Website 101

Web Design 101

Website 101: Learn The Basics Of A Website And How It Is Built.
All Websites have 3 basic components:

1. A domain name

2. A hosting company

3. A tool to design the site.

Domain name: the domain name is your address. It is how people will find you on the Internet. For example, the domain name to this website is www.pretty-pages.com or www.prettypageswebstudio.com. You can buy your domain name at Namecheap.

You can buy your domain name and hosting plans from the same company, but I don’t recommend it. Instead, purchase your domain name and hosting plan from two different companies.  Keeping the two separate will limit potential problems that might arise if you choose to cancel service for one or the other. #prettypagestip

A hosting company:
the hosting company holds the files that make up your website. The hosting company is the service provider that will make your website available on the Internet 24/7. There are many hosting companies and which one you choose will depend on your budget and needs. This is the same for online stores. However online stores usually refer to hosting as a “shopping cart” or “ecommerce platform”. A popular ecommerce platform is Shopify because of the support and features that they offer. Plus you get a free trial.

Click here for suggestions on web hosting providers and other resources.

A website builder/tool:
Your hosting company will provide with you a free website builder/tool. Or, you can hire someone to design your site and upload it to your hosting account.