It is often said that everyone has a novel inside them, and the same thing could be said about creating a website.

We all have something to say, and it’s far more feasible to say it with a website than with a book.

Many people simply never get round to it, assuming that they are not up to the task. In reality, setting up a website needn’t be a nightmare.

In this feature we’re going to reveal just how easy it can be to establish an online presence, starting with registering a domain name and buying a hosting package, to generating pages and getting listed on search engines.

First things first
There are countless reasons for setting up a website – to promote a local club, to display family photographs, to advertise a small business, or just to have a bit of fun.

Whatever the impetus, planning, research and preparation are of the utmost importance if you are to avoid making potentially costly mistakes. Even the most simple of sites is going to require a degree of planning and there are a number of decisions to be made.

A domain name is needed so people will be able to visit the site, a hosting package to store the files which make up the site, a tool to put together pages, a program to upload completed pages from your computer to your hosting package and once the whole thing is complete, you will need to find a way to let potential visitors know of the site’s existence.

Looking through the list of essential steps that need to be completed, it would be easy to assume that getting a website up and running would be not only difficult but also expensive. But website building can prove much easier, and certainly cheaper, than many people expect.

Search around for the right hosting package and it is possible to find one which includes a domain name included in the price as well as page templates and online uploading tools to manage site files.

Opting for such a package not only helps to keep costs to a minimum, but also means that there is only one company to deal with.

It is with this philosophy in mind that we’re going to take a look at setting up a website with 1 &1. There are many reasons for choosing this particular provider, but the fact that a domain name is included in the price and there are a wide range of packages to choose from are just some of the advantages.