People often ask us how to get started online. While the process can be simple, the answer can be complex, because there are many reasons why people want a web presence, and the first step is to determine your own mission. If you just want to sell, try the link below. With Buyit/Sellit, you don't even need a website - they provide a turnkey operation:

If you are an individual and just want a simple page, most likely your own ISP (Internet Service Provider) will offer you some free webspace and an address. It may not be pretty - something like:

"www.yourisp.com/users/sites/~whoknows what?"

Domain names are the words people type to reach you - but then you probably know that or you wouldn't be here. There are tons of places to register them, all the way from Yahoo to more "botique" services, but the objective is to choose a name, search to see that it is available and get it registered. The best names are generally those that end in ".com", however this is not always the case. There are lots of new domains coming out (.cc, .tv, .bz, etc.) that open new possibilities if you have a particular key word that you would like included in your domain. So, if you can't get it in a .com name, don't be afraid to use one of the new ones if it fits your exact specs.

But for a site, you will also need a hosting provider. This is a company which will place your content on their servers and make it available to the world wide web, i.e., "hosting" your site. There are as many hosting providers as there are sources for domain names. Often this can be accomplished in one step by going to a provider who will register your domain and host it for you for one single fee. We have tried many, but the best we've found is ICDSoft. Their rates are great, and they charge about what most everyone does for a domain, currently $10/year.

These people have the best support we have ever experienced from any vendor we have ever dealt with. That's a tall recommendation, especially for e-mail support, but it is true. They have a number of packages, but start with the least expensive one and upgrade in the future if required.

Finally (or should I say first, because it goes back to what you want to do!), don't forget about content. You have your domain and it is hosted, but without some content your visitors will see nothing but blank pages. This is the really important part, and for this you need to do some work. There are lots of courses on HTML and web programming. It is even possible to learn some online. And there are lots of website generators based on pre-selected templates. Probably the best (and best known) of these is is Trellix SiteBuilder. However there are others out there, and who knows, you might just enjoy learning something new!

If you don't want to take the DIY route, that's where we come in. We will be happy to assist you with any steps of the process, including either building your site or finding someone on your behalf who can do a great job for you. Please feel free to contact us for more information!