Step 1- Why are you doing this?

These days people are looking for the fastest way to do things.  People have the tendency to just jump right into new endeavors without planning.  Most of the time, this doesn’t work out too well.    You need to plan when you are wanting to do something right.  This is true in most everything in life and is especially true when planning your website.

Building a successful website won’t take forever, but it will take some time to do things right.  So let’s get started with some questions.

The first question you need to ask yourself is “Why do you need a website?”. Answering this question will determine your actions from here on out. It’s the first step to how to build a website and perhaps the most important question that you can ask yourself before you begin.

Here are some questions to ask yourself…

• Are you looking to attract new business?
• Are you wanting to start blogging?
• Are you looking to share your expertise on a subject with others?
• Are you wanting to create a database of links or information?
• Are you looking to create a portfolio of artwork or photography?

Answering these questions will help you as you make decisions about your website as you go on your journey. It may be that you are looking to do a combination of these things which is great!

Here is a brief explanation on the different types of websites that you could build…

Types of Websites

Business Website- A business website is a place for businesses to connect with potential customers. It is a good place to establish your brand and share with customers what services or products your business supplies. Business websites should be clean and professional looking If your business is local, it will be important in the latter stages of building your website to target your local patrons.

Blogs- The word “blog” comes from the word “weblog”. Most blogs are basically a collection of “posts” or entries centered around a specific topic. Blogs are the most popular form of website out there. It is very easy to create your own blog considering all of the free blog creation software available to people.

Information or “How to” Websites- This type of website shares information with visitors. It may be how to do something, perhaps in the form of lessons or tutorials. Or it may be feature information that people may be searching for. For example, this type of website may feature information on hotels or vacation spots.

Database Websites- This type of website may hunt down a collection of resources on the Internet and put them in one place in the form of a database. It may include a collection of links to other places on the web. For example, a website like this may provide a list of colleges or universities that specialize in a particular subject matter making it easier for visitors to find information quickly and easily.

Portfolio Websites- This type of website is created to provide an easily accessible place for artists, photographers, designers, etc. to present their work. It is important for any portfolio website to be well-presented and put the focus of the visitor directly on the artwork.

As we discuss the steps to building your own website, we’ll take a look at each one of these types of websites more in-depth. Each step we take towards our goal of a completed website will be affected by what type of website you choose to build. This is why it is so important to be fully aware of what type of website you want to build right from the start.

Once you have decided why you are building a website, it’s time to start looking for inspiration.

Get Inspired Before You Begin to Build Your Website

Inspiration can come from anywhere. It doesn’t have to come from the internet. However, a good place to start looking for inspiration is simply by doing a Google search.

Closely examine the sites that are the type that you are planning to create. Make a list of the sites that you like and make a note of the specific things that you like about them. These notes will prove useful when you begin to build your own website. It’s also a good idea to make a note of the things that you notice that you don’t like so that you are sure to avoid these things.

Now it’s time to move to the next step and decide who are you building your website for. Your audience is important and targeting the right audience is one of the most important things about building a successful website.