How to Put a Website Online – Template, Hosting, Custom Domain + Email, and Website Creation Guide

Are you ready to share your ideas, portfolio, or business with the world by putting a website online? As a full-stack developer with over a decade of experience, I‘ve helped countless clients and colleagues build and deploy websites that are fast, secure, and effective at reaching their target audience. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through the entire process step-by-step, from planning and creating your website to choosing a hosting provider and setting up a professional email address. Whether you‘re a complete beginner or an experienced developer looking to refine your workflow, this article will provide you with expert tips and best practices to create a successful online presence. Let‘s get started!

Step 1: Plan and Create Your Website

Before diving into the technical details of putting a website online, it‘s crucial to take the time to plan and create a website that will effectively serve your goals and target audience. According to a recent survey, 28% of small businesses don‘t have a website, and of those that do, 27% say their website is not mobile-friendly (Small Business Trends, 2021). Don‘t let your business fall behind – a professional, responsive website is essential for reaching and engaging with your customers in today‘s digital age.

When creating your website, you have a few options:

1. Custom development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: If you have web development skills (or are willing to learn), creating a website from scratch gives you complete control and flexibility. Some tips:

   • Use semantic HTML elements to structure your content logically
   • Follow a mobile-first, responsive design approach with CSS media queries
   • Minify and concatenate your CSS and JavaScript files to reduce load times
   • Implement accessibility best practices like ARIA labels and keyboard navigation
   • Consider using a front-end framework like React or Vue for complex interactivity

2. Content management systems (CMS) like WordPress: For a more user-friendly option that still allows for customization, consider using a CMS. WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet (W3Techs, 2022) due to its flexibility and extensive plugin ecosystem. Some tips:

   • Choose a lightweight, SEO-friendly theme and customize it to fit your branding
   • Use plugins judiciously to add functionality without slowing down your site
   • Implement caching and minification to improve performance
   • Keep your WordPress version, themes, and plugins up to date for security
   • Consider using a managed WordPress hosting provider for added optimization and support

3. Website builders like Wix or Squarespace: For a quick and easy solution, website builders offer drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-designed templates. While they are more limited in terms of customization compared to custom development or a CMS, they can still be a good choice for simple websites. Some tips:

   • Choose a template that aligns with your industry and goals
   • Customize your design to stand out from other websites using the same template
   • Optimize your images and videos for fast loading times
   • Make use of built-in SEO and analytics tools
   • Consider upgrading to a paid plan for more features and to remove ads

Regardless of which approach you choose, be sure to keep your target audience and goals in mind throughout the planning and creation process. A well-designed website can help establish trust and credibility with your audience – 75% of consumers judge a company‘s credibility based on its website design (Forbes, 2020).

Step 2: Choose a Domain Name

Once you have a website created, it‘s time to choose a domain name. Your domain name is your website‘s address on the internet, and it plays a crucial role in your online brand and discoverability. The global domain name system (DNS) market is expected to reach $7.4 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2020 to 2027 (Research and Markets, 2020).

When choosing a domain name, consider the following tips:

• Keep it short, memorable, and easy to spell: Aim for a domain name that is concise, catchy, and easy for your audience to remember and type correctly.
• Use keywords relevant to your business or industry: Including relevant keywords in your domain name can help with SEO and make it clear what your website is about.
• Avoid hyphens, numbers, and special characters: These can make your domain name harder to remember and type correctly, and may look less professional.
• Choose a relevant domain extension: In addition to .com, there are many other domain extensions available, such as .net, .org, .io, and .shop. Choose one that aligns with your business or industry.
• Check for trademark infringement: Before settling on a domain name, do a trademark search to ensure you‘re not infringing on any existing trademarks.

Once you‘ve chosen a domain name, you‘ll need to register it with a domain registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains. The average cost of a .com domain name is $10-20 per year, although premium domain names can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars (Website Builder Expert, 2022).

Step 3: Choose a Web Hosting Provider

With your domain name registered, the next step is to choose a web hosting provider. Web hosting is a service that allows your website to be accessed by users on the internet. The global web hosting services market size is expected to reach $183.18 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 15.2% from 2020 to 2027 (Grandview Research, 2020).

There are several types of web hosting available, each with its own pros and cons:

• Shared hosting: Your website shares server resources with other websites. This is the most affordable option but may have limitations in terms of performance and customization.
• Virtual private server (VPS) hosting: Your website is hosted on a virtual private server with dedicated resources. This offers more flexibility and performance than shared hosting but at a higher cost.
• Dedicated hosting: Your website has its own physical server with full control over resources and configuration. This is the most expensive option but offers the highest level of performance and security.
• Cloud hosting: Your website is hosted on a network of servers in the cloud, allowing for easy scalability and redundancy. This can be a good option for websites with high traffic or variable resource needs.
• Managed hosting: Your website is hosted on a server that is fully managed by the hosting provider, including updates, security, and performance optimization. This can be a good option for those who want a hands-off approach to website maintenance.

When choosing a web hosting provider, consider the following factors:

• Reliability and uptime guarantees: Look for a hosting provider with a proven track record of reliability and uptime. Many providers offer uptime guarantees of 99.9% or higher.
• Performance and speed: Choose a hosting provider with fast server response times and the ability to handle traffic spikes. Consider features like SSD storage, caching, and content delivery networks (CDNs).
• Security features: Look for a hosting provider that offers secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates, regular backups, and protection against malware and hacking attempts.
• Customer support: Choose a hosting provider with responsive and knowledgeable customer support, available through multiple channels such as phone, email, and live chat.
• Pricing and scalability: Consider the pricing and scalability of the hosting provider, including the ability to easily upgrade or downgrade your plan as your needs change.

Some of the top web hosting providers for small business and personal websites include Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround, and DreamHost. Hosting prices can range from a few dollars per month for shared hosting to hundreds of dollars per month for dedicated hosting (PCMag, 2022).

Step 4: Set Up Your Website and Email

With your domain name and hosting account set up, it‘s time to put your website online and set up a custom email address.

To upload your website files to your hosting account, you can use a file transfer protocol (FTP) client like FileZilla or Cyberduck. Simply connect to your hosting account using the FTP credentials provided by your hosting company, and upload your website files to the public_html or www directory.

If you‘re using a CMS like WordPress, most hosting providers offer one-click installation. Simply log into your hosting control panel, find the WordPress installation option, and follow the prompts to set up your website. Be sure to choose a strong password for your WordPress admin account and update your WordPress version, themes, and plugins regularly for security.

To set up a custom email address at your domain (e.g. [email protected]), log into your hosting control panel and look for the email settings. Most hosting providers offer a certain number of email accounts with each hosting plan – simply create a new email address and choose a strong password. You can then use your custom email address to send and receive emails through your hosting provider‘s webmail interface or by connecting it to an email client like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail.

When setting up your custom email address, consider the following tips:

• Use a professional email address format: Avoid using personal email addresses or nicknames in your business email address. A format like [email protected] or [email protected] looks more professional.
• Set up email forwarding: If you prefer to manage all your emails in one place, you can set up email forwarding from your custom email address to your personal email address.
• Use an email signature: Include a professional email signature with your name, title, company, website, and social media links to make it easy for people to learn more about you and your business.
• Consider using a third-party email service: If you need more advanced email features like calendaring, task management, and team collaboration, consider using a third-party email service like Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365.

Step 5: Configure DNS Settings

Finally, you‘ll need to configure your domain name system (DNS) settings to point your domain name to your hosting account. DNS is essentially the phone book of the internet, translating human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses.

To configure your DNS settings, log into your domain registrar account and look for the DNS management settings. You‘ll need to create a few DNS records:

• A record: Points your domain name to your hosting account‘s IP address. Your hosting provider will give you the IP address to use.
• CNAME record: Points the "www" version of your domain to the non-www version, or vice versa. This ensures that your website can be accessed with or without the "www" prefix.
• MX records: Specifies the mail servers responsible for handling email for your domain. Your hosting provider will give you the MX records to use.

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally, so don‘t worry if your website isn‘t immediately accessible after configuring your DNS settings. You can use a tool like WhatsMyDNS to check the status of your DNS propagation.

Conclusion

Putting a website online may seem like a daunting task, but by following these steps and best practices, you can create a professional and effective online presence for your business or personal brand. Remember, your website is often the first impression that potential customers or clients will have of your business – 94% of first impressions are design-related (KoMarketing, 2021).

As a full-stack developer, I encourage you to continue learning and experimenting with web development technologies and techniques. The field of web development is constantly evolving, with new frameworks, tools, and best practices emerging every year. By staying up to date with the latest trends and continually improving your skills, you can create websites that are not only functional and effective, but also innovative and cutting-edge.

Some resources for continuing your web development learning journey:

• FreeCodeCamp: A free online community and curriculum for learning web development and computer science.
• Udemy: An online learning platform with a wide range of web development courses for all skill levels.
• Google Web Fundamentals: A comprehensive guide to modern web development best practices from Google.
• MDN Web Docs: A thorough resource for web development documentation, tutorials, and guides from Mozilla.
• GitHub: A platform for version control and collaboration, with a vast repository of open-source web development projects and resources.

By following the steps and best practices outlined in this guide, and continuing to learn and grow as a web developer, you can create websites that effectively serve your audience and help your business or personal brand thrive online. As the famous computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee once said, "The Web as I envisaged it, we have not seen it yet. The future is still so much bigger than the past."