If you ever doubt about being able to create a website, struggling with the budget, now there is a chance for your to try. This is a website setup tutorial for beginners (a very basic one). With only a few steps and less than USD$10 to spend (subject to your domain name), a decent website could be created in an hour.
Step 1: Buy a domain name
To create a website, first of all, you have to choose a domain name, namely hildahung.com. For those whose URL ends with .com .net or .org, GoDaddy.com is the best for your option. Simply search your desired domain name and check out for it.
Step 2: Apply for a server
After purchasing a domain name, you may now go to Google Cloud to apply for a server. It is a free-trial platform with a user-friendly interface, providing USD$300 credits for 90 days. A really good deal for low-budget beginners to start with.
Go to Google Cloud > Search “WordPress Certified by Bitnami and Automattic” and launch it.
On this page, there are a few places you may have to notice:
For “Zone“, which is related to the server’s location, the speed will run faster for those who have chosen a closer region. For “Machine type“, which means the server’s CPU, also relates to the website speed, using “micro” or “small” is good enough for general blogging purposes. Lastly, I set the “Boot disk size in GB” as 40GB. The total monthly fees (as shown on the right-hand side) would be varied based on your options. After that, press “Deploy“.
When WordPress has been installed successfully, the system will generate a list of information about your site. “Site address” is your website’s URL while “Admin URL” is the admin’s link for edit purposes in your website, you may change the user’s name and password afterwards.
Now, you are halfway done.
Step 3: Link up with the Server and the Domain Name
Go back to GoDaddy search for your domain name and click “DNS“.
On this page, you have to choose to edit type: A and replace your new IP address which you’ve got in step 2. Now, you have created a website successfully! You may use the admin’s link to edit or create content for your website.
Step 4: Set up SSL
You may have noticed that your site is showing “Not Secure”, which means this website is not providing an encrypted connection. Therefore, you have to set up an SSL cert.
Go to Google Cloud > search for “VM instances”, find the related deployment name and click on “SSH“, a new browser will be prompted.
Then, copy and paste this command “sudo /opt/bitnami/bncert-tool” onto the browser (as in the picture above), and press Enter. Lastly, follow the steps for the remaining part, the system will guide you on what to do, and then your website will become secured.
See! Just 4 steps and you’ve got a website created. Let’s try! You’ll never know how far you would go unless you give it a go. For more to learn and apply, follow hildahung.com.