We started the business of web design because we loved the process of turning a static idea into a fully interactive, dynamic interface and with a few simple and a few not so simple techniques we were able to make graphics come alive. Over the years the list of tricks and techniques has grown into a vast library that allows us complete creative control.

To make it this far I would imagine you have no problem navigating the internet and the ability to research various techniques and processes which will be a vital skill over the next couple years of your web design learning experience.

In this tutorial I have tried to encapsulate the process of web site development without getting too technology heavy but a few of the steps are a little more taxing so I have included links to external websites that will help.

Step 1. Choosing and purchasing your Domain Name

A great thing to start your project with is choosing and purchasing a domain name for your new website (referred to as registering your domain). A Domain Name is the www.name you give your website.com that links everyone in the world to your web presence.

This can be a really exciting process as you are creating a large part of your business identity and for this reason you should take your time over this and insure you have made the right decision. Please be ready for a hair pulling experience as not only do you have to find a name that you like and sounds right, but it also has to be available! With approximately 312 million websites in existence this task is not always that easy.  

To register your domain name I would advise using one of the bigger companies to do so. There will be absolutely no difference in the quality of your name and the difference in price will be a matter of pence but bigger more professional companies are usually much easier to deal with and far more helpful should you need assistance managing your domains in the future.

When you register a domain you will hold the rights over the name for normally either 1 or 2 years depending on the extension, whether that be a .com or .co.uk or .eu etc... And when the year is up you will get a window of a few days to re-register before the domain goes back on the market.

Here are two companies you can register names with that I would recommend.

• http://www.heartinternet.co.uk/domain-names/
• http://www.123-reg.co.uk/domain-names/

Once you register a domain name you will be emailed account information that will allow you access and control of your domain so hang on to these details. You will need them later!

Step 2. Choosing a hosting company and making an account.

Hosting is the rented space you put your website on when it goes live and becomes accessible to the rest of the internet. It’s not a particularly interesting part of building your website but it is a fundamental element that cannot be excluded. No hosting, then no where to put your website. However, you don’t need hosting until your site goes live as you can edit your site on your computer until the big launch.

Think of hosting like renting a patch of land and your website the house you build on the land. We’ll cover this in a later chapter but we will eventually point your domain name to the patch of land so when anyone types in your web address they will automatically go to the right place.

Hosting prices can vary considerably but as with domain names I would recommend you spend the extra few quid and go with a reliable host. If your hosting goes down, so does your website! Something to keep in mind is hosting has to be purchased according to the size of your website. If you are building your first ever site then chances are it will only be a few pages and therefore not have large requirements, however, should you start hosting bigger sites with lots of content or lots of traffic with many users then larger hosting packages may be necessary.

Web hosting is usually bought on an annual basis but depending on who you go to you may be able to pay for a few years up front or alternately pay by the month (more expensive).

Here are a couple of hosts I recommend as they are reliable and offer good prices. For a first time small site I would expect to pay between £30 and £50 per year.

• http://www.zeroscale.co.uk/web-hosting-packages/starter-hosting/
• http://www.heartinternet.co.uk/web-hosting/
• http://www.123-reg.co.uk/web-hosting/

Next Week:

Next week we will start looking at designing your site and a few of the various options we have for doing this. Until then start thinking about a name for your new site and have a look round the various hosting sites to get acclimatised to how they do business.

As a bit of prep work for next week, start looking at other sites for inspiration and ideas that you could potentially work into your website design. Look out for little details that grab your attention, whether that is menus or buttons, galleries or interestingly displayed content. Make a note of where you found them as all research is good research.

See you then....