About rel=”canonical” – Webmasters/Site owners Help

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Duplicate Content, SEO, Search Engine Optimization

Level: Beginner

Topic: Website Hosting

Now that you know how to buy a domain name, you are almost ready to learn how to build a website. Your website is going to consist of of files that contain programming code and possible a few graphics or pictures.

Before we tell you how to build a website, you need to create an account with a web hosting service. Here’s how to to that;

1. First you need to sign up with a web host service. I recommend BlueHost.com. I’ve tried quite a few others but I had problems with them. Not only does BlueHost.com have an easy registration process but they also have a phone number that real live helpful people actually answer.

Let’s face it, your always going to have some problems, but when I did have one with Bluehost, the support guy went to find the IT guy and had him fix it while I waited!

2. After you go through their registration process be sure that you can log-in and that you’ve saved your log-in information where you can find it. You also need to know what their DNS (domain name server)address is. If its hard to find just ask them when they call to confirm your account.

3. Go back to you Registrar and look for your domain names control panel. You should see an area for DNS settings. You need to replace your registrar’s DNS address with the DNS from your new website hosting service.

Recommendation: BlueHost.com
Next: The C-Panel

Tutorial Level: Beginner

Before you can build your website or your blog, you need to purchase the right to use a domain name which is also known as a URL. First you need to decide if you want to own the address of your site (URL) or if you just want to write.

For those of you that just want to write, you don’t need to be here. Just go over to Blogger.com and signup. You’ll be writting in minutes. However, if you want to own your websites address / URL then there are a few preliminary steps that you need to take.

First you need to purchse a domain name for your site. This URL is the address that people type into the browser to get to your site. You can purchase the right to use any available URL from companies known as registrars. Here are 2 options;

Domain Name Registration:

1. If you are not particular about your ownership then many of the services that you’ll be hiring to host your computer site, which are also known as hosting services will provide you with a free domain name. This may save you $10 but many times they own the domain name rather than you, so be aware of that when you signup.

2. The most secure option is to purchase your name through a registrar and then point it to the location of you website’s files on your hosting service -
we’ll talk about that in the next article.
Here are the name of 3 major registrars. Choose one and setup an account with them. I’ve personally used all of them and they are all fine.

ENOM.com

Network Solutions.com

GoDaddy.com

Domain Name Search

Each of these sites has a way for you to do a domain name search. Just type a the name(s) that you would like and find out if it is available. Unless you are
not for profit organization (.org) or a university, your best bet is to find a “.com”.

What is a privacy shield?

One decision that you’ll have to make is if you want a privacy shield. This keeps people from seeing your name and address. Whether or not you need this option depends on your individual circumstance. If the address is your home you may not want to be published. If you have a company, you probably want your company address to be public.

Before you leave your new registrar…

Be sure to save your id and password that goes with your new account so you can get back into your account.

Next up…. the next step toward setting up your website.

Getting started with blogging is easy even for the disinclined. This blog is the basic WordPress site template. With blog’s templates allow you to focus on writing your thoughts rather than attempting to write programing code. Once you get an address / URL (aka domain name) and a hosting account, you’ll be able to set up this exact site in minutes.

To start you blog you have 2 basic options. Do you want to own your blog or do you not care and just want a easy way to write?

If all you want to do is write a journal you can set up a Blogger blog site without having to get a domain name. Just go to http://Blogger.com and sign-up. You’ll be wondering what you should write in a matter of minutes.

If you want to create a blog site that you actually own and have the freedom to do what ever you want, then you need to; decide on a domain name, purchase it, and sign-up with a hosting service, before you can set up your blog.
Oh, is that sounding like too much? I’m going to try to make it easy for you. But for now, just thing about what names would be fun and make a list. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you have to purchase your domain. Which, by the way, is so much more fun that setting up the hosting!

ttfn, DD

I’ve been a designer for a long time. {I know. I know… it doesn’t look like it, does it? But you should see the pathetically beautiful design for this site that is currently “stuck” in photoshop.}

I used to get to make great designs and leave the technical expertise and work to the uber techno brains on the team, but now I’m on my own. I’ve been disinclined to learn all of the markup languages, database stuff, and computer communication protocols. If you are too, this is the site for you.

Its going to be technical diary about how to get past the technical obstacles, to get to your real goal. Not just the opportunity to stay up late learning stuff your not interested in.

This site will develop as my skills do. I promise. This site will be changeing quite a bit over the next few months.My goal is to share all of my learning curves with you. Hopefully it will saves you hour/days/weeks. So please come back, hang around and share.

All the best. And may you quickly get about what you’d rather be doing.

T Klutz

The Grand Poobah of Klutzes