The Art of Website Creation

Where to start, where to start!?  I want a website that looks professional and that won't break the bank... so I start my research.

FIRST, my sister recommends that I look at etsy.com, a site for any artist making handcrafted goods to sell their wares.  What a great site!  You can start an account, set up your site (very easy), and start posting jewelry right away.  It costs $0.20 to post one item for 4 months, then there is a 3.5% transaction fee when the item is sold.  What's good too is that it is a very popular website.  So?  I am trying my hand at it:  http://www.sliversofsilver.etsy.com/.  Enjoy if you so desire!

SECOND, I want to start my own independent website.  Man, though, it takes a lot of research to understand what's out there.  Do I need to HIRE someone?  Can I make the website MYSELF?  No and yes - that's what I found out.  Here's what I am about to do:

1.  Buy a Domain Name:  A domain name is the http://www.address.com/ at the top of any website.  You need to buy this before you can start this process.  How?  One way is to set one up with the company that hosts your website (more later).  Another way is to go to http://www.godaddy.com/ and buy one from one of the most trusted sites out there.  This is the route I'm going.  I've read that if you buy from your web hosting company (ex:  Prostores, Homestead), THEY may actually own your address.  That means that if you try to go to a new hosting company, you can't transfer your name!  Blah blah blah... to make it simple, I am buying my domain from GoDaddy.

2.  Find a Hosting Website:  This is the website that will SUPPORT your website.  That means that they give you the tools necessary to build your website, and they also can support an e-commerce site for you (an online store)!   Someone buying with a credit card?  They will take care of all that messy stuff, and you just get the "cash"!  ALSO, if you have a problem, they will help with technical support.  So... who do you choose?

I am going with http://www.prostores.com/ because they seem to have a great rate ($30/month, 0.5% transaction fee), and there is a one-month free trial.  I also like the sites that people make using the Prostores templates.  Yes - they provide a template so you don't have to start from square one.  Oh, and did I mention that you don't need to know how to write any code!?  Yeah - good news.  If you want to, though, you CAN edit the HTML code for the website.  You can also upload your website design from a web builder software like Frontpage if you'd like.

I will be using the Prostores template.  While I'm working on it, I will post some updates about progress - let you know how difficult the stuff actually is to use!  *crosses fingers*

Wish me luck!!