Basic Website Building
Recommended Web Host
When Chosing A WebHost
When chosing a WebHost you will find that you have more than a handful of people trying to get you to sign with them. However, over the years, I have found that the WebHost, on the banner above, has had to most to offer for the best price. They are also very easy to use and you have control over what exactly you want on your site, which helps to lower the yearly cost.
It has been said by agents and publishers, that if you cannot afford to have a personal website, at about $100 a year, you cannot afford to be an author.
When naming your website it is strongly advised that you use your name or your pen name to name the site (some people make separate websites for each of their book titles, unless you are a best selling author, don't waste your money doing this - either way it probably is a waste of money.) Just stick to your author name of pen name and you'll do well. The site on the banner below gives you your own web addy with your websites name on it - a very nice and professional touch.
It has been said by agents and publishers, that if you cannot afford to have a personal website, at about $100 a year, you cannot afford to be an author.
When naming your website it is strongly advised that you use your name or your pen name to name the site (some people make separate websites for each of their book titles, unless you are a best selling author, don't waste your money doing this - either way it probably is a waste of money.) Just stick to your author name of pen name and you'll do well. The site on the banner below gives you your own web addy with your websites name on it - a very nice and professional touch.
What to Do First
Because we only work with Ipage, we will take you through step by step to getting your account started, although it is relatively easy to do.
First sign up for your web host. Several steps are involved, including choosing your website address. It's best to keep it simple, like - http://www.yourauthorname.com/. If you are transferring a name from another webhost, make certain before signing up that you can get the rights to move that name first, otherwise, register a new domain name.
For example, your old domain name belongs to a webhost that isn't cooperative or no longer exists. Getting your domain name back may be impossible. One way to bypass this headache is to do what one of our authors did and use something like, www.yourdomainnamebooks.com. By adding the word books, allowed her to keep her domain name without the headache of not being able to retrieve the old one.
Then you will be taken to the registration page if that web addy is available. What I like about this webhost is that they are always offering deals, for instance when preparing this set of directions, they are offering TWO years of web hosting for only $102. That is more than half of what other sites offer and they don't even offer all the freebees this one does. Which is why we are using this site as an example. This includes instant activation, your domain name and so much more, including a money back guarentee.
You will have the option to add some extras like added security and such, pick and choose only what you need, you can always upgrade later. With the vary basic package you will have 6 pages that can be displayed at anytime, although you can create infinite pages. For an author, the basic package is more than enough, however if you choose to create individual book pages, which is recommended - we'll go into this later, you may want to upgrade your account to the premium level (about another $100 a year for infinite pages and other upgrades).
It's best to start with the minimum package, upgraded just enough to keep out hackers and provide you with you need. You can always upgrade more later if you need to.
Once all is said and done, the site will take you to the control panel - now for newbees, this make look intimidating but we'll make is simple. Choose to create your account using "Weebly", a simple drag and drop option to website creating. Then you will be given a choice of website backgrounds to choose from, the banners can be altered to adjust to your personal banner or taste later on.
Then chose the option to edit your website and create away. Play around with the different boxes and what they can do until you find what works best for you. Eventually we hope to have a video tutorial to show you how to do this step by step.
One word of caution, there are some fun looking extras on the options that come with your site - wait or don't use these unless you are better accustomed with website building, they can be difficult to use and you really don't need to use them.
To make the biggest impact, keep your site simple and easy to navigate - for an example check out www.jmhowardbooks.com.
First sign up for your web host. Several steps are involved, including choosing your website address. It's best to keep it simple, like - http://www.yourauthorname.com/. If you are transferring a name from another webhost, make certain before signing up that you can get the rights to move that name first, otherwise, register a new domain name.
For example, your old domain name belongs to a webhost that isn't cooperative or no longer exists. Getting your domain name back may be impossible. One way to bypass this headache is to do what one of our authors did and use something like, www.yourdomainnamebooks.com. By adding the word books, allowed her to keep her domain name without the headache of not being able to retrieve the old one.
Then you will be taken to the registration page if that web addy is available. What I like about this webhost is that they are always offering deals, for instance when preparing this set of directions, they are offering TWO years of web hosting for only $102. That is more than half of what other sites offer and they don't even offer all the freebees this one does. Which is why we are using this site as an example. This includes instant activation, your domain name and so much more, including a money back guarentee.
You will have the option to add some extras like added security and such, pick and choose only what you need, you can always upgrade later. With the vary basic package you will have 6 pages that can be displayed at anytime, although you can create infinite pages. For an author, the basic package is more than enough, however if you choose to create individual book pages, which is recommended - we'll go into this later, you may want to upgrade your account to the premium level (about another $100 a year for infinite pages and other upgrades).
It's best to start with the minimum package, upgraded just enough to keep out hackers and provide you with you need. You can always upgrade more later if you need to.
Once all is said and done, the site will take you to the control panel - now for newbees, this make look intimidating but we'll make is simple. Choose to create your account using "Weebly", a simple drag and drop option to website creating. Then you will be given a choice of website backgrounds to choose from, the banners can be altered to adjust to your personal banner or taste later on.
Then chose the option to edit your website and create away. Play around with the different boxes and what they can do until you find what works best for you. Eventually we hope to have a video tutorial to show you how to do this step by step.
One word of caution, there are some fun looking extras on the options that come with your site - wait or don't use these unless you are better accustomed with website building, they can be difficult to use and you really don't need to use them.
To make the biggest impact, keep your site simple and easy to navigate - for an example check out www.jmhowardbooks.com.
