It would be helpful if you have an idea or direction of what you want to do with your website! This will definitely give you a head start in promoting efforts and setting your site up. If you have no idea where to start or no experience with html or web code, no problem. Today you can find plenty of starter websites that will have everything all set up for you and if you do want to make any changes (which I do recommend) you can always learn how sometime in the near future. The only thing is, if you decide to go this route, make sure you really do your homework and research on which sites work best. There are many people out there who are more interested in taking and scamming you rather than lending you a helping hand.
If you are not scared to learn at least a tad bit of html and have an idea of what type of site you want to start, the first thing you need to do is find a reputable host for your site. There are plenty of free hosts out there but I do not recomend using these hosts because they will own your website. What I mean by that is that they don't have to charge you because advertisers pay them money to advertise on everyones site who goes through them. These hosts have been known to shut down with little or o warning and they can control the amount and flow of your traffic. Using a free host is not a good business decision and running your own website IS running your own business.
You want to find a reputtable host who has a good history with clients and allows you several options. These options include ftp options, pop mail server accounts, unlimited traffic, and a great support staff. Most decent hosting services will make you a pay a monthly or annual fee but you pay for what you get, and it is more than worth it. Many hosts will even pay you back for referring others to use their services.
Once you have your have your reputtable host selected, it's time to build your website. To help build your first website, there are plenty of helpful software all over the internet. Some are cheap or free, others can cost up to a thousand dollars or more. When first starting out I suggest you take the tougher but cheaper route and learn the html yourself. It's really not that difficult, just more tedious than anything, and it's good to know for future reference anyways. For a newbie or beginner, enrolling in a premade site may be the fastest and easiest way to go. Make sure that you sign up for a premade site that has all the training and tools you need to succeed.
The fun really begins once your site is up and running. To bring in traffic to your site you will need to learn how to write articles, start a blog, submit your site to directories, and talk with others in forums to promote your site! Checking your daily stats and watching your website grow is truly a joy to see. Eventually, if marketed correctly, the money will come with the traffic. Starting up your first website is not as hard as it may seem. Start today!
