There’s no doubt that what makes or breaks a young entrepreneur in this day and age is their web presence.

You can be active on all the social media channels, and while you may gain some success, nothing is comparable to the gains you’ll win when you operate your own website.

A successful website lends you greater authority and presence than social media. If your website appears at the top of a Google search with your name attached to it, that prestige is priceless. People only increase in respect for you with the added legitimacy of a website.

More than legitimacy, and something which should be a priority of a young entrepreneur, is the opportunity for monetisation a website allows. Once you’ve established a website with presence, there are many ways you can spin it to increase your influence- and your profits.

If you’re looking to establish your own empire in whatever niche of your choosing, you’re going to have to develop a website to make your plans a reality.  Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you:

How to Build Your First Website and Achieve Your Dreams.

1. Choose a Domain Name.

If you are your own brand, picking the domain name for your website shouldn’t be a challenge – just go for your own name.

However, because each domain name on the internet has to be unique, you could run into some trouble if there’s already a website in your name.

If that website is for all intents and purposes inactive, you can look into purchasing the name. Unfortunately, if the holder of the name feels like you need it, be prepared to pay a pretty penny to get that domain.

If you don’t want your domain name to be your name, go for the name of your brand. If you don’t have a brand name yet, look through domain registrars to see what website names are available and appropriate for your brand.

Getting creative and coming up with a name that encompasses your brand and mission is fantastic. Just ensure that domain name is still available.

2. Register Your Name.

Once you’ve chosen your name, you have to register it or else risk losing it.

There are several companies online that will allow you to register your domain name. It’s simply a case of browsing the various companies that offer it, and choosing one you consider to be legitimate and affordable.

Registering your name usually starts around the ten-dollar mark. However, you may have to pay more if you want the most legitimate extension: .com. The extensions .net or .biz are usually cheaper, but consumer’s nowadays have an unconscious bias toward a .com extension, so bear that in mind.

3. Build Your Website.

Building your website doesn’t have to be that difficult, even if you lack relevant skills in HTML and web design.

A content management system can help make building your website a dream, if you are inexperienced.

There are various CMS’s. All the most popular ones have advantages and disadvantages that you must carefully assess before you proceed with one for your website.

If you have the relevant skills to build your own website, it’s more advantageous that you avoid a CMS, purely because you avoid their constraints. It is intensely time consuming and requires constant diligence and care, so this avenue is not recommended for a novice.

If you don’t want to use a CMS that might restrict the capabilities of your website, such as confine you to mainly a blogging-based platform, consider using some specialised web design software.

Specialised web design software can guide someone with relative inexperience through the process. Expect to learn a lot while using it!

Also read: How to Choose the Right CMS for Your Business

4. Get a Web Hosting Provider.

Last but not least, choose a web hosting provider.

A web hosting provider is crucial to the smooth-running of your website, but it is the area that laymen know the least.

The files your website needs to function are connected to a server. This server is a giant computer that facilitates all the files on your website and allows you access to the web.

For most individuals and small businesses, running a server is completely unaffordable. Only giants like Amazon and Facebook can afford to do so.

You have to choose which web hosting provider will provide the right server so your website functions to its optimum capacity.

5. Create Excellent Content.

No one is going to look at your website unless you fill it with excellent content. Draw on your talents, passion and creativity to write or make cutting-edge content for your niche. Remain on top of it, and watch your empire grow!

So that’s what you need to do to build your website and start your entrepreneurial journey. Good luck!