Part 3 - Establish Your Presence

Setting yourself up online is easy!

Get a Domain Name

If you don't already have a name chosen for your web presence, now is the time to do it! With thousands of domains being registered everyday, the domain you want might not be available tomorrow for you if you delay the registration.

 A domain should be easy to remember and describe the subject of your site. If you have difficulty thinking of a name, you can always skip this step and think of a name once you have started your site. Click here to review our guide on selecting domain names. You can also register your domain name directly through ThinkHost - Click here to begin the domain name registration process.

Choose a Hosting Package 

Selecting a hosting package for your website can be a difficult and often confusing decision. To make this process easier, ThinkHost has carefully tailored plans to meet your needs depending on the objective of your website. [Read More]. All our plans have excellent flexibility and upgrades available, which allows the hosting solution to grow as you do.

In addition to our comprehensive hosting packages, we have also created a Solution Wizard which can help you decide what services would be best for your needs. Lastly, if you would prefer to ask an expert for advice, feel free to contact our Customer Care Team and ask them what they would recommend. If you choose the last route, remember to include as much information about your planned project as possible so we can get an idea of what your needs are.

Build Your Site

Building a website is easy, and there are a few ways in which you can do it. The first method is to use a web page editor like MS FrontPage or DreamWeaver. These allow you to use your mouse to "draw" your website as you would like it to appear. There are also a number of free web development software packages available. Your other option is to code it in HTML using something as simple as NotePad or NoteTab.

If that sounds too difficult, then you can always build your presence using one of the many professional templates available as part of our QuickSite package. This solution allows you to build a professional looking site in minutes without having to know any HTML or programming whatsoever! Exclusive to ThinkHost, QuickSite is as easy as using any word processor or simple desktop publishing program. If you have ever used Microsoft Word, then you will be just as able to create a professional web site with QuickSite.  Click here to learn more about QuickSite, our total web development and hosting solution!

Promote your Site 

Once your site is built you will want people to see it. With so many web sites now around, it is no longer a case of "build it and they will come" - you need to actively promote your site. A good way to start is by submitting your web site to search engines. Beyond that, we strongly encourage you to talk with fellow webmasters and ask them for advice on the most effective methods.

Now that you've read through our three-part introduction to web hosting, we'd love to assist you further. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to contact our Customer Care Team. Or, if you're ready to obtain hosting, choose a plan from ThinkHost and sign up now - in under 10 minutes, you'll be ready to start creating your web site!

Skipped a couple of parts in this series? Click here for Part 1, or here for Part 2.

Download this series  in one free guide in PDF format - Right mouse button click here and select "save target as"

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