1. The Internet
2. Domain
3. Hosting
4. Platforms
5. Front and Back
6. This is your FIRST website
When I first took my business online in 2004, nobody said this to me!
“By the way Annabel here are the basic things you need to understand before developing your first website”
So here is my introduction to the very basics that I wish someone had explained to me!
1. The Internet:
This may sound obvious but when I started it took me ages to understand what having a website on the internet meant. There is so much jargon used to describe what happens to a website when it goes live. To help me understand, I now imagine my website is simply my business but floating in the sky. Up in the sky anyone in the world could potentially find me, unlike my business on earth where I am going to be found by word of mouth, local knowledge, or someone walking by.
2. Domain Name:
This is your online address, it is how people will recognise you and find you online. You have to buy your domain name and pay for it annually. Once you have registered and paid for your domain name, it is protected and only you can use it.
3. Hosting:
These are the people who take you website and sit it up on the internet! You have to pay an annual fee for your hosting partner.
4. Platforms:
There are a variety of different platforms on which you can build your website rather like choosing a make of a car, or an electrical product. You need to find the correct base to build your website on. In Ireland most people use a platform called Wordpress, however, for a first website I recommend Shopify for product based businesses or Wix for any other type of business as they are much easier to work on yourself.
5. Front + Back:
, Every website has a front and a back end. The front is the bit that is shown on the internet, and everyone will see, the back is the part that only you or your web designer has access to. Think of it like the front of a shop and the office at the back that your customers never see.
6. This is your first website:
When you launch your first website it is a great sense of achievement and excitement. It is also a part of an ongoing process, and it is highly likely that your business will outgrow your first website and you will require a re model or a brand-new site as your business needs develop and the digital world changes.
I hope this Simple introduction to the very basics of the mystery of your first website helps you.
If you are thinking about setting up your first website contact me to find out more.
EE