If you lead a business, organization, church or ministry, you need a web site. Or perhaps you want to launch your own blog. If you are like me, affordability is one of your chief concerns, and you don’t have thousands of dollars to throw at a web developer.
I have been doing this myself for years, and I have found the cheapest and simplest ways to set up your own web site. I would highly recommend doing a web site yourself with the steps laid out below. Following the simple four-step instructions will get you started for only $4/month.
Defining Some Terms
For those who are new to the web development world, let me just define a few basic terms.
Domain name – this is the URL or web address for your web site, such as presencepioneer.com
Web Hosting – Your web host stores your web site and delivers it to people when they type in your domain name
Content Management System (CMS) – This is a system on the back-end of your web site that the public does not see. It is a way for people like YOU to set up and update your web site without having to know coding. In this article I will be focusing on the CMS called WordPress.
The Four Steps
I have broken down the DIY web site process into four simple steps, and I promise… YOU CAN DO THIS! Stick with me.
Step 1 – Domain & Hosting
Step 2 – Setting up WordPress
Step 3 – Chosing a WordPress theme
Step 4 – Customize Your Site
Step 1 – Domain & Hosting
Registering a domain name and choosing your web hosting are usually two separate processes. However, with Bluehost you can get them both at the same place and at the same time. The basic web hosting package at Bluehost (for one web site) is only $3.95/month and includes a free domain name! I have personally used Bluehost for years, and I have found it extremely reliable and affordable. This is step 1!
Step 2 – Setting Up WordPress
WordPress is the internet’s most popular content management system (remember this phrase?), with nearly 19% of all web sites utilizing this platform. The good news… WordPress is free. More good news… Bluehost is optimized for sites that us WordPress as their CMS. In fact, they make it super easy to set up WordPress on your web site.
The screen shot below is where you go after setting up a new Bluehost account.
Installing WordPress on Bluehost is a one-click process! Just choose a username and password. Voila! You now have a web site!
Step 3 – Choosing a WordPress Theme
Rather than developing a website from scratch, WordPress allows you to chose a theme for your site. A theme provides the overall framework and design of your site. You can then just upload your photos and information, and the theme makes it look pretty!
There are THOUSANDS of WordPress themes available, from free to expensive, from ugly to beautiful, from simple to complex. I got the theme for my web site over at ThemeIsle. If you are looking to build a site for a church or ministry, you may want to check out churchthemes.com.
When reviewing themes, be sure to check out the demo sites so that you can get a feel for how the site looks and the ease of navigation. Also, with more and more people browsing the internet on their mobile devices, make sure your theme is responsive (almost all of them are)- which means that it works well on a larger screen or on a tablet/phone.
After downloading your theme, you simply return to your WordPress site and install it.
Log in to your WordPress Dashboard
- Go to yoursite.com/wp-admin (replace “yoursite.com” with your URL)
- Enter your user name and password to go to your WordPress dashboard (where you edit your site)
Upload Your New Theme
- On your WordPress dashboard, click Appearance on the left sidebar and then Themes
- Click the Upload button and then “Chose File”
- Select the theme you downloaded and then click “Install Now”
- Click Activate to make your new theme active
Ta-da! You now have a custom WordPress theme on your site. Well done!
Step 4 – Customize Your Site
The final step is to customize your site with your logo and content. The WordPress dashboard is fairly easy to navigate. If you are brave enough to DIY your website, then you are probably adventurous enough to snoop around the dashboard and figure things out yourself. However, here are a few tips to help you get started.
- Add pages. Just click Pages > Add New on the left sidebar. If your site is more than a blog, then you will want to have pages with information, A basic “About” page is a bare minimum. Depending on if the site is for a business, church or individual, you may need to create quite a few pages.
- Add posts (if site is blog-based). Just click Posts>Add New on the left sidebar. Unlike pages, posts are time-stamped go to the blog on your web site. You can add as many posts to your blog as you would like, and you can even schedule posts for future dates.
- Customize. Just click to Appearance > Customize on the left sidebar. This is where you can do a lot to make your site personalized, such as adding a logo, adjusting colors, setting up your menus, etc. Depending on your theme, the amount of customization you can have on your site varies.
Wow! You did it! You started your own web site for only $4/month, and you didn’t have to pay any professionals to do it for you. Great job!