Some people think this is harder than it is. Your first site can range from free to $10,000. I would not drop a lot of money right at first, but you must get something going as soon as possible. This is the second step because the longer your website is on the web, the longer the search engines will have to search it and rank it.

• First, you need to buy some "web-estate." You know, like real estate on the web. When you start, you are going to want to rent, and that is why to need to find a host. They sell you space on their server and then you can post your site, content, and media. Fortunately, space on a server is much cheaper than land.
• Second, you need to choose a site builder-unless you know html, php, css, ajax, or some other web language. I assume you don't, and therefore, I will provide you with some helpful resources

And Last, you need to buy a domain name. Don't worry, it is not as hard as you think. Keep reading and you will see.

Some Recommended Hosts

• IX Web Hosting-I am planning on hosting my next site with IX. They have the best packages on the web. With the business package, you can have up to 8 dedicated IP addresses and you get two domain names free for life! It is an amazing deal.
• BlueHost-They have a great package too. It is very similar to IX Web Hosting except Blue Host has been around a little longer.
• Omnis Network-This host is very similar to the other two. I just put it here so you have some to compare.
• Speaking of comparing, try going to KuBus, it is an online review of web hosts. You can compare some of the big hosts side by side. The only problem with this resource is it is a little outdated. If you don't have a lot of time, compare the above three hosts and choose one.
• You can also find hosts that offer their services free in exchange for their advertisements on your pages. It is a good way to get started but is not a long-term solution. Also if you want to upgrade your site with these companies charge a premium. Two that I know of are FreeWebs and Weebly

Site Builders

• Site builders do exactly what their name implies, they build sites (with your help of course). These are great because they make websites possible for those of us who do not have extensive knowledge of html, css, php, and other web languages. All the hosts I recommended are compatible with the most popular site builders, but if you choose another host, make sure they support the builder you want to use.
• Sometimes your server will have an pre-installed builder, if it doesn't, you have two options for third party builders, you can buy one, or get one free. Keep in mind that even if your host has a dedicated builder, it may be a good idea to use a universal one because if you ever switch hosts, you can take the builder with you.
• I have listed some free ones below. You are going to have to do some research to find out what fits your needs, but here are the popular ones.

Free Builders

• Magento-This is an open source shopping cart. I have heard really good things about this program, but not all hosts support it. You may end up paying a little bit more for "web-estate," but it will be well worth it! It will take some time to learn how to download it on your server, and how to use it, but this is a great option.
• Joomla-Good builder, very popular, but it may have some security issues. If you choose this one, make sure you read up on how to protect your site.
• Mambo-I highly recommend this builder. It is very easy to use and learn. This is the builder I use myself and I have had no problems.
• Xoops-I hear great things about this one. If I'm not mistaken, this one is newer than the other two. I think this builder is best if you are building a group or community site. I've asked several people about this one and they say it is a good idea.
• PHPNuke--I've had this one recommended to me, but I don't know much about it. Almost every host offers this one as part of your hosting package, so I didn't include a link for it.
• Soholaunch-This builder costs money, but sometimes you get what you pay for. I have never used this one, but you may want to check it out.

Some vocabulary to get you started

• Bandwidth or Data Transfer--Every time someone accesses one of your web pages, they download the data stored on the host's server. If you have a 2MB picture on a page, everytime that page is viewed, it will take 2MB of band width. For starters, you should not need more than 5GB. Less would probably work too. You can always upgrade if you exceed your limit.
• Storage space--You use this space when you upload files (pictures, text, etc) onto the server. The more you can get, the better. The good news is this is getting cheaper and cheaper. The average picture on the web is usually no bigger than 200kb, so with 10GB of storage space you could store 5,000 pictures. That is a TON!
• Domain Name--This is what you will be known by on the web; for instance, my website domain is www.mynicetie.com. You have to pay to register the domain and all of the hosts I recommend allow you to register as many as you want.
• Dedicated Domain--These help you rank higher on the search engines. If you plan to start more than one site, it would be nice to have more than one dedicated domain.
• eComerce--eCommerce is tools that you use to set up online commerce. If you are selling a product, these features are necessary. They allow you set up a virtual shopping cart. Most hosts offer these features.

Buy a domain name

• Once you choose which host you want to use, you will need to pick a name. This is an important step and you want to make sure to include the keywords that describe your product the best. You also want the shortest name you can get.
• This is not as expensive as you think. Domain names are usually around $5 to $10. You want to find a name that includes the name of your most desired keywords. The shorter the name, the better, but you have to take what you can get at the price you are willing to pay.
• Go to DomainTools and search for domains with your 4 keywords in them. Just type them in and it will give you suggestions to use. Don't buy your domain from DomainTools because your host will register you for free (at least with the hosts I recommend).
• If the only domains that are available are very long, try using dashes in between the words you and see if that works. Dashes are better than underscores for search engine rankings.
• The best domain names are .com, but in the future this may not be true