Create A Website - The Different Platforms

There are a number of different options if you want to create a website. Which one you choose will depend on your comfort with technology, and what sort of website you want to create.

First of all, you'll want to decide if you just want a page on one of the free services like Hubpages, or Squidoo, or even a free blog hosted for you byBlogger or Wordpress. Or, do you want a website with your own domain name, that you host on a web host. Before we go on to look at the choices you have if you decide to host it yourself, let's look at the free services and what they offer.

Squidoo and Hubpages basically allow you to create a single page on a topic of your choice. You can create as many pages as you want, but each page can only be abou8t one topic. They don't offer the depth and navigation, and other functions, like a regular website. They're good if you just want to publish information about one topic, and they are used by many marketers to let people know about their existing websites and products!

The hosted blog platforms do allow you to create a blog with as many pages as you want. You have a lot more flexibility here in that you can create a depth of content similar to what you see in a regular website. In fact, many people use blogs like a website, and make money off them. The problem with using a hosted service is that you are limited in what you can do. You do have a lot more flexibility with a hosted Wordpress blog than a hosted blogger blog, however.

But most people who want to create a website, want one on their own domain. A domain is the basic address you type to get to the website. For example, here it is www.pickthebusiness.com. Domains are registered at Domain registrars like GoDaddy and others. Most people prefer to register their domains with a different company than the one they choose to host their site with, although that is a personal preference. Most companies provide both domain registrar services as well as hosting.

So, what are your choices if you decide to create a website and host it yourself?

Basically, you can choose whether you want a dynamic or static site. This refers to the way the website is built, and the programming language used. Fortunately you don't need to know any programming languages however! There are solutions for both dynamic sites and static sites that have an intuitive interface with which to build and manage your site.

Here are some differences:

Static Sites

• Built with HTML
• Generally don't have built in RSS feeds to syndicate your content
• Creates a simpler type of site, though still more than good enough for what many people want.
• Site is not going to be updated that often

Dynamic Sites

• Created using a programming language like PHP
• Content is stored in database rather than on a 'fixed' page. It is accessible by a URL, just like a regular website. The difference is the way in which the information and page is stored.
• Dynamic sites provide a level of interactivity that static sites generally don't. For example, forums and ecommerce sites are dynamic. So are content management systems, membership sites, and blogs.
• Dynamic sites can provide a lot of functionality that static sites don't. On the negative side, they can use more of the web host's server resources. This only tends to be a problem for very busy sites.
• Another advantage of dynamic sites is that they can be updated more easily by more than one person. This is ideal if you are a small or large company with a number of people who will be adding content to, and managing, a site.
• Easy to add and change information regularly

Dynamic websites tend to be more suitable for larger sites, sites that require special functions like ecommerce, or sites that want a level of user interaction. For example, if you want your readers to rate and comment on your articles, you will have to choose a dynamic site. Or, if you want people to contribute content, a dynamic site would be the choice.

In the following articles, we discuss how you can create a website, whether it is static, dynamic, or even one of the blog or other hosted options.

• Create Your Own Website - Static HTML Sites
• Building A Website - Before You Begin
• Why a Website is Essential for Working at Home
• Why Content Articles On Your Website Are Crucial To Success
• Build A Website Tips
• RSS Feed Secrets Part 2
• RSS Feed Secrets Part 1