Often, small business owners and entrepreneurs get stuck when it comes to getting a website up and running. Should you hire someone? Should you do it yourself? Do I need to know how to code? These questions as well as many others arise when you don’t quite understand what it takes to build a website.
Yes, websites can be very complex and require a lot of technical know-how but there is a much easier way to get a website up and running in the shortest time possible: WordPress.
WordPress is a comprehensive blogging platform that has morphed into a fully customizable content management system. I’m not saying WordPress is the answer to all of your website needs but for the majority of small businesses and entrepreneurs, WordPress can handle what you need and more so don’t think of WordPress as a blogging platform only. I can handle much, much more.
What do you need in order to get a WordPress website up and running?
- WordPress itself is free. WordPress is the actual website platform you will use to build and develop your website. You can download WordPress for free here: Download WordPress Now. This is a manual install and might take a little more technical knowledge to complete. There is an easier way we will discuss shortly that we recommend.
- I recommend purchasing a domain name that describes your business to use for your WordPress website. You can choose to pick a keyword rich domain or you can opt for a more brandable domain. The choice is yours so pick what’s best for your business. Just keep in mind that long domains are unattractive so try to keep it as short as possible and easy to type. You can get your domain from GoDaddy. If you already have a domain, great…you are one step closer to getting your WordPress website launched.
- The next thing you will need to get in order to get a WordPress website up and running is a hosting account or server. This is where all of your website files (code, images, style sheets) will sit. For the small business and entrepreneur, shared hosting plans are popular. You can always upgrade to a dedicated server when your website traffic starts to pour in and use all of your shared hosting resources. Two hosting companies I recommend for shared hosing plans are Hostgator and Bluehost. Both have a ton of features, with Fantastico being one of the most popular feature in either package.
Fantastico is basically a platform within your hosting account that integrates a set of added resources to make your hosting account much more efficient for the non-technical person. It includes a list of many applications and platforms such as WordPress, Joomla (another content management system geared towards the more technical person), forum platforms (PHPBB) as well as many other packages that can be implemented on your website with a few clicks of the mouse. I can literally set up a WordPress website with just a few clicks. This really takes the technical aspect out of putting up a website. So, getting a basic site up with WordPress is a breeze. The harder part of the website equation is customizing it to your business needs and brand. This is where you might need a little help from a professional developer or designer to really take your WordPress website to the next level.
There are also thousands of templates and themes that are either free or you can pay for premium WordPress themes, which are often worth the money. With these themes, you can also have a developer customize them into something unique so you can brand your business accordingly.
Easy as that! Once your site is customized, you are ready to get going on your online marketing plan which is a whole other topic we will discuss in much more detail in the near future.
So, to recap:
- Purchase a domain name from GoDaddy unless you already have one.
- Set up a hosting account with Hostgator or Bluehost (be sure to point your domain from your GoDaddy account to your hosting account by changing the nameservers – there will be directions on how to do this when you sign up for your hosting account or send me an email at mmcgrath@logicburst.com and I will help you.)
- Install WordPress on your domain with Fantastico (just follow the easy instructions – only a few clicks).
- Start customizing your website (add logo, change colors, fonts and images, etc…) or hire a developer to help you customize.
Good luck and let us know if you ever need help with anything web related.
