How to Create and Run a Website

Choose a domain name. You can obtain a domain name by choosing a domain registrar company. Create a list of possible domain names, and check the domain registrar's website to see if the domain is available. When you find an available domain, purchase and register it.
Choose a hosting company online. To have an active website, you will need a place to host your content. For smaller hobby sites, you can find free hosting services such as Tripod.com or blogger.com. For serious projects, you should obtain a fee-based hosting plan. Select a plan that provides enough space and bandwidth for your website goals.
Select the type of website you want to build. You can choose from blogs (for personal content), forums (for communities), or static websites (for public content, products, or services). Next, choose a software application specifically created for your website style. There are many free software packages you can use to build your site, such as Wordpress.org (for blogs), SimpleMachines.org (for forums), or Joomla.org (for static sites).
Configure your domain name to direct users to your hosted site. Log into your domain name registrar, and click on the 'manage domain' section. Follow the registrar's instructions to point the domain to your hosted site. You should also familiarize yourself with the software application you choose to manage your site, and follow any software-specific instructions when configuring your site online.
Build the content on your site. Most websites contain written articles, pictures, and more. Use the software application you chose to publish content online. Build the content in a logical and organized way, so readers can access your pages with ease.
Promote your site online. Submit your site to the major search engines by manually visiting each one, and following the 'Add URL' instructions. Also visit the popular directories and manually add your website to the appropriate category. Seek out other websites that focus on similar topics and exchange links with the webmasters.
Actively manage your website. This includes duties such as continually building content, adding hyperlinks to pages within your site, optimizing your site for search engines (by building hyperlinks and using proper keywords in your page titles), and repairing broken links. You also need to renew your hosting plan each month, and your domain name annually to keep your site active on the web.
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How to Set Up a Wiki Site

Set up an account with a wiki-compatible Web host. Not all site hosting accounts are capable of running wiki technology. The server must support Apache, PHP 5+ and MySQL 4+ in order to set up a wiki site. While such hosts are typically pricier than standard hosting, budget hosts such as Fat Cow and Blue Host (see Resources) offer discount hosting that meets the technical requirements of most wiki software.
Download free or paid wiki software. While various companies offer wiki software for personal and public use, WikiMedia's free software (see Resources) is one of the most widely used and has the most comprehensive features because it was originally developed to operate sites such as Wikipedia.
Double-click the file you downloaded in Step 2 to decompress the installation package. A new folder will appear containing all of the wiki software's installation files.
Launch your FTP software and connect to your personal server. Your login information is typically your domain name and the password you chose when registering a hosting account. If you can't remember your login details, refer to the registration documents provided to you when you set up your account with a Web host.
Upload the decompressed installation folder from Step 3 to your hosting server by dragging the folder to your FTP software window. Wait for the FTP program to complete the transfer. Depending on your Internet connection, this may take several minutes.
Open your Web browser. Navigate to the following address: http://yourdomain.com/mediawiki/config/index.php. Replace 'yourdomain.com' with the domain name you registered in Step 1. WikiMedia's installation page will appear.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the wiki site setup. You will need to provide specific configuration options, such as the name you wish to use for your wiki and the name of your MySQL database (provided by your Web host).
Click the 'Install MediaWiki' button at the bottom of the page. Your wiki site is now set up and you may begin editing or creating pages from within the wiki interface.
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