Over the next few tips I will give you some recommendations on how to create your own website, a good content management system to use, how to choose a domain name and what hosting package to use. If you are happy working on a computer and following tutorials and online information, these tips are for you.
If you find coding in html and css easy, then you don’t necessarily need to worry about a content management system (CMS), but you may want to consider using one for it’s ease of updating information and keeping your website fresh. A CMS enables you to update the content on your website through your browser by logging in to an administration area attached to your website. So before diving straight in and buying a domain name and hosting package, first think about the kind of content management system you want to use.
There are many online web companies out there offering you a template system to easily create a website. Some of these are very limited in what you can change and update, sometimes only limited to changing a logo and colours to suit your image. If this all you want to do then one of these simple options would be perfect. Again do your research before choosing the company, make sure they have good documentation to explain their system, and a good customer support service to help out with any problems you may have.
For those people who want control with greater flexibility over their website, updating content, but able to change the layout completely as well, then cannedSunlight would recommend using wordpress as your content management system.
WordPress has a huge following and is used by many reputable companies to run their websites. It was originally designed as a blogging system, but is now used for static websites as well. The following are good reasons to use wordpress:
- It is easy to install, easy to use and offers great functionality.
- It has many tutorials online to explain it’s features and how to do things.
- It has a large range of add-ons and extensions, so if there is something you want to do, someone has probably already written a plugin to do it.
- It does a great job with Search Engine Optimisation and there are plugins to make it even better.
These days wordpress comes as an easy to install script with most hosting control panels, therefore if you want to use this platform then you might find it easier to choose a web hosting package that includes a script to install wordpress. These are all things to think about and research before you buy your domain name and hosting. You don’t want to find that you are stuck for a year with services your hosting company has to offer you that might not be what you were expecting, want or need.
Continue reading tomorrow for our next tip on domain names and hosting.
This is part six of a twenty four part series of tips provided by cannedSunlight Web Design Costa Blanca to celebrate the run up to Christmas. You can view the other tips here: Tip 1, Tip 2, Tip 3, Tip 4, Tip 5. Come back tomorrow for further tips and advice on how to get a great website that works for you or your business.
