Many times, I have been asked about how I started a tax website and what my motivation was.
It does not matter whether you are a technology expert, it is possible to build a website using the resources on the internet today. This post will address the basics of building a website or a blog that is focused on any subject matter such as tax.
We will start with the very basics.
What is a website?
The internet dictionary meaning of the term website is “a set of related web pages located under the same domain name” for example taxkenya.com.
The websites are published on any of the web servers. The pages include multimedia contents. To access the pages, in the websites home page, one must use a browser such as Google Chrome.
What is a blog?
A blog largely resembles a website. However, a blog can be on one page, is frequently updated, may be written in a casual or relaxed style.
A blog is published on a web server. Sometimes, blogs include multimedia contents. A blog can be operated solely or it can be operated within a website.
The decision to have a website or a blog depends on the owner and what they want to do with it. This post will address steps to own an operational website.
My story
Over the period that we have operated this website, one of the very important lessons we have learned is that one cannot learn everything at a go. That will result in confusion.
Website knowledge is accumulated overtime. We are still learning new things even today. Therefore, our advice is to start with a basic website and continuously improve it.
Many people out there want to have websites but they do not know how or where to start. A few years ago, I was that person. Over time, I learnt how to do it.
Where did I get the information?
I read articles and watched videos on the internet.
I build all my internet sites with the knowledge I gathered from the internet. I build my first website and I also manage all my internet sites. It is not easy but if you are determined, you will make it. The most joyful moment is when you post the first article and it is life.
I learnt from others.
In this post, I will share eleven steps to build a functional website. This is from what I learnt when I was struggling to build my first website and also what I have continued to learn as I manage the websites.
I hope and trust that you too will soon own a website if that is what you desire.
Steps to build a website
There are many steps to build a money-making website using the resources available on the internet.
1) Read and watch videos
The first step is to read and watch videos about other websites. There is a lot of information available on the internet – articles, books, magazines, videos etc. It is important to know what other people are sharing about their website building experiences and what they are writing about.
Knowing other peoples experiences will help you determine whether it is worth the efforts. Knowing what other people are writing about will enable you to decide whether you have anything useful to share with the people.
2) Decide what to share
The second step is the decision on what to share with other people on the website. Websites are about sharing messages, services or goods. One can share for free or make a sale. This will determine your target audience. Share what you know, this will enable you to continuously share.
3) Website
The third step is to decide whether to have a website without a blog or a website with a blog or a blog. We have examined the difference between a website and a blog. Your target audience will determine your choice of the type of website you will build.
4) Name
The fourth step is to choose a name for the website. There are very many names that one can choose from. However, it is always advisable to choose a name that people can relate with and one that speaks about the subject that you want to address.
For example, one cannot have a name like junglekingdombooks.com for a website that promotes alcohol beverages. The name of your website is important. Therefore, take your time to choose an appropriate name.
In this website, taxkenya.com, we share about tax. This is the first article out of almost a hundred articles that is not a tax article. Your website name is your brand. Website names are known on the internet as domain names.
5) Register a Domain name
The fifth step is to register a domain name. Registration ensures that no one else can use that name. Some internet sites charge for the registration of domain names.
Other companies do not charge as long as you host your website with them. You will decide where to host your website depending on the cost and how reliable the host is.
6) Content Management System
The sixth step is to decide on the content management system to use. One can get a website developer to do it or you can use the numerous free and sold content management systems on the internet.
One free content management system is WordPress. Content management system is what “holds” all the contents that you put on your website such as written contents, multimedia files etc.
7) Website hosting
The seventh step is to decide where to host the website. There are many organisations and places that host websites on the internet. The charges are normally levied per month.
One of the sites in the business of website hosting (among others) is Bluehost.com. Hosting with Bluehost.com comes with the advantage of having to use WordPress direct.
8) Build the website
The eighth step is to build the website. You can do it, hire someone to do it for you or purchase a website already built. The choice is up to you. If you have time, the best thing to do is to build the site yourself. There are many lessons that you will learn that are very important in managing the website.
In building the website, you will choose the site colours, theme, plugging’s widgets, content categories.
9) Create content
Once the website is up and running, the next step is to build content. There are very many types of contents depending on the reasons for your website.
You can have articles that vary depending on length, subject addressed, pictures, videos, audio products etc. This is the most exciting step.
10) Market the website
The tenth step is to market the website. There will be visitors who will visit your website but you need to market the website. This you can do using various social media tools.
Some of the social media tools that one can use are Whatsup groups, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, advertisements in the media etc. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool. Tell everyone and everybody you have a website. Marketing of the website is done continuously.
11) Monetise the website
The eleventh step to have a website that earns you money. To do this, you will need to monetize the website. Some of the things that one can engage in to monetise the website is affiliate marketing, direct adverting, sale of courses, sale of products such as e-books or physical books, writing sponsored articles, product reviews etc.
Note that these are not the only steps that one requires to have a website that will give them money. This post was about the basics, the skeleton required. These steps will enable you to have a website that you can continuously build. There are very many steps required.
There you are … start building your website today, do not wait for tomorrow.
Thank you for reading the article.
Dr. Wakaguyu W. K
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