If you want to create your own webpage, then you might have felt a little overwhelmed by all of the resources and methods. There are many different ways to build a website. You can do it manually, buy a website creator, use a host’s website building system, hire a programmer, or install a CMS. These are viable methods with their own pros and cons, but a vast amount of people will find that one of these methods is suitable for their needs both now and in the future.
THE BEST METHOD
Manually building a website is good if you currently know HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, or if you have particular needs. If you want a generic blog or website, there’s really no need to make your own website. Not only that, but you can seriously mess the page up if you don’t know what you’re doing.
There are also website creators like Dreamweaver and programs supplied by your host. These are also viable solutions, but they are best for static HTML pages. Static pages are difficult to manage, especially since most people want to do as little work as possible to manage and build their website. It can also take several hours to get your website ready.
Hiring a developer is one of the best solutions if you have complex needs, want an advanced or professional website, and have the project’s money. A developer will often cost several thousand dollars for a full website. The price goes up as your demands increase. Since this costs so much, it won’t work for most people.
The easiest and cheapest method of building a website is installing a CMS. This not only gives you a consistent design for all of your pages, but it allows you to easily create new pages without going through the process of manually coding the new HTML.
INSTALLING THE CMS
You can manually install a CMS, but that requires many work and technical skills that most new website owners don’t have. It’s much easier to install it automatically. Due to the overwhelming popularity of CMSs, most hosts have a script installer for this purpose.
You can find the script installer in cPanel, or whatever management system your host is using. Look for a program called Softaculous, Fantastico, or Installatron. These are the three most popular installers. If you don’t see any of these, then ask your host which installer they are using.
Open the program and select a CMS. There are three main CMSs for blogs and general websites: WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. WordPress is the most popular and easiest to use. The other two have more power, but they are also harder to use.
Select WordPress, enter your username and password, and then tell the installer to install the script. This should only take a minute or two to complete. The instructions will now detail how to make a website with WordPress, but many other CMSs choose to build a forum or eCommerce site. Check them out. The beauty of CMSs is that they are all straightforward to use.
MAKE A PAGE
Making a page is easy. Most of your posts will be added to your website’s blog area, but WordPress can also make static pages that you can easily edit later if needed.
Enter the admin dashboard and click “Pages” and then “Add New.” You will be taken to a screen that allows you to enter the page’s title and text. Type in all of the information and then click “Submit.” Your new page will be added, and a button will be placed on your website’s header so that the page can be easily accessed.
You can also change the order of your pages, edit them or delete pages in the “Pages” menu.
CUSTOMIZING THE THEME
Another great thing about WordPress is that you can easily change your entire website’s design in a matter of seconds, without using HTML or CSS. Download a WordPress theme. There are many free options, but premium ones are the best if you want to start an online business. They roughly cost around $40 to $100.
Download the theme’s ZIP file. If your computer automatically unzips the file when it is downloaded, then be sure to turn this off or zip the file manually.
Go to “Design” and then “Themes.” Click the “Install Theme” button, choose the theme and then install it. You have just changed your website’s design.
CONCLUSION
Making your own page, and by extension, your own website only takes a few minutes of work. Just install a CMS, change the theme to match your needs and preferences, and create the pages you need. You should have no trouble doing this even if you don’t know the first thing about website design and development.