I personally have never been a great fan of exploring information all over the internet, looking for answers. I generally want it all in one place – served to me in a dish. Though most would disagree but I’m sure there are many people who are like me.

Have you ever wanted to create a website or maybe create a blog? But you don’t know where to begin? Before you dive into the technicalities of web hosting, HTML, programming and so forth, it is best to first plan your approach. In this short article I will attempt to some up some key information regarding the steps taken to PLAN a website and make it a success.

Let’s dive right in to it then!

In short – not much, but don’t expect it to be FREE of cost either. You will be spending not more than USD in the very beginning, this would last you for a year without thinking too much. When I say , I’m covering 1 years worth of web hosting and domain name registeration, with taking into account of a few extra things.

I would advice not spending much money in the beginning, your first goal should be to setup your website and make a name for yourself – in technical terms, getting your website listed in popular search engines like Google and Yahoo.

You will incur costs primarily in:

This is the physical address of your website – it will be used by your visitors to access your website. Example: www.mydomain.com

Normally domains don’t cost more than .99 per year but this can vary depending on the company. If you purchase your domain from GoDaddy however, they will give you the first year for .99 if you purchase web hosting as well – Which I’m sure you will.

Web hosting is virtual space where your website will be hosted on so that other viewers can access it anytime 24/7 even if you’re not present.

There are many hosting providers you out there and after many years of hassle I can easily recommend GoDaddy to anyone new. They have amazing and reliable services which are also cheap and dependable.

Website Building Software (Optional):

Assuming this is your first time exploring the subject of creating a website, this may come as a handful. Spending money on purchasing software can also seem like a lot. I would highly recommend purchasing Adobe Dreamweaver as this will give you forever benefit if you’re looking to explore websites as a profession.

At the same time – if you’re still on a trial basis then you can use something free such as Notepad++.

Basic Computer Skills

Obviously, you will need to know how to use and operate a computer at an intermediate level. You need to know how to tackle basic problems and have used computers for a decent length of time.

Decent Writing Skills

You don’t have to be a guru at writing long lengths of text. You only need to be able to describe yourself well under a limited number of words. Obviously this will improve over time once you start to get a hang of writing at length.

Basic HTML Skills

This isn’t a requirement nor a limitation but is advisable. The more you know the better. Having a basic grasp of HTML will give you the extra edge in understanding how to build and edit websites.

I would recommend taking a look at W3Schools(.com), just to get familiar with the basics.

What is a niche you ask? It is a small segment of an existing market that you wish to target. For instance – say you’re selling Play mats, then you might want to target moms between an age group of 30 – 40. This will be your niche.

Similarly, you need to have an idea that will drive your website, something that will want readers to come over to your website. You need to adopt a topic that you want to sell to your audience. That audience will represent your niche.

It is important you brainstorm a list of ideas and than narrow them down. Always pick something you are comfortable with, something that you have good knowledge and passion for, something you can speak at length for hours and hours.

It will take you up to 6-8 months to generate steady traffic and up to a year for you to start earning revenue from your website. If you can’t comprehend this kind of delay then don’t create a website, this isn’t the right field for you.

I’m sorry if that sounds harsh – but it’s a fact. If you were looking to earn a few extra bucks in your summer vacation then it’s not going to work. You need to work hard to achieve something. The money may look good from a distance but you need to work over time to make it a reality.

There are various sources you can make money online from, but the catch is, you need to have sufficient traffic.

Affiliate Programs:

This is what drives many websites today. It works on a per sale basis. You are the agent marketing the product of another website. You will be given a code which you will use on your website – this will be in the form of an advertisement. If someone clicks on the advertisement from your website and makes a purchase, you will be rewarded with commission based on the sale.

Google Adsense:

The second most common trend among website owners is Google Adsense. This works in a similar fashion to Affiliate Programs but in this case you are paid on a PER CLICK basis rather than a PER SALE basis.

To make this easier to understand we’ll need to dive into the backend of how this works. Google Adwords is a program that allows website owners to advertise their website among other websites. Google charges a sum of money on a PER CLICK basis. The more the clicks Google generates, the more traffic is generated. The revenue Google makes from Adwords is given to Adsense users after Google deducts its cut.

Selling Products:

A website is an excellent place to find new customers. With the internet taking a big leap into the future, pretty much every other thing you see is going online. Online shopping is probably one of the biggest thing it has to offer – this gives you an excellent opportunity to market your products if you’re a producer or a retailer.

If you’ve used the internet for sometime then it is likely you may already know what blogs are and you will have a good idea why they are used – but let us still discuss this for the newer folks.

Blogs are a series of posts laid out in a chronological order and in a categorized form to deliver information to its audience on a regular basis.

This might sound like a handful but let me simplify it. Blogs are aimed at people who make regular updates to their websites in the form of content or news stories. Most modern blogs allow users to subscribe to a feed that gives them regular updates on the click (I’m sure some users may be familiar with RSS) and at the same time allow users to comment on posts.

So, do you need a blog? Well, there are two sides of the argument. Are you someone who regularly has something to say? Do you write content and news stories regularly? Then the answer is probably – YES.

However, is your Niche something stagnant? Something that doesn’t change over time or quickly then maybe a blog isn’t a good idea for you, probably because blogs don’t play a good role in building static content.

Some popular blogs I like to look at are Mashable(.com) and TechCrunch(.com).

I’ve covered the basis in this topic that will probably answer much of the questions of a new comer. Once this has been done – you can now easily begin to search for a decent domain name and getting it registered. Good luck!