If you are thinking of having your own website but don't want to spend anything to start off with, then read on.
There are many free web hosts, who will give you unlimited bandwidth, pages, free domain name, and unlimited pages. So if you think you are ready to launch your own site, why not test it with one of these free web hosts. It doesn't cost you anything, other than your hard work to put it together.
The only downside to this is that, the domain name you will get will not be a simple
www. yourname.com, it will be something like www. clevergenius.yourname.com. The only disadvantage of this is, it will be difficult for users to memorize your site address. However, if advertised and promoted properly, and you can get your site ranked high with the search engines, then this will not be an issue. As your users will find you with their search queries. For more information about how to get more traffic to your site read my blog on increasing the number of visitors to your site without spending anything.
Don't worry, let me not put you off by this. If you wish you can buy a domain name of your choice and redirect your free domain name. Domain names are not that expensive to buy, depending on what you choose to go for ( .com/.gov/.net etc). You can buy domain names from $1.99.
The most popular web hosts and most user friendly are:
Microsoft Officelive
Google
Yola
You will need a valid email address to open an account. Once you open your account, it is then a matter of you putting your contents in and designing it to your liking. Once this is done, you are ready to launch your site.
When desigining your site, keep in mind your customers. Kepp asking one question to yourself, "will my customers like the design of my site?". Try not to make it to personal to you, but don't forget to try and view it from your customers point of view.
With these hosts, there a forums where you can ask questions and find answers for a question that may have already been answered. So don't be afraid to ask others who are already using it and can give you helpful tips. Normally they are all really friendly.
You can use paypal on your free site to collect payments if you are going to be selling a service or products, and it is really simple to install. Although Google can provide you with a Google check out if you decide to use Google, the choice is yours.
Now that you know where to start, don't let me hold you back. Click on the links above and get started in minutes.
If you need any help with anything to do with building the site, then please do email me.
When you are ready to launch your site, read our article on how to promote your site for free and how to submit your site to search engine.