By Adam Maciasz

For the past few years I’ve been toying with the idea of creating my own online business. Like many people with this idea, one of the main thing holding me back was that I had no idea how to get started. I figured I would start by trying to build my own website. But until recently I was extremely intimidated to enter this space because I didn’t know anything about coding. After doing some research and testing different things out, I realized that doing so is actually much easier than expected. Yes, it’s true. Nowadays, there are so many options out there it’s very easy to get your own website up and running—and you can do so in less than ten minutes. All you have to do is follow these steps.

First: Register a Domain Name

What do Google.com, Facebook.com and Yahoo.com all have in common? Now you may have guessed that they are all popular websites. While that’s true, they are also all domain names. A domain name identifies a particular web page. It’s what a user types into the URL address bar. The first step is to decide on a domain name that you like and then go to a domain registrar like GoDaddy.com or 1and1.com, create an account, and purchase that domain. Once your purchase is complete, you will be the proud owner of your own unique domain name—which only you get to use.

Second: Choose a Web Hosting Service

Once you’ve registered your domain name, you’re now ready for the next step: choosing a web hosting service. What is a web hosting service, you ask? Well, it’s where you store all your site information. It’s what allows you to make it accessible to everyone on the World Wide Web. There are many web hosting providers to choose from, but to start, I strongly suggest choosing one that provides a shared web hosting option. This is by far the cheapest option and should be the perfect fit for every new website. If your traffic starts to take off and you outgrow this option, you’ll always be able to upgrade at a later time—so don’t overly concerned about selecting the perfect long term option.

Third: Choose a Building Platform

Now that you have your domain name and web host, you can begin building your website. Using a site-building platform allows you to easily create a web pages without the need to mess around with HTML, CSS or any other type of code that scares away most non-technical people. These platforms have user interfaces that allow you to easily create pages, add content and pictures to your website, and adjust the layout through the use of different themes. Of the many different building platforms, I highly recommend using one called WordPress. WordPress is the easiest and most widely used building platform out there.

You can see these steps in greater detail along with illustrations and further recommendations in the Complete Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Website. You should now have everything you need to get your very own website up and running—and all in less than 10 minutes.

 Adam is the creator of  CreateYourWebsites.com, an online tutorial that provides a step-by-step guide to help create your own website without a technical background.

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