In modern society, people access the internet daily. Statistics reveal that at the end of 2012 there were 634 million websites in existence, with 2.4 billion internet users worldwide. When you think about it, these are some pretty mind-blowing numbers – especially if you are thinking about setting up your own website! Putting your own stamp on the internet may seem like a daunting prospect at first; but once you learn to stand on your two digital feet, the inner mechanics of an internet page will become a lot clearer through practice and application.
Why do you need your own website?
Before you start mashing your laptop keyboard frantically to find a domain name, think about what function your website will be fulfilling. Function is so important, whether you are looking to make money or not, or even fundraise from it, its purpose is crucial to its success and must deliver the right message. Obviously you can create any sort of website you want with the right tools, be it for personal (blog, tumblr, personal bio etc.) or business (online shop, promotion, information about a current store etc.) A website should either be a reflection of yourself, your business or your brand.
One important thing to remember is to keep it simple. One of the best things to do is to sum up your to-be website in a sentence. For example ëI want a website to sell my handmade jewelleryí or ëI want my website to be a photo journal for my travels around the worldí. By reducing your website function to a simple sentence, you will find the process of grafting your website from scratch a lot easier.
It may be all well and good having a website to serve a purposeÖ.but what are the real advantages to be had?
The advantages of having your own website
There is a wealth of advantages to be had by having your own website, whether it is for personal or business purposes.
The advantages for setting up a personal website are very clear. Your website is a good place to keep internet surfers updated with selected news, pictures and relevant information. You will find that having a personal website can be great for networking, which lead to fruitful relationships; be it socially or business related.
As you would have thought there are also a whole host of advantages to be had from having a website for your business. Here is a breakdown for some of the top benefits:
- Much cheaper than print advertising.
- Far more control than other forms of printed advisements.
- Gives your business a sense of credibility by simply existing on the internet.
- Offers customers convenience.
- 24/7 access to your service.
- Opportunity for growth (potential investors may stumble across your site).
- Build a solid relationship rapport with your target audience, and then expand.
Building your own website
There are certain avenues you can pursue when building your own website. However, what all websites start with is a domain name. Find a domain name that is right for you and purchase it. After you have found the right webpage name, you need to buy some web hosting so your site can actually go live. You can do all of this at certain sites such as 123-reg.co.uk. Domain names vary in prices according to popularity, but are mostly cheap. Web hosting can cost around sixty pounds a year.
Many people use WordPress to program their websites. With WordPress you can download themes, which you can then edit to make it look as if you made it from scratch. Many users download different easy-to-install plugins for their site which have different functions; from measuring web traffic to speeding up internal processes.
Even though the internet may seem like a digitally cluttered marketplace, there is no reason why your website canít fit into it too. Even though there are over 600 million websites in existence, most of them are poorly constructed. Make a visually stylish website with a clear purpose and you will pull in a generous amount of traffic and possible raise funds to build your next website.
