Building Your First Website

The Real Basics

Putting together a website for the first time can be VERY daunting. Whether you are a stay at home mom, retiree, student, potential internet entrepreneur, or anyone who just wants to learn a new skill, it is difficult to know where to start.

Now I don't profess to be an expert - but starting from scratch is still fresh in my mind - 20 websites in 16 months later! So I might just be able to cover more of the real basics that the more experienced guys just skip over - and give it to you in plain English.

I am also going to try to give you as many links as I can to the sites that you will need, and an approximate of how much each step will cost you. Some you will need to lay out straight away (your software, purchase of your domain name and your web hosting service), some are free (your PayPal account) and others can wait until you decide if you need them or not. This will depend on the purpose of the site.

If its just for information, you probably won't need any more. If you are planning to sell a downloadable product or get into affiliate marketing (all will be revealed!) then you will certainly need some more tools.

So here we go:

Step 1: If you don't have one, set up a PayPal Account. 

You will need this for transactions over the internet including for the next two steps. If you have had experience with eBay you may already have set up a PayPal Account - great! That's Step 1 taken care of. By using this payment method, you are not divulging your credit card details to each merchant with whom you trade (not advisable, and most merchants prefer to transact via PayPal). AND having all transactions recorded at a central point, makes for much easier account management.

Learn more or sign up for a personal PayPal account (non-merchant)

If you are planning to sell products online, then I recommend you set up a PayPal Merchant's Account - there a lot more benefits.

Step 2: Register Your Domain Name (approx. $US9/year)

Having set up your PayPal account your next step is to register a Domain Name, i.e. your own dot com. It can cost as little as $US9 to register a domain name - I was amazed at this low cost (but then I really had NO IDEA)!

But before you get too carried away with clever names, register your own name as a dot com first. This is so when you become rich and famous (if you're not already), you won't find someone else cashing in on your celebrity by registering a dot com in your name - Yes, they can! as many high-profile people have discovered.

I wanted to register KerryFinch.com, but found there was a journalist/politician in Tasmania, Australia, with that name who had already registered the domain name. So I am KerryAnneFinch.com.

I have registered this, and several other domain names with one company, and a few others with a second company as I wanted to compare their support and service. Without naming the first, I can only say that I recommend you try .

Step 3: Choose Your Web Design Software ($US197)

Again, I really had no idea, and so I took advice from my mentor, James Schramko (see below). His recommendation was XSitePro which I have since found to be fantastic - great tutorial and clear instructions. By all means, ask around and take advice from someone who has actually USED the software they are recommending.

All I can say is that I am delighted with XSitePro, the program designed specifically for website marketers. It served me well as a novice, and as my skills develop, I am able to implement its other features and tools. Powerful stuff.

I have put the current price (December 2008) and its a real bargain, if when you read this it is still at this price I recommend you GRAB IT. If its not, then too bad - you missed out! But even at its full regular price of $US297 - it is a great value product. And the support and help you get from staff and other users via the Forum is worth gold. Buy XSitePro2 now.

Take a look at this >>  video << on the features of XSitePro2 to get an overview!

Step 4: Enlist the help of James Schramko's XSP Cheat Sheet  (Free Bonus)

Now this is a real, genuine bonus for you if you purchase your copy of XSitePro through one of the links above. Here's the background:

A chance meeting with James Shramko gave me the confidence to set up my own website and start my own online business. His guidance has been invaluable, and I am sure you will find that the knowledge he shares through this XSP Cheat Sheet will greatly enhance your XSitePro experience.

"Cheat Sheet" gives the impression of maybe one or two pages - but this document is over 80 pages in length, and if you are planning a marketing website, it will become your Bible. He tackles issues like importing videos, Search Engine Optimization, Keywords, and so many tricks and tweaks that he has gathered throughout his long involvement in the use of XSitePro.

If this sounds like a foreign language at this stage, don't worry. I promise you it will become clear - and you will learn, as I have, the value of the XSP Cheat Sheet.I have been so impressed with James' enthusiasm and integrity, that I invite you all to learn more about his expertise in web design and marketing.

His XSP Cheat SheetTM has become my constant companion and will certainly make a HUGE difference to those using the fabulous XSitePro to design their website.

Take a look at this Cheat Sheet but don't buy it for $39.95! Once you have purchased your copy of XSitePro2, send me a message with your details and after I verify the sale, I will ask James to send it to you FREE.

Step 5: Download XSitePro2, and DO THE TUTORIAL - DON'T SHORTCUT THIS STEP

Devoting 2 hours to this tutorial will save you hours of heartache down the line. Armed with XSitePro and the XSPCheat Sheet, all you need is your own material and imagination to begin assembling your Website pages.

After doing the Tutorial, you will be able to build a website from scratch - no problem. And its a good exercise to do this.  But know also that XSitePro has some great templates that are ready to go - really you just "fill in the gaps".  Here is one of my websites that I have built using a template: Writers XSited.

It is a good idea to put together a 'mind map' or just write down what you want your website to say, whether the objective is to get a message across, or to sell a product. It is so easy for your enthusiasm and ideas to carry you towards making your first website all-inclusive. But you will soon see how complex and fragmented your website becomes if you attempt to include too many diverse topics.

I have approached this, my personal website, as a launch pad for other niche websites, and as a test case to see whether I have applied recommended strategies correctly. Now that I have pared back dramatically from my original draft, I have learned the meaning "Less is More".

Step 6: Choose a Web Hosting Plan and Company ($US10/month)

A Web Host is a company whose servers store your website files and you will need one of these to publish a website.

 I did quite a bit of shopping around before deciding on HostGator as the Host for my website. They offer 24/7/365 phone support, 99.9% uptime, and have a 30 day money back guarantee. The plan you choose depends on the use of your website, but for 100gb of disk space and 1,000gb bandwidth, the monthly cost was $US10/month

Many hosting plans require you to pay for 12 months up front. I was uncomfortable with this as it may be impossible to track down an organisation that shuts down after collecting your (and others) one year membership dollars. Paying monthly suits me just fine.

So take a look at the HostGator site, especially the Hosting Tips page.

If you are planning to have more than 2 websites up - and this will certainly be the case if you are planning on doing some internet/affiliate marketing, the I suggest you consider signing up for a Reseller Account with HostGator.  This allows you UNLIMITED domains on the one account for $US24.95 per month.  As I mentioned, I now have around 20 websites, and it still costs me $US24.95 per month - and I could have a hundred more for this price.  Think about the future.

Step 7: Change Your DNS Server Details

When you purchase your domain name with  you will be automatically assigned a Domain Name Server (DNS) account with them.  Once you sign up with HostGator as your Web Host they will provide you with the DNS account details for your website.  You will need to go back and sign in to your GoDaddy Account and change the DNS details provided at signup to the once allocated by HostGator.

Step 8: Publish Your Website!

With XSitePro, this is literally done with the press of a button. I have to admit that this was one step where I needed to tap into the resources of the XSitePro Forum - and within two minutes I had the reply to my query and saw how I had made one little mistake that was fixed with a few key strokes.  Fantastic! 

So there you have the basics - now you can see how easy it is to have a presence on the internet. 

I wish you the very best of luck in your new learning experience and will continue to add to this site as I learn more (in fact I've now added "Beyond The Basics", so feel free to revisit as often as you like.

If you are interested in earning money by writing on the internet then I recommend you read another page I have here called, predictably, "Making Money on the Internet by Writing" which talks about a pretty nifty resource for just that.

This is such a hot topic for me (as it is how I am earning my living now), I have built a site just on this topic - do visit Writers XSited.  I will be adding loads more resources about how to get published and be paid for your writing.