3Rings Web Services Ltd What do i need?

What do i need to make a website?

The 3 main parts of a website

There are 3 things that you'll need before you can get your website online.

A domain name
A server to "host" your website so that it can be seen on the internet
The code that lives on the server and makes up your web pages

What is a Domain Name and where do I get it?

A Domain Name is the unique "address" where people can find your website.

eg. our domain name is 3rings.co.nz

Domain names are registered with an international registry - and must be renewed regularly. The registry keeps the details about the domain owner, and the instructions that tell the internet where to find your website.

When choosing a domain name you cannot use a name that someone else has registered.

You can learn more about and check the availability of Domain Names here:

You can register your domain name with any registry provider - or you can click the "order" link on the domains name page and we can look after all the details for you.

What is Hosting and where do I get it?

For your website to be accessible from the internet it must be "hosted" on a server that has all the correct software installed and has a good reliable fast connection to the internet.

Hosting is simply renting space on such a server where you can put your web pages so that people can see them. This is usually called a Hosting Plan. Hosting plans also usually include a way to get your emails working too.

3Rings offers either monthly or yearly hosting plans, and they come in different sizes according to space and functionality requirements.

You can check our hosting plans here

You can check our server specs here

Once you have organised space on a server to host your pages you can "point" your domain name records (DNS settings) at the server so that people can see your pages.

And how about the code?

Web pages are written in a special code language that can be widely understood by web browser programs like Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Basic pages are usually written in a language called HTML. (HyperText Markup Language).

The pages for your website can be either coded by you or coded by a professional Web Designer. There are several programs available that can help to build the HTML code for you using a user friendly interface. You can build new pages on your PC - they must then be "uploaded" to the hosting server so that they can be seen on the internet.

Professional or advanced web designers often use additional code languages to create dynamic or interactive pages. Common advanced languages are CSS, PHP, mySQL, JavaScript and Flash. These are used together to perform complex tasks such as fetching data from a database or making things move on the page.

If you use a professional web designer to design and code your pages for you, this will often be the most expensive part of your site. Remember though that coding is usually a one off or hourly cost - not an ongoing one like domain names or hosting.

Because people often require small tweaks to their site and don't want to pay a professional to do them, 3Rings has developed a special code package called a CMS or Content Management System that allows the best of both worlds. With a CMS you end up with professional design, tidy code for each page and an online admin section. This means you can change the wording or add new photos etc whenever you like, or even add new pages - all using an easy online visual editor that writes the HTML code for you.

      For Software recommendations for coders see here
      For coding tutorials see here
      For 3Rings coding rates and CMS details see here