Hi Rob,
Since I'm not sure at what stage in the process you're at, I'll just assume you're starting completely from scratch.
First, you'll need a domain name. You can check out
Namecheap (I personally use and love them) and
GoDaddy for cost efficient registrations. (
Less than $9 per yearly domain name registration.)
Next, you'll need a host to point the domain name to. I recommend
HostGator,
Dreamhost, or
Media Temple (I personally use all three). All are reasonably priced, however, if you're not familiar with web management panels, then I'd recommend HostGator because it has cPanel with Fantastico - the other two hosts have their own custom admin panels. (
Prices average $10 per month. Update: Media Temple recently changed its plans and is now about $20 per month.)
Then, plan the site's structure and think about the number of pages you'll have. If it's gong to be a large site, you'll want to build in some time-saving features like Server Side Includes, use a content management system, or even use blogging software.
If you'd like to build the site with individual pages, then there are a couple good, free WYSIWYG editors out there like
NVU and
Microsoft Expression Web (currently in Beta, but it's pretty good software).
Once you have your pages developed, you'll need a way to FTP them to your site - if you're on Windows, I recommend
FileZilla (free FTP tool). The WYSIWYG editors also have built in site managers with FTP capabilities, but I just prefer having an outside FTP client.
If you decide that starting/designing a site from scratch is just too much work and your niche would work well with the blog style, then consider installing software like
WordPress (free), selecting a design, and using the admin panel to write and manage your entries. (
You can check out my short WordPress Guide if you'd like more info on getting started with WordPress.)
There are also free blogging services like
Blogger and
WordPress.com, however, your website will be on their domain name and transferring over to your own domain in the future may be a pain - not recommended if you're serious about building your website. They're just for practice.
As you may have guessed, there are a number of ways to get a website online. The route you choose will ultimately depend on your needs and goals.
Good luck!
~ Teli