Contents
n this article, I will be discussing the necessary steps you need to take combined with factors to consider before you start building a website.
Every step is important.
Identify the domain name that is perfect or best suited for your website
A domain name is the name of a website. You see that part that comes after the www as in www.TUPLEA.com.ng in a web address is the domain name. There are different extensions (called TLD – Top Level Domain) that comes with a domain. A knowledge of what this extensions stand for his important to selecting a suitable domain name for your new website. .com is used for companies, .org for organizations, .edu is for educational institutions.
Sometimes, TLD could be based on the country, region or continent. For example, .africa, .ng, .eu, .us, and so on. Then if a company, organization or institution wish to include the region in which they operate, there are TLD for these too eg .com.ng, .org.us, .edu.uk and so on.
Here are advise when choosing a domain name avoid numbers and symbols in your name. Ensure the length is not more than 15 characters. Integrate keywords into your domain name as related to the services you are rendering or type of products
Choose a good hosting provider.
Most developer tend to handle this part carelessly. Hosting is where the files, information and content that create your website live. These files are stored on a remote computer which is known as a host. There are three types of hosting; shared hosting, dedicated web hosting and cloud hosting.
It is most likely that you will be using a shared hosting for your business. From the word “shared,” you would easily guess that other people’s websites files are also kept at this location. Visualize Shared Hosting as a very big cabinet with several drawers all named differently.
Be sure to check for the following before opening account with an Hosting Company; downtime, if email is included, how is the support service, is backup supported and also ease of switch to another hosting in the future.
HARMONWEB: Best Hosting Company in Nigeria to Host your website
Installation
If you are using WordPress or any other CMS, decide your username and passsword and make sure you keep them in a very secured location. If possible write in a jotter and keep away from people who you do not trust.
Install all necessary plugins.
This depends on what you are trying to achieve with your website. You will be needing Contact Form, security plugins, gallery and social media plugin and others. If you are unsure of what you need, contact expert. You may check link on bio for additional supports.
Themes:
The type of themes you use should be suitable for the type of business you are running. It should also be able to load fast. Before using any theme, ensure you check reviews and then also the requirement if it is compatible with your hosting plan or CMS.
Content and Media
Ensure you have all contents ready and make sure they are of good quality. See my bio to see previous posts that I have written on contents for comprehensive guide. Make sure images are well optimized. If possible do not load videos and sounds directly on website, consider uploading to youtube and other website built for this purpose. Afterwards link to your website.
Backup website
After you are done with the setting up, take the first backup of your website. Furthermore, plan to regularly backup. A lot of plugins are dedicated for this purpose.
