A very high-level overview of how to set up a personal website.

1. How To Create Your Own Website Bob Vestal [email_address] March 25, 2009 © 2009 Bob Vestal. All rights reserved.

2. Job hunting is all about promoting YOU. Having a professional-looking website gives you a place to showcase your brand: your talents, your experience, your goals, and, well, YOU. Why have a website?

5. Isn’t a website expensive? Having a unique website usually means you can also have a unique e-mail address to tie it all together. If your website is http://www.bobvestal.com , your e-mail address can be [email_address] .

6. It sounds too complicated! Not really. There are only 5 basic steps. But first, let’s define some terms.

10. Step 1: Domain Name There’s a good chance the domain name you want is already taken. No problem. Just try a different variation.

11. Step 1: Domain Name Let’s see if joeqsmith is available. Just type joeqsmith in the box and click on Find It .

12. Step 1: Domain Name Success! Your domain name is available. Notice that you also have other options: .net .org .info

13. Step 1: Domain Name If you want any of the other domain name extensions, select the one(s) you want then click on Add to Cart .

14. Here is where it pays to shop around. Select the best service and payment plan for you. Regardless of which provider you choose, decide if you want registration, hosting, or both. Step 1: Domain Name

15. Step 1: Domain Name Notice your current selection is $99 for three years. That’s not bad but remember, it’s just for registering your domain name … not hosting!

16. Step 2: Domain Name & Hosting Here’s an example from dreamhost.com. Would it better suit your budget? It could be to your benefit to check around the web for the best deal.

17. Here’s one more example from namecheap.com. There are bargains out there to be had. Web hosting has become a big, competitive business. There are many good companies available and each offers slightly different features. Step 2: Domain Name & Hosting

18. Step 2: Domain Name & Hosting One way to check out a company beforehand is to ask someone who has used that site or go to a site like www.besthostratings.com that lets you search their directory by type of service offered. It also gives stats and reviews of various companies they support. So, pick the deal that best suits your needs and budget. Once you have completed the transaction (by submitting a credit card and registration information), the system will guide you through the remain steps required by the hosting company.

19. Your new site may not be available for several hours or several days. It takes time to propagate throughout the internet. They may recommend or provide the FTP software you will use to move your web pages from your computer to the host server. Step 2: Domain Name & Hosting

20. Your hosting company may recommend or provide software for creating your web pages on your computer. Often, hosting companies will provide web page templates that you simply select and rearrange as desired by adding your own text and graphics. Step 3: Creating web pages

21. Step 3: Creating web pages You can create web pages using various kinds of software; some free, some cheap, some a bit more pricey. Truth be told, good ole Microsoft Notepad works great, but you do need to know a little about html, the code that makes it all work. Some people like www.joomla.org because it’s free and easy to use. An inexpensive product is http://www.webpage-maker.com/index.html ($49.00).

22. Step 3: Creating web pages You can always locate a local web designer/developer to create your initial pages. You can give him or her some rough text or an outline and the designer can polish it up for you. Then, you can handle subsequent updates. However, it’s your site and no one knows you better than you. Regardless of which web design software you use or even if you hire someone to do it for you, you must answer one important question :

23. Step 3: Creating web pages Take the time to sketch out on paper what you want your site to look like. Look at other web sites to get layout ideas. Decide where you want text and graphics. Determine what links you will have and where they will go. What do you want to say?

24. You are the only one who knows what you want to say about you! It's extremely important that you write interesting, informative, and concise text. Capture the reader’s attention so you can tell your story. Tell your site visitors about the value you have to offer. Detail your experience. How is it different from others? What all are you providing on this site? Include reciprocal links to your other branding products like your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, and others. Step 3: Creating web pages

25. Depending on your skill level, you may want to incorporate graphics or pictures to support or emphasize a point, or just for fun! A designer can also guide you in the use and placement of graphics. Stock graphics and photos are available all over the internet for free or at nominal costs. As always, Google is your friend. Step 3: Creating web pages

26. Once you have built all of your web pages, test them thoroughly. Check for spelling, grammar, broken links, missing graphics, and anything else that might not be just what you want. Upload (ftp or move or copy) your files (html and .gif or .jpg or .png) to the hosting site. Then, thoroughly test again. (It’s okay if things are not quite right after the upload. You’re the only one who knows the site even exists at this point!) There are lots of ways to move your web pages. The most popular one is FTP. Your hosting service probably sent you the FTP login information for your site when you signed up for a hosting account. Step 4: Uploading your pages

28. Step 5: No wimpy lettuce That is, keep your site fresh. Don’t let it go stale but don’t obsess over updating it. Once and a while, every few months or so is fine. As you learn more about web page development you’ll want to incorporate new ideas and fresh information into your site. However, there is no need to make it a second occupation.

29. In a nut shell 1. Register your unique domain name. 2. Host your new domain name. 3. Create your individual web pages. 4. Upload your web pages to your hosted site. 5. Keep your content fresh.

30. One final note on Blogs (short for web logs). They’re similar to web pages yet slightly different. They are very popular and a strong tool in your branding arsenal. The best definition I’ve seen of blogs comes from www.blogger.com : “ In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not. ” Copyright © 1999 – 2009 Google Blogger.com, owned by Google, is free and easy to set up. Another interesting blog site is squidoo.com. You can write pages of information about yourself but it also lets you add videos, polls, news headlines, links to other websites, and more. And, it’s free. Blogs

31. This is the beginning. No one learns how to create web pages and blogs just by reading through a set of PowerPoint slides. So, I encourage you to talk to people who have done what you want to do. Google stuff until you’re sick of it all. And then, try it yourself. So what if it stinks? Do it over. It’s yours. Enjoy! Not Jim Morrison