How to make a website - PART THREE - Test Driving Your Website and Going Live

How to Make a Website

Building a website is a great way to share your ideas and thoughts with the world. But if you've never done one, it can seem daunting.

PART THREE

Test Driving Your Website and Going Live

1 Register your domain name

Register your domain name. If you’re on a budget, there are strategies for buying a cost effective domain . Find a domain name that is easy to remember and easy to spell. If you use domains ending with .com, you will end up with more traffic, but most of the easy ones are taken, so be creative!

·        Look to Network Solutions, GoDaddy, or Register.com are good in US and uk2.net if you're in the UK to research and find the ideal domain name for your website. Wordpress also includes a feature whereby you can use a name that's tagged with their site, for example, mywebsite.wordpress.com. But if the name you choose is also available as a .com, they will notify you when you sign up.

·        You can purchase domain names if they have been "parked" or are for sale online through business sales sites. It's a good idea to get legal and financial advice before purchasing an expensive domain name.

2  Inspect your website

Inspect your website. Before you post your site, it's wise to test it thoroughly. Most web design software has a way to test your site without taking it online. Look for missing tags, broken links, search engine optimization, and website design flaws. These are all factors which may affect your website's traffic and revenues. You may also generate a free full-functioning site map to submit to search engines like Google, in a matter of minutes. 

3 Test your website

Test your website. When you finish your website, do usability testing. You can do this by asking a few friends or family members to try it out. Give them a specific task like "edit your profile" or "buy an alpaca sweater from the bargains page." Sit behind them and watch them navigate—do not help them. You will likely find areas where you need to improve navigation or clarify some instructions. Alternately use something like zurb.com to user test on specific demographics for different types of engagement. When testing a website in 2014 it's becoming important to keep the platform in mind and make sure the website is usable from smartphones and tablets as well as desktops. 

4 Launch it

Launch it! Choose a web host and upload your website. Your web host may have an FTP feature, or you can download your own FTP program like FileZilla or CyberDuck. If you hired a professional to design the website, they should be able to take care of this for you (but it still pays to ask questions so that you understand what is happening).