How To Create a Pro Website For Almost Free!

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If you own a small business or a freelancer or even a student, you need your own web space apart from your facebook page – You need your very own Pro website and what’s better than have one done for almost free… Many might think that creating a pro website for yourself would require a lot of coding in HTML/PHP/SQL but that’s not the case anymore. If you are good at Microsoft Word and are capable of using Facebook, then you’re smart enough to make your own website for yourself. Here are the checklist you need to grab:

1. Get A Domain

The very first step is to get a top level domain like a .com, .net or .org. You can buy one from either NameCheap.com or Godaddy.com. NameCheap.com is cheaper and gives a free WhoIs Guard with every new domain registration but I enjoy GoDaddy’s user interface. GoDaddy.com is more professional and secure though. Cost: $9-$12 ($0.99 using Coupon Code: FALL99)

Get Hosting

I’d recommend HostGator.com. They are the best in market and have the cheapest quality hosting as low as $7.78 per month and they include cPanel and 24/7 live technical support. You get unlimited space & unlimited bandwidth & get to host as many sites you wish to host. You also get free adword & facebook ads coupons to market your new site online. Cost: $7.78/Month ($0.00 using Coupon HOSTINGCOUPONS)

Get WordPress

You then need to download the WordPress Blogging & CMS web software from WordPress.org. The latest version of WordPress a.k.a. WP is version 3.0.1, and that’s the one you want to get. You can also install WordPress using Fantastico Installer from your cPanel hosting. And the best thing is that WordPress is free… Installing WP is the trickiest part but it’s not exactly rocket science. Most hosting services use cPanel, and you’ll need to follow these instructions on installing WordPress: First go over these instructions from WordPress.org: Installing WordPress Then carefully go over these instructionns for cPanel: Using cPanel If you still face problem installing it, you can always contact the HostGator.com Live Support. Cost: $0

Get A Theme

The key to having a professional looking website is having a professional theme. I usually most of my WordPress themes from Themeforest.net. They offer high quality Premium WordPress themes for great prices. You could also use one of 100′s of free premium & magazine layout themes available everywhere on the web. Cost: $0

Secure Your WordPress

WordPress uses a databases and a lot PHP files and hence there’s a slight chance that your WordPress site can get infected (as in hacked) but that is very rare.. There are two ways that I know that your site can be attacked: 1) They break into your login account, and 2) they break into your FTP server and install crap. I always keep my password saved in secured location and if I lose it, the hosting company can help you recover your password or reset your account. Bellow are other other resources that have strategies and necessary plugins you’ll need to secure your site like a fortress