Whether it's for business or personal use, it seems like everyone has a web Site these days. That may be because it's become so affordable and easy to put a website together. Web site building is no longer for the "tech geeks".

Once upon a time, you had to learn HTML (hyper-text markup language) to build a web site but today you have so many options to create your own website that don't require you to learn complicated coding. You can use a WYSIWG (What You See Is What You Get) editor like Microsoft's FrontPage. This software allows you to write your web site as you would any other document and you can drag and drop images easily. It takes a bit of practice to make things look the way you'd like, but you can also purchase templates to create a professional look and feel.

So, now we know that you don't have to be a technological genius to build a web site -- what else do you need to create your web presence?

Domain: This is the name of your website. You will need to purchase a name that will represent your company or personal web presence. For example: ebay.com is Ebay's domain name.

Web Host: You will also need to find a company that will store your various files on the Internet. This is called a web host. You usually pay them monthly for their service.

Web Hosts we Like:

	Anyone wanting web hosting for one website.	J If you're in the market for hosting for one site -- this is as cheap as it gets. K If you want multiple sites, you'll save money with the plan below.
Unlimited Domain Hosting Only $9.95 a Month	Plan on having a lot of domains? This is the way to go.	J: Perfect if you want multiple sites or have HUGE sites that need a lot of space (like with a lot of audio or video). K: If you only need one site, then you'll save money with the plan above.

Your Next Steps to Building Your Website:

WYSIWG software can cost hundreds of dollars and allows you to build web pages that provide basic information to your visitors. If you are looking to have more interactivity and features to your website like:

message board
shopping cart (allows you to securely sell products on your site)
mailing list
coupons

and other options, you may want to look at a more comprehensive web building service, like the easy site builder at
www.internetbasedfamily.com/?offer=EasySite  . This service allows you to create feature-rich and professional looking websites in a matter of minutes. You can also purchase your domain there and they will host your pages on the Internet. There is a 10-day free trial to help you ensure it's the right web-building tool for you.

All in all, building a website isn't as complicated as you may have thought previously. All it takes is some point-and-click web building software, a domain name and a web host.