Technical requirements for your website

Creating a website is no longer the big operation it once was. In general, you will need the following things:

• An editing program to create your website
  
• Web space to store your site’s files (a type of hard drive on the internet)
  
• A program to communicate with your web space (called an FTP client)
  
• An address where your website can be found (known as a domain)
  
  

This all sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. You will usually find these features come bundled together, which makes things much easier.

Here are two different ways to create your own website.

Beginners: Create a website with a website builder

A relatively new way for beginners to create their own website is using a website builder. The advantage of this lies in its ease of use. You will generally get your domain, web space and editing program from a single provider. 

The best packages out there are so comprehensive that you don’t need to worry about the technical side of things at all. Many come with a free entry-level plan to sweeten the deal. Read on for the advantages and disadvantages of such website builders.

More on website builders

Techies: Create a website using an editor and a hosting plan

The traditional way to create a website is to choose a hosting plan with web space and a domain, build your site with a suitable editing program and then upload the files to your chosen web space.

This option gives you and your website a great deal of flexibility, but you do need at least a basic understanding of the technical side of things, including HTML. 

More on web hosting and website editors