Do you have a fun and innovative idea that you know kids everywhere will love?
You may have already built up a social media following, perhaps have even been selling on these platforms as well. Developing your own website would be the next step, but you’ve been putting it off because it’s way too complicated… Guess what, it’s easier than you think!
Creating a website need not be too difficult. With a little technical knowledge, you can create a simple website designed to enhance your online presence, making it easier for others to find you on search engines beyond just relying on social media platforms.
Registering that .KiDS Domain Name
First, you’ll need a domain name such as ‘IveGotAnIdea.kids’ from your preferred domain name registrar. We have a list of registrars where you can get your .KiDS domain name here. You’ll also need to consider a host for your website. Many registrars will offer you a package for hosting your website, or there are separate hosting companies.
The Website Builder
Next up, you need to consider your website design. For ease, convenience, and low cost, there are website builders like WordPress and Wix. WordPress launched in 2003, and it has been estimated to power more than 40 percent of all websites on the internet! For Wix, it’s likely easier for a beginner to build a website with. But WordPress offers more features should you have bigger ambitions.
The Webhost
While both of these two website builders are free for their basic features, which are enough for most basic websites, there is generally a fee to host your website. A webhost is the company that stores the “hosts” or stores your website’s information on their servers.
There is a wide range of webhosting options and reviews. But as is always the case, be careful with online reviews. Some will be sponsored, some will be independent reviews. So it pays to think about what you need, and the possibility that in five years or so, you may want to expand and the option to do so. Be sure the webhosting plan you choose allows you to add options such as the ability to take payments.
You might choose to go with a separate domain name registrar and webhost, or you might wish to utilise the package your registrar offers for webhosting.
Building the Website
Once you’ve settled on that great .KiDS domain name, chosen a website builder tool and a webhost, now the fun begins. Choosing a theme or template determines how your website will be organized. You can select “pages” or “posts” for your home page: posts are generally used for blogs with the latest content going to the top, while pages are static and appeal more to businesses.
There will also be a range of plugins to choose from that can be used to help with search engine optimisation (SEO), maybe an events calendar or contact form. Another step is optimising your website’s performance such as through enabling browser caching.
Inspiration
If you need any inspiration to get started, website builders such as Wix and WordPress have plenty of ideas to entice you.
Tag us!
We’d love to see your great idea for kids on a .KiDS domain name, the only space online dedicated to kids! Tag us on our social media Twitter | Facebook | Instagram and Linkedin. You can find a list of registrars, where you can register a .KiDS domain name here!