We make a few assumptions right at the beginning. First, you know the nature or type of website you want to build. Second, you have your domain name registered. Third, you selected your hosting service provider and bought your server space. With these three in place, we have the basic tools required. Now it is time to build your website. Right here, we will filter out a few possibilities to keep things simple. There are two questions that you need to answer:
- Do you know web programming languages?
- Are you afraid of weird looking codes?
If you know web programming languages like HTML, Java, PHP, ASP.Net etc. then, our discussion ends right here. You know how these languages work and which one works best for your nature of website.
If you are afraid of codes then…
…your best bet is PHP. Hopefully, you have heard of WordPress. WordPress is a server side software that gives you the basic framework to create a blog. You don’t have to know coding languages. All major hosting service providers have 1-click WordPress installation feature available. All you need to do is to click on ‘Install WordPress’ option on your cPanel and key in your website name and website description. You will also need to give your database password, admin name and admin password and click ‘ok’ or ‘go’. Sit back for a few minutes and your website will be installed. WordPress comes with a built-in theme that you can use. Once installed, you will have the option of visiting your websites admin panel and log in using your admin name and admin password. Once you do that, you will see the WordPress dashboard. It is very intuitive and is very simple to use.
Understanding cPanel
This is something you need to understand properly. cPanel actually refers to control panel. As the name suggests, this is the place where you control your server settings. There will be many options to deal with but there is nothing to be afraid of. cPanel is designed to be intuitive. Those who do not know anything about coding can also use it with ease.
When you log in to your cPanel using the username and password you provided when registering server space with your hosting service provider, you will see a folder called ‘Files’. The name of the folder can slightly vary from one host to another. It is the most important folder on your server space because it will contain your website.
The Root Folder
Open the folder called ‘Files’ and you will see the directory on top which reads nothing but a forward slash ( / ). This is called the root directory and your WordPress website actually gets installed in this folder. But, before you install WordPress, take a look at the other subfolders within the folder named ‘Files’. If you see (and you will see) other subfolders, DO NOTHING! Leave them as they are because they contain some crucial server settings.
We are not done yet! Continue reading in the next part of this article but if you want a quick break, you can because we will start getting a bit technical.