CONGRATULATIONS!
You have just stumbled upon one of the rarest websites online. Do you need to create a website that is fast, simple, and cost effective?
This no nonsense FREE online tutorial will give you the building blocks into creating professional looking websites from start to finish.
As you follow along I guarantee you will have your website up and running in no time!
Note: this is not a "get rich quick website" or a website with false promises. I do not sell anything on How to a Website. I simply offer FREE advice for those who are eager to learn.
You can learn more about me here.
Creating a website is not an easy task I must admit but with the right guidance you too can avoid all the costly mistakes that I and many webmasters have made through trial and error.
Before you consider creating a website you will NEED to figure out what it is you are trying to accomplish.
Do you want a quick website where you can make money with little to no maintenance?
If you dont want to put much effort into building a website I highly suggest checking out this website which will give you all the tools in one place. Many people are having great results from using this method and it is my personal favorite as well. Learn more about it here!
Or learn how to build a website from scratch. Continue below
When you create a website you will need a:
1) Domain Name (example: www.HowToaWebsite.com)
2) Webite Host (this is where your files will reside to allow others access
to your website)
3) Website Designer (NOW You!)
A domain name is a name that identifies one or more IP addresses. Simply put it is a unique website address where people all over the world can reach you via the internet (ex. www.howtoawebsite.com).
Think of a website address like the license plate of your vehicle. Every car has it's own set of numbers/letters. No two are alike. From my personal experience I have found that Godaddy is the most reliable/affordable 
domain provider online. They also have great customer support.
Before you make a purchase please note that every domain has a suffix for example .com, .gov, .net, .info, etc. Dot COM's are currently the most sought after. If you are looking to build a personal website I highly recommend using your name (ex. www.YourName.com) because these are most likely available. If you are looking to create a business website be creative such as youtube.com, google.com, facebook.com, etc.
As a howtoawebsite.com reader get a GoDaddy Domain Name on Sale Here!
Now that you have taken the time to come up with a domain name let's move on to the next step, Selecting Your Web Host. With hundreds of website hosts on the internet finding a reliable company can be very hard. This is one of the most important steps when creating your website. You want a company that is not only reliable but who will offer support when ever you need it.
Beware of small hosting companies as they often run into problems. Large companies also have their drawback with their lack of support. Through countless research I have found the best website hosting company 
that not only gave me awesome support throughout the years but who continued to grow as a company and that is Blue Host!
Often times people especially new people will buy all their products from one company. I do not recommend this unless you do not want to learn coding and go to a bunch of different places. If that's the case I would recommend Site Build It where you will get all the tools to build everything you need with little to no knowledge.
Another great hosting company is Fat Cow. Fat cow believes in being eco friendly which I love. In fact most of their servers are powered by windmills. They are easy to use and very cheap due to its power source.
Host Gator, Fat Cow, and Blue Host rank as my top favorite hosting companies. Check them all out and decide for yourself.
One other thing to note when it comes to website hosting; don't expect the hosting company to teach you how to build a website. That is what this website is for. They are just your server space providers. In any case they do offer you a control panel with many easy click and go features. They will also provide you with a website builder. Did I forget to mention all three companies provide Unlimited Storage Space and Bandwidth Transfer. This is a no brainer.
RECAP from how to a website:
For website hosting go with Host Gator, Blue Host or Fat Cow.
For domain names (www.yourname.com) go with
Godaddy
Okay, so you have come this far. I can already tell that you are serious about building a website and that you have started to get the picture of how the whole website process works. I have broken it down into three easy steps that anyone can follow. 
Now, let's get into the fun stuff. Websites are made up of codes. Think of it as different languages, spanish, french, etc. There is HTML, PHP, ASP, AJAX, and the list goes on. Instead of frying your brain out and jumping all over the place I want to make this very easy. At the moment I currently use just 3 website languages and those are HTML, CSS, and PHP.
You might think to yourself 'you want me to learn all 3 languages?'. The short answer is no. I will talk about each one and how they will benefit you. A simple website can be built using HTML alone. Think of CSS and PHP as ala cartes.
This is your foundation. HTML is like the engine to your vehicle.
When you build a website I highly recommend using Abode Dreamweaver. Not only is 
it easy to use but most of the coding markup will be done for you.
Before you go out and buy it i'd suggest practicing first using a FREE program called Notepad. If your certain this is for you go ahead and buy it now!
If you find that you do not have the time or commitment to learn website design from scratch I highly recommend using SBI (Site Build It) to build your business without any coding knowledege.
* Notepad can be found on any PC (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Notepad).
To get started with html please visit the Introduction to HTML section.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
After you have learned HTML the next step is to learn CSS. CSS helps to keep your website clean and organized. In fact this website is powered by CSS. At any given time a website designer can change the look of their website really fast through one simple file.
Imagine for a minute that you have built a website with 100's of pages. Now, imagine having to go into each one and manually adjusting the background color or text. What a pain that would be right? This is why CSS is such a useful tool. You can change things through one single file. If you were to create 5 pages strictly using HTML and you needed to change the background color you would need to go into each page and manually adjust them.
CSS is by far a must for any serious website designer but before you continue I highly advise that you not get ahead of yourself. Learn HTML first then move on to CSS.
To get started with CSS please visit the Introduction to CSS section.
This website is pretty straight foward. On the left hand you will find links in the order in which I thought you should learn them. The top links are the main links that guide you through the different sections of "How To a Website." And over to the right is a quick guide to the 3 steps needed to start building websites today without all the details, lol!