains words relevant to your business, it will probably help you in seo (see below).
3. Get a platform
Ok, you’ve got your hosting and you’ve got a great domain name for your translation website. So now you need to put something on the website. I found that the easiest way to do that was by using WordPress. (There are two and the one you want is wordpress.org) It is free, easy to use and soooo flexible. To install WordPress took me about two minutes, literally. You will have to go to your host’s website, log into your account control panel and then find the link to your hosting control panel. This is the place where all your files that make the website tick are located. Once you’re in there and find your way around, you will see lots of icons. Find the one that says WordPress, click it, install it and you’re off.
A new website ready to be filled with some amazing content
Your website is now waiting for you to create some content. Now the hard work really starts. It will probably take you a while to figure out how WordPress works and how to achieve things. But once you do you’ll never go back. If you’re stuck, just visit their forum and you’ll find that someone has had the same problem before. And if they haven’t just post a question and someone will help you. People are generally very friendly and helpful on the internet, I find. It’s funny but when you’re browsing the web, you don’t realize the hard work behind all those sites until you’ve done one yourself. You just take them for granted, they’re simply there. Not until you go through the ups and downs of trying to come up with some readable content do you appreciate the miracle of the world wide web.
Once you’ve found the right theme and written all the texts you want, you will feel so good. However, before you start writing, you might want to check out the magic seo word because without knowing about it, it is very unlikely that anyone will ever see the beautiful creation that is your new website. If you don’t know what seo is, check out this Beginner’s Guide to SEO Or if you already know the basics of SEO, then Neil Patel’s The Advanced Guide to SEO is for you. Both of them are amazing pieces of content that will make sure your website gets found and doesn’t end up in Google’s sandbox. Good luck with your venture whatever it is!
