Steps to take to create a web site?

[highrider]

I am really new at this. I am starting a small business and want to set up a web site. I know I need to apply and get a DBA.
I have spent the better part of two days investigating and going from site to site. The web site I need will be relatively simple. I do not need to sell anything on the site, it is for a pet sitting business. To care for pets within your home while you are on vacation, in a emergency, etc. Maybe four or five pages.
What are the steps I need to take? With all the info on domain names, web hosting sites, web hosting providers, etc. I realize I need help. Any information will be apprieciated.
Thank You

[MrDelish]

I always like to explore my options, give them test drives, and decide on what suits my current project best. Some recommendations, based on what you've described and my own experience:

- If you have a BlueHost account, Pagewizard is a *very* basic program for putting together a site. You can find it under cPanel -> Software/Services -> Pagewizard Site Builder. The code isn't pretty, but it does produce a website.

- There are plenty of standalone HTML editors you can install on your computer and build the website from there. There are many free editors as well as ones that you pay for (I would recommend looking for a demo before purchasing software). KompoZer (http://www.kompozer.net) is an example of a free HTML editor.

- Some fancy applications can be run from your hosting account, though these are generally used for more dynamic sites. Wordpress and Joomla are good examples, and can be installed under Simple Scripts in a BlueHost account. As far as ease-of-use goes, I think Wordpress offers a lot of functionality with a minimal learning curve.

[highrider]

Thank You for the great information. I will check it out. I did email my host and they, sadly, at the moment do not host web sites.
We used to have only dial-up services, which was slower than slow. I learned early on to count slowly and I, as you can see, still have my computer! Just in the last few months have we been able to get DSL.
I will keep plugging away.
Again, thanks, Highrider

[felgall]

The first step in setting up a web site is to get web hosting.

Almost everyone here would recommend Blue Host hosting as that is what we all chose.

[simianman]

The easiest way to set up a web site, with no expense - other than hosting, is with Joomla, or Wordpress, both of which you will be pleased to learn are free.

Wordpress is a blogging platform and Joomla is a more flexible, but more difficult to learn Content Management System