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SET UP YOUR OWN WEBSITE

In 20 Minutes or Less

You needn’t hire a professional nor be a professional. You can setup your own website in less than 20 minutes by following the simple steps that I outline below.

I’ve built ten websites in ten years with no coding and no computer science education. It’s never been easier to build your own website than it is today!

Why wait? Let’s get started now!

 

  • Hosting 33% 33%
  • Builder 66% 66%
  • Template 100% 100%

STEP I: PURCHASE HOSTING

Own Your Own Piece of the World Wide Web!

 

PRINCIPLE

Avoid the extremes of hobbyism and perfectionism. Hobbyists use free platforms like blogspot, tumblr, or wordpress.com, which limit your ability to customize your site. Perfectionists pay thousands of dollars on custom sites designed and coded by professionals. A site that costs you nothing is ultimately worth nothing. Yet, you should not spend thousands of dollars on your site until it is making thousands of dollars.

RECOMMENDATION

Go with Bluehost. It’s what I use for several websites and I’ve had nothing but good experiences with them. Great customer service and it’s easy to use! The cost to you is only $84 per year, and this is the only cost that I would say is a must.

You can sign up for a bluehost account by clicking here.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Clicking the link above will take you to the Bluehost homepage
  • Click “Get Started Now”
  • Select a domain name (you can always change this)
  • Enter your account information
  • You do not need any of the extras (sitelock security, backup pro, or whois privacy)
  • Enter your billing information
  • Click Next

Congratulations! You’ve just bought yourself a piece of the world wide web!

STEP II: CHOOSE A WEB BUILDER

Set Yourself up to Build Like a Champ!

PRINCIPLE

Your content should be unique, but your software should be standard. Go with the web-building software with the best reputation.

RECOMMENDATION

You’re definitely going to want to use WordPress. It is by far the most robust, yet simple to use, web building software on the market right now. And it’s free!

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In your Bluehost cPanel, look for Web Builders
  • Click WordPress
  • Click “Start” for a brand new install
  • Click “Check Domain”
  • Click “Continue” (it will tell you that there are files there, just disregard that. It’s ok, I promise!)
  • Click “Show Advanced Features” and give your website a title (probably your name), a username, a password, and a good email address.
  • I recommend taking a screen shot of this page before moving on, just in case you forget.
  • Click install now

Congratulations, you are now 66% of the way toward setting up your new website!

STEP III: INSTALL A TEMPLATE

Choose a Template that Makes you Look Like a Pro!

PRINCIPLE

The benefit of templates is that they are mobile friendly, skillfully designed, yet highly customizable. Using a template means that you’ve allowed a pro to do all the heavy lifting for you. Now you are set up to fill in the blanks with your unique content!

RECOMMENDATION

My favorite template is Divi Theme, by Elegant Themes. I’ve worked with literally hundreds of themes (on multiple platforms) and I’ve found that Divi is by far the sleekest, most accessible, and easiest to work with. I built this website with Divi theme. Elegant Themes will give you three pricing options. I’d suggest you get the cheapest plan, which is $69. It gives you access not only to Divi Theme, but to every theme in their library. It’s a great value!

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Once your wordpress install is complete, login to your wordpressa dashboard (yourdomain.com/wp-admin)
  • On the left sidebar find the word “Appearance” and hover over it.
  • Select “Themes” from the list that appears
  • Click “Add New” at the top of the page
  • Explore the available themes by clicking “Featured,” “Newest,” or “Recently Updated.”
  • Select a theme, install and activate it.

If you purchase a premium theme, like Divi theme, you can download the zip from the site that you purchase it from and upload it to your wordpress site. You’ll find the “Upload” button next to “Featured” on the themes page.

Congratulations! You’ve just installed and setup your wordpress website!

FROM SETUP TO DESIGN

If you have chosen Divi Theme, I have created a second tutorial just for you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”