Getting and creating your own website is very easy to do these days and it's very affordable! You can create a website for free at "Google Sites". Search "website" or "build a website" or "create a website" on Amazon website to buy books on this subject to help you. The following is a brief summary on how to create a website.
HOW TO CREATE A WEBSITE FROM SCRATCH
Step 1
REGISTER DOMAIN NAME. Decide your domain name (www___com), in other words, your website address name. The domain extensions .com and .net is generally used for personal websites. Go to whois.net to find out if your domain name is available. Register and pay for your domain name through a "domain name registrar". It is recommended to use an accredited registrar listed on ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names And Numbers) website (icann.org). GoDaddy is a popular domain registrar. When you register your domain name, your personal information will be permanently exposed on the internet (whois.sc)! If you are concerned about your privacy, pay for a "private domain registration"!
Step 2
SELECT A WEB HOST. A "web host" or a web hosting company/service rents out the server space you will use to store your website pages on the internet. You can generally skip step 1 above because most web hosts allow you to search, register, and pay for your domain name on their website. Google search "web hosting" to find providers. GoDaddy is a popular web host. Always read the web host's service agreement before signing up! Always pick a web host that is reputable with good customer service and has telephone support! Check out the WebHostingReviews website or go to the Better Business Bureau website to see if the web host is an accredited business.
SHARED HOSTING PLAN is more affordable. Your website shares space with other websites on a server which means your web pages may load more slowly. Get this plan if your website doesn't attract thousands of visitors per day.
DEDICATED SERVER PLAN is more costly. Your website gets its own server space which means your web pages will load faster.
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE (e-commerce, eCommerce) is an extra feature that you can buy from your web host. E-commerce allows you to sell things on your website.
DISK SPACE (Storage Space, File Storage, Data Storage, Data Space) is the amount of space your website can use on the server. Consider how many pages your website will have and the type of files you will be using. Image files and audio files use more space than text files.
BANDWIDTH (Data Transfer) is the amount of traffic that is allowed to take place between your website and the rest of the internet. Everytime someone visits your website that creates traffic.
Step 3
CONFIGURE YOUR DOMAIN by changing your domain's DNS (domain name server) settings. Doing this will let other computers know where to look for your website when someone enters your website address. Go to your "domain name registrar" website and look for the DNS settings configuration page. Enter the DNS information that was given to you by your web host. This configuring will take effect in about 24 hours.
Step 4
BUILD YOUR WEBSITE on your hard drive. If you want to learn how to build your own website like a professional, you will need to know HTML (hypertext markup language) and CSS (cascading style sheets). Search "website" or "build a website" or "create a website" or "HTML" or "CSS" on Amazon website to buy books on this subject to help you. If you want to build your website quickly use the feature called "website builder" from your web host or buy your own "website building software". Website Builder allows you to easily build your own website with pre-built designs and content using point and click and drag and drop features with no web programming/design experience required! Some web hosts even offer to build your website for you, which will definitely cost more money to do.
Step 5
FTP SOFTWARE (File Transfer Protocol) is needed in order to move the files from your hard drive to your web server, in other words, this software allows you to publish your website and make it viewable on the internet. Google search "FTP software" or "free FTP software" or "buy FTP software" to find providers. Start up your FTP software and enter in the information given to you by your web host, and then click "Connect".