Create Your Dream Site with Free Website Builders

With our detailed reviews of the best website builders, ranked by features, pric
ing and ease of use, we've given you the tools to start building a powerful webs
ite in minutes. Save both money and time by doing it yourself, without an effect
on flexibility, functionality or design.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/
The 3 Simple Steps to Build a Website
Visions of a custom-built website can appear daunting at the start of the projec
t, but it becomes straightforward with each progression. Building a website only
involves three simple steps.
Choose a Website Building Platform: The first step is to choose the appropriate
website building platform on which to develop your site. For most applications a
nd use cases, this will involve either employing a website builder or a CMS plat
form.
Select the Domain Name: The next step is to choose a unique, compelling, and mem
orable domain name to serve as your website's permanent address. You will also n
eed to identify a relevant hosting option, but you should first check whether yo
ur domain provider works with particular web hosts or acts as a web host itself.
Set up the Website: Finally, the last step of creating your own website involves
the visual functionality of your website. In this stage, you set up the operati
onal aspects of the site and customize it, as needed, for the specific look, fee
l, brand, identity, or message you desire.
Step 1: Choosing a Website Builder or CMS
As mentioned previously, you can utilize various approaches when learning how to
make a website. The two most popular approaches are to use a website builder or
a CMS platform -- both methods are accessible and easy to integrate by moderate
ly savvy users. These tools and applications incorporate drag-and-drop capabilit
ies and WYSIWIG editors, which can make building web pages as simple as creating
a Word document. Both approaches have their unique benefits and drawbacks, howe
ver, and they should be considered in the context of your specific use case or s
cenario.In many cases a website builder is included or integrated as part of a c
omprehensive web development and hosting platform. In these instances, web devel
opment and publishing exists in one integrated workflow, and there is no require
ment to manually copy files to the web hosting server. Standalone desktop websit
e builders are also available that allow for easy, drag-and-drop visual web deve
lopment, but they require you to manually copy the finished website to the serve
r using FTP (file transfer protocol) tools.CMS platforms offer all the benefits
of a WYSIWIG-based website builder but require substantial initial set up effort
s. Most popular options started out as blog publishing platforms, and despite ev
olving to allow for general web content management capabilities, they still foll
ow the same web page publishing workflow: a page is edited, reviewed, and publis
hed from a central web-based authoring interface. Initial installation of a CMS
entails server configuration and the additional configuration of a database -- w
hich also requires some technical effort to have it up and running. CMS packages
also require constant maintenance events and upgrades, which are vital for patc
hing vulnerabilities and security gaps in the software. For these reason, websit
e builders can be significantly easier to use than a CMS when youre trying to lear
n how to get a website up and running.It is advisable to consider the type of au
dience and viewership you anticipate for your website, since this will help guid
e you to selecting a website builder or CMS. A personal blog can be created with
relative ease and fast turnaround -- out-of-the-box -- with a CMS solution, as
the latter was initially designed specifically for this purpose. A business or e
commerce site, however, would benefit more from a website builder's breadth of f
eatures (e.g., credit card processing and shopping cart functionality) and hosti
ng integration options.

Step 2: Choosing a Domain Name and Hosting Provider

The domain name is basically the address your visitors will type in the URL wind
ow of their browsers to access your site. In actuality, your website has a real
numerical address -- the IP address -- that computers and servers use on the bac
k end for serving web requests. The domain name hides this from users, allowing
them to use a human-readable name to access the site instead of using an arcane
set of numerical values.Your domain name should be unique, memorable, and chosen
for long-term use. Since your first choice will likely be taken, you'll often f
ind success with online tools that generate available domain names; these variat
ions are available for purchase, as are free domains using other, non-standard e
xtensions such as .io, .biz, and so forth. Additionally, various country-specifi
c domains are also available, and some can be purchased by both domestic and for
eign parties. For example, if you expect a broader audience in the Eurozone, pur
chasing a .eu domain name may resonate more strongly with your target viewers.On
ce you choose your domain name, you should focus on selecting a web hosting prov
ider. In many cases, web hosting procedures include choosing and purchasing a do
main name as part of the account setup process. This is especially true for webs
ite building platforms with inclusive hosting; additionally, online website buil
der/hosting solutions offer on-site web authoring; no manual FTPing of files is
required.In general, you should pick a hosting provider according to your expect
ed budget, anticipated traffic volumes, and technical support requirements. Cons
olidated website building/hosting solutions usually provide easy-to-understand p
ricing structures and packages.
Step 3: Creating Your Own Website
To build the site, it is helpful to start with a general information architectur
e diagram, detailing the individual sections of the site and the contents therei
n. For example, you may want to break your business website into the following s
ections: About Us, Products, Services, and Contact. Build out the relevant conte
nt from these individual sections or buckets to give your site better structure
and make the daunting task of content generation more approachable.Suffice to sa
y, your website's visual presentation will make the biggest impact upon users. M
ost considerations to design your own website will be accounted for if your comp
any or organization already has a brand and/or style guide. You will want to ado
pt the same or similar font faces, color schemes, and branding elements (e.g., l
ogos and tag lines) on your website. If you're building a website in the absence
of any pre-existing guidelines or materials, keep in mind that current design t
rends favor simple, easy-to-view (e.g., flat) elements, ample use of white space
, and muted/soothing color palettes. A plethora of website design tutorials can
be found on the web to help in this regard.Many first-time web builders make the
mistake of trying to create a highly compelling, interactive experience out of
an otherwise straightforward website initiative. Avoid fancy menus and widgets,
unless they serve a specific purpose, since usability is the primary concern whe
n developing websites. More often, an impactful logo, complementary color scheme
, and well-written/structured content are all it takes to provide users with a c
ompelling web experience. To make your own website, remember the idea of "less i
s more."Website features and add-on options vary with your web hosting/publishin
g provider. Depending on your needs, you may want to check with your chosen prov
ider if additional capabilities such as social media integration, newsletter gen
eration, ecommerce, or video/music streaming are available. Also, automatic prop
er backup and restore capabilities can help tremendously in the event of acciden
tal changes or deletions (or if any other significant data loss occurs). Web hos
ting providers usually make periodic backups of websites, but more extensive cov
erage may be necessary if you plan to update frequently.