Have Domain Name - Need Site

I don't mean to sound lame, but I need help!

[thomasray]

I finally purchased a domain name and would like help outlining the neccessary steps to post a personal website. I don't need a lot of bandwith just want to post a couple pages. What do I need to purchase? Who has the best hosting (with the most patience!)?

I hate to ask such a broad question but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[aaronjf]

thomasray,

Welcome to WebmasterWorld

While your question is broad, this is certainly the place for it.

griz_fan's response about web hosting is some great advice. I would also add that once you find a couple of hosts you are seriously considering "Google" them and search for any negative information available, i.e. search "Complaints + Host Name", "Complaints + Host_Domain_Widgets.com", etc. I have found this a useful tool in the past with any kind of products or services.

As far as necessary steps, that greatly depends on what you want to do with the site. Do you see yourself using dynamically driven pages? Do you want this site to be found by search engines? What do you hope to accomplish with your site? You might try writing out an outline for what you want to do with your site. First know what you want to do. Once you know that, you know exactly what your needs are going to be.

For instance, the personal site I had a couple of years ago was mainly for posting my Architectural portfolio, personal photos, and my Painting and Sculpture Portfolio. So my needs were not that technical - I just needed a lot of storage space. However, now that I have left Architecture and am a Web designer, my needs are a lot more extensive. I use my personal site to develop web apps, dynamic forms, and Flash testing, so my needs are a lot more technical. It is all in what you want to use it for. Hope this helps point you in a starting direction.