For many people, building a website may seem like a daunting task. It doesn't need to be, however. There are a lot of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors that take care of the 'behind the scenes' HTML coding. So, what are the steps in creating a site?



1. You need to decide on a subject, or theme.

You probably have a broad theme of 'online business', or 'work at home' in mind. However, try and look at the different types of prospects you might like to attract. What are their interests? This can help in narrowing a topic down a bit. However, you might like to target a broad area too. Just be sure not to include too many 'irrelevant' areas. You can always build other sites for that.

Another way to look at finding a topic for your site is to consider what the main product is. If it's a health product, you might want to build a health related site. This way you can sell products to customers, build a list of subscribers, and they may well be interested in developing a business themselves. Above all, though - be creative (and do your keyword research)!

2. You need a Domain name

Pick a domain name that says something about your business, whilst preferably containing your main keyword. It is usually best to pick a 2 or 3 word phrase. But it's not necessary (or really desirable) to separate the words by dashes.

3. You need to organize the structure of your site

Your site should have a logical structure so visitors will find what they are looking for. Whilst it goes without saying, many people create sites that have very poor usability and navigation. Have your subject organized in your own mind before you start the website. This can really help keep the final product clear.

4. You need keywords to build articles around

Keyword focused articles help increase your chance of ranking well in the search engines, provided they are chosen well. They provide a way of helping the search bots identify what a page is about, and they can also provide a good source of inspiration for the articles themselves. Wordtracker is a good source of keywords.

5. You need web hosting

There are some packages that come with webhosting and a web builder. If you don't know HTML, and find the prospect of transferring files to the server daunting, this is a good option to explore.

6. You need to upload your site to your web host

7. You need a way of capturing visitor's name and email address

This will allow you to start building a relationship with your subscribers, your prospects. It's an excellent way to gently introduce people to your opportunity, and you can also make money by referring other good products you come across. Best of all, this list is yours.

8. You need a follow-up system that is automated

Autoresponders allow you to have a system in place that follows up with your prospects automatically, over time, providing them with the good content you write, and gently introducing them to your business offers.

9. You need to start driving traffic to your site.

This is a big subject, but there are a number of very effective ways to send traffic to your site, irrespective of the search engines (though some of them will help in your search engine rankings too). Articles, and exchanging links are two no-cost ways of building a steady stream of traffic, and they also help get your site indexed.