Getting Started? Some Technical Considerations

Websites have become a necessity to almost everyone. Businesses, organizations, individuals, and even young adults have created a variety of websites for an even greater variety of reasons - to make money, to collaborate, to discuss interesting issues, to share their knowledge and talents, and to entertain.

Planning

It's the key to success in everything we do. You've decided you want a website. You need a website. So let's get started!

First things first. Before you create your website, let's think through a few things, such as the cost, maintenance, purpose, and web hosting.

Site Purpose

What's the purpose of your website? What content do you want to put on it? Think through how you'd like to see the content organized - what will your high-level navigation look like? The more planning you can do before you actually start developing, the better.

Hosting Provider

Your first task is to look for an affordable host - one that offers great customer service and a lot of features for your money. A web host provides you with space on their server, and the ability to manage your website through an administrative console.

If you are just starting out, you probably won't need a lot of storage space or features, and you can always upgrade, so I would suggest getting the entry level package. You can always upgrade to a more professional package as your needs grow.

A cheap hosting company may or may not be a reliable service, so it pays to do your research. However, in this day and age, you can find several reliable, entry-level hosting packages for just dollars a month. I'll post more blogs about how to search and select the right hosting provider soon.

Hosting Platform

While you're looking for a hosting package, you'll be offered a choice between Linux/Unix and Windows. It's time to make a decision - on which platform do you want to host your site?

What programming languages do you want to use (e.g. ASP, JSP, PHP, Ruby on Rails, etc.)? There are advantages and disadvantages to using a certain language over another. ASP is generally easier for people who don't have a technical background, but you're likely to find a lot more free tools and code you can use on your website if you go with PHP. JSP tends to be more complicated for newbies, but there are performance advantages to using it (which is really only important if you think your website will have huge audience and lots of complicated transactions).

Make your choice wisely! Once you start developing in a specific language, in order to move to a different platform, you might need to totally rewrite all of your code, and that would really bite.

If you are planning to just code in HTML and client-side scripts, then choosing your platform isn't that big of a deal, because you can easily move HTML pages from one platform to another without breaking your site. You'll only get locked in to a platform when you start using a database, feedback/contact forms, or other server-side coding.

Do you need a database? You might not need one when you're first starting out, but it is usually a good idea to get a package that offers at least one database. I'm sure you'll find ways to use it. We'll get to that point more in future posts!

Domain Names

You'll also need to get a domain name, sometimes called the URL. For example, www.sandyengland.com. The domain name ends with .com, .net, .org, etc. The most common extension is .com, but it can sometimes be tough to find a good name that hasn't already been taken. But there are tricks for that too (more to come!). Traditionally, only non-profits should be applying for domain names with the .org extension, and only hosting providers should procure domain names with .net.

Getting the right domain name for you website is one of the most important of all tasks, so take your time, do as much research as you need. Registering and keeping a domain name is prety inexpensive - you shouldn't have to pay more than $15 a year, and there are places where you can get them even cheaper. I remember when I first started out (in 1996), registering your domain name cost at least $70!

Hiring a Pro

Are you going to do the coding yourself, or do you want to hire a professional? For simple websites, we could always do the coding ourselves, or even use scripts readily available across the web, as it is relatively simple, and it's fun to learn. Ha ha. If you don't like sleeping!

When your website requires complex coding, such as creating elaborate functionality, hiring a developer is probably your best bet. Not just to help implement some cool and interesting designs, but to help make sure your website is secure - if you plan to have a database or use e-commerce in any way.