There are many different ways of building a website and there is no single best way.
It is also important to note that this doesn't just affect those who opt to build it themselves, it is also important for those who are having their site built for them.
Why? Well a web designer who is Good with Dreamweaver will think that all his clients need a hand built site. One who likes Joomla will build them as Content Management sites.... These may not be the ideal choice for his clients.
Building is only the Start
It is important to note that a website is probably never finished. So what happens if the site needs changing ? Who is going to do it, and how difficult is it to do.
What if it requires extra functionality? Is it possible with the chosen design method, and again how difficult is it to do?
They are an ideal choice for small websites (1-20) pages that will be fairly static. However if you think that you will be adding new features to the site (like feedback forms, newsletters, comments etc) then you should start thinking of using a content Management type system like Wordpress:
Site build-it or Wordpress
Site build-it is a complete hosting package that includes site templates, newsletters, blog etc.
It is a favourite of mine because it enables novice webmasters with very little technical knowledge to build a successful professional website.
It is however a little more expensive than standard hosting. You can find more information at the site build-it site.
But what about WordPress? Isn't it a blogging platform? Well it is, but a blog is a website, and a website can be a blog (see websites and blogs).
WordPress now has the ability to move the blog from the home page, and function like a traditional website.WordPress also has many additional plug-ins that expand the capabilities that are developed by WordPress enthusiasts, and most are free.
But most importantly, from our standpoint, it has many attractive and professional designs (themes) that you can easily change.
On the negative side although you don't need to be a web designer you will still need to administer it and make the necessary changes to get it to function correctly.
You will need support by your host. I use 1and1 Uk for my UK Wordpress sites and the .com sites by Blue Host .
Recommendations
If you are non technical, need first class support, and excellent documentation then Site Build-it is probably the best choice.
If you are more technical, want great flexibility and are willing to do some leg work to get the site exactly as you want it then Wordpress is an excellent choice.
Using either Pre-built or self made templates is probably the easiest way to start but does require more knowledge as the site expands. Making changes to the site look and feel can be very time consuming unless you have added sophisticated navigational elements using PHP, Server sites includes or similar.
However for a small 1-20 page site then is is usually all you need.
A Guide to Hosting a Website
PHP, Cpanel, Multiple Domains, Packages, Linux
The most common type of hosting for personal and small business websites is shared web hosting, and there are 100s of shared website hosting providers to choose from.
However choosing a provider and website hosting package from the many thousands of offers can be extremely confusing. The object is not to choose the cheapest, or the one with the most features, but the best hosting for your needs.
The problem for those that a new to building websites is to determine what it is that they need exactly.
Although small business and personal websites generally have very basic requirements there are still one or two important points to consider.
Hosting on Linux or Microsoft Servers
All hosting providers offer both Linux and Windows server hosting options. Unless you intend to use a software package or tools that require Windows then you should choose Linux.
Linux hosting provides support for PHP scripts and MYSQL databases, which is the required if you want to use any of the popular blogging/content management systems like WordPress, Joomla and a host of other excellent open source packages.
FrontPage Server Extensions
FrontPage is a popular web building software package and it has support for web components that provide fancy features, but require FrontPage server extensions. I don't recommend you use FrontPage server extensions, and if you follow that advice your server doesn't need to support them.
