Websites used to be something that were the purview of the truly technologically advanced segment of society. Today, a huge number of people maintain their own websites. Technologies such as blogging have made personal websites more popular with each passing year. The first step in setting up your website is deciding where you’ll host it.

Most webhosts offer several different packages. These packages are designed to accommodate different levels of users, both in regard to their technical ability and their actual hosting needs. Most casual users will do best with what’s called “shared hosting”.

The advantage with shared hosting is that most of the hard work of setting up a server is done beforehand. Your server will be ready to go when you pay your subscription. The other common type of hosting is dedicated hosting which requires far more technical knowledge. If dedicated hosting is the technical equivalent of building a custom house, shared hosting is the equivalent of moving into a furnished apartment.

You’ll need to purchase your domain name. Most web hosts will allow their clients to do so as part of the service. Your host will generally point your domain name at the appropriate server which allows you to avoid the hassle of having to work with DNS records and the other very technical aspects of Internet technology.

Generally, you will upload your site via an FTP server to the appropriate directory and, once your pages are saved to the server, you’ll be online!