Does having to create and design your website have you hesitating. You’ve been wanting a website for a while now but hesitating because just how do you get started? What do you need, what do you need to know how to do, and what are the best resources? Pair is here to help. This two-part series will walk you through everything you need to get started, create, design, and launch a successful, secure website!
Step 1: Choose a Domain Name
Chances are, you have something in mind for the name of your new site, whether it is your company’s name, your own name, or that of a unique service. You will need to search this name to register and claim it as your own. This can be done super easily at Pair Domains. We will offer close alternatives if your top-name choice is unavailable.
Remember, you want your domain name to be as simple and short as possible, so your viewers can easily find and access it!
Step 2: Choose a Quality Web Host
Now that you have a unique URL, you need to find a home for it. That is what a web host does — hosts or provides a home for your site. A good host will equip you with the tools you need for your website’s design, development, maintenance, and security. But, don’t just take our word for it; check out these helpful Pair blog articles below!
- A Crash Course in Web Hosting
- What Is Web Hosting? Part 1
- What Is Web Hosting? Part 2
- The Benefits of Paid Web Hosting
At Pair, we offer customers many hosting options to meet their individual and business needs — all with great functionality and security.
Step 3: Choose a Website Builder
Next, you’ll need to choose how you will build your website. There are many options to consider, but when we get to Part 2, the actual creation of your site, we will focus on WordPress and Weebly.
Pair supports WordPress and Weebly, automatically applying their software updates to your site, so you don’t have to think about it. Both offer drag-and-drop functionality that lets you easily create a website without knowing a speck of code. We’re guessing that you’ll find your website’s actual design fun and exciting when you get to this point!
Step 4: Connect Your Domain Name with Your Website
Once you’ve decided upon a web host and a domain host, you’ll need to connect the two. This is a simple procedure in Pair’s Account Control Center.
If you’re transferring a domain name, make sure you give yourself extra time for the process to complete.
Step 5: Secure Your Site and Improve Performance
This may seem like the cart before the horse, but you will want to ensure that the host you select is capable of providing you the ultimate site security and performance.
Security and site performance affect whether or not readers want to stay on your site and your SEO ranking when people look for your website on a search engine like Google.
An excellent place to start is by choosing an SSL certificate, which happens to be FREE with your Pair website. An SSL certificate shows users that your website is extra secure. You can tell a URL has an SSL because it begins with “HTTPS://.” This is particularly reassuring if visitors are giving you personal and financial information. You can learn more about how SSL certificates work here.
Remember, Google will not even rank your site if it does not have an SSL.
Pair provides you with all the resources you need to get started with site security and site performance improvements, like these helpful blog articles:
Now What?
Now that you have essentially thought through the logistics of establishing a name and creating a site, we are excited to share more about how you can design, build and use your site to achieve your personal or business goals.
What Noe? Read DIY: How to Design Your Website — Part 2!
