Getting Started with Website Creation

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 Essential Components of A Successful Website

1 2 3

Reliable Web Hosting Service A Content Management System (CMS) SEO Basics

4 5 6

Analytics Tools Inventory Management Mobile Friendly Template and Theme

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 Essential Components of A Successful Website

7 8 9

Sections That Visitors Expect Media Social Media Links and Integration

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Shopping Cart and Payment Tools

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 1. Reliable Web Hosting Service
Think of your web host as similar to a landlord who
rents you space for a physical store. They provide
3
and maintain the server space where your site files
“live” and make it possible for visitors to come by
and explore your site.

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 Hosting Types

1 2 3

Shared Hosting Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting Dedicated Server Hosting

4 5 6

Cloud Hosting Managed Hosting Colocation

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 1. Shared Hosting
Perfect for entry-level website hosting. This is
where your website will be stored on the same 5
server as multiple other websites, that could be
anywhere between hundreds or thousands of
others.

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 2. Virtual Private Server
(VPS) Hosting
A VPS hosting service mimics a
dedicated server, but is within a shared
hosting environment. This one’s for
6
website owners that need more control,
but don’t want to invest in a dedicated
server. They’re still not able to handle
high traffic levels or spikes in usage and
the site performance can still be affected
by other sites on the server.

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 3. Dedicated Server Hosting
This option gives website owners the most
control over the server that their website is
stored on. The server is exclusively rented by you
and your website is the only one stored on the
server. You have full root and admin access,
which means control over everything from
security to operating system. All that control
comes with a price. 7
Dedicated servers - which some vendors call
Bare Metal Servers - cost more than all of the
other options and are really only worth it for
those with high traffic that need high control
levels and a better performing server. A high
level of technical expertise is required for the
installation and ongoing management of the
server.

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 4. Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is the current buzzword of
the hosting industry. It’s just a marketing
term and “Cloud” can mean different
things in different contexts. With
hosting, it means many computers
8 working together, running applications
using combined computing resources.
It’s a hosting solution that works via a
network, like the internet, and enables
companies to consume the computing
resource like a utility e.g. gas or
electricity.

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 5. Managed Hosting
Most hosting packages you are likely to find
online will be managed. Hosting companies
provide technical services such as hardware and
software setup and configuration, maintenance,
hardware replacement, technical support, 9
patching, updating and monitoring. Unlike
standard dedicated hosting, the hosting provider
looks after the day-to-day management of the
hardware, operating systems and standardised
applications.

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 6. Colocation
Instead of keeping servers in-house or at
a private data centre, you may choose to
”‘co-locate” your equipment by renting
space in a colocation centre. The centre
will provide the power, bandwidth, IP
address and cooling systems that your
server requires. Space is rented out in
1
7 “racks’ and ‘cabinets”.
0
Colocation gives access to higher levels
of bandwidth than a normal office server
room at a much lower cost. You’re left to
your own devices (literally) and will be
expected to take care of everything
including the hardware, software and
services.

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 2. A Content Management
System (CMS)
Your content management system works
behind the scenes to help you organize
and maintain parts of your website like
your site pages and meta data, and it
1 makes it easier for visitors to find their
7 way around your site.
1

You can create your own, if you enjoy

coding. Or you can use WordPress, the
most popular CMS around. There are
thousands of templates, themes, and
plugins to help customize WordPress
sites.

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 3. SEO Basics
snappy improve your traffic SEO Optimizing your
site so it appears in search engines is a must.
With millions of sites on the internet now in
competition for a spot on the 1st page of search
results, you’ll need to follow a few search engine 1
optimization (SEO) best practices to get found. 8
2

To do this, figure out which keywords visitors are

using (or will use) to find your site – the more
specific and local the better, especially if your site
serves a local or regional audience.

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 4. Analytics Tools
You’ll want to know how people are
finding your site, which pages they
spend the most time on, and how well
1
7 different elements of your site convert.
3
Google Analytics is the most popular
and easy to use resource, it doesn’t cost
anything, and it integrates easily with
WordPress and some website builder
tools.

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 5. Inventory Management
When you’re selling products on your site, you’ll
want to make sure you keep track of what you
have in stock, what’s sold, and what’s on order.
1
8
4
That’s where inventory management tools come
in. When they’re integrated with your checkout
process and your shop pages, you and your
customers will both know whether an item is
available to buy.

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 6. Mobile Friendly Template
and Theme
Your site will need to look great on all
kinds of screens: laptops, desktops,
tablets, and especially smartphones.
Choose a mobile-optimized or
1 responsive design so your site is fast-
7
5 loading, easy to read, and easy to
navigate on phones, which are the way
most web users search now.

Having a mobile-friendly site will also

help with your SEO, because Google
looks for it.

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 7. Sections That Visitors Expect
Have you ever visited a new website that didn’t
feel quite right, or an online shop that felt a bit
off?

Chances are that feeling of wrongness was 1

8
because the site was missing some elements 6
you’ve come to expect: a home page that lets
you know what the site’s for, an about us section
that shows there are real people behind the site,
and contact information so readers or customers
can reach you if they have questions or
feedback.

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 8. Media
It’s a rare site that can build an audience
on words alone. Our eyes are naturally
drawn to images, especially if they move
and make noise, and images are a must
if you’re selling merchandise online.
1 People will also want to see a photo of
7
7 you in your about us section.

Choose images that are optimized to

look good and load fast, and be sure to
tag and name your website’s images in
ways that use your SEO keywords.

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 9. Social Media Links and Integration
You don’t have to be on every platform, but you
should link your site’s social media accounts to
the site itself. Depending on how often you
update, you may want to include a widget that
shows your latest posts. 1
8
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Some website builders will help you integrate
with your favorite platforms so you can post your
site updates to your social media accounts at the
same time.

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 10. Shopping Cart and
Payment Tools
If your site includes a shop, you’ll want a
reliable, easy to use shopping cart and
1 payment tools like PayPal or Square that
7
9 are popular with most online shoppers.
Most e-commerce platforms integrate
well with WordPress, and many website
builders can help you set up shopping
and checkout tools in a snap.

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