I built this site out of personal frustration.
Again and again small business owners have come to me and said they’ve been ‘locked’ into a web-hosting package they do not control and cannot move to a cheaper or more flexible platform. Or as in one case, the owner says he writes time-sensitive content, submits the content to the company controlling his site, and then waits two or more weeks for the company to add the content to his site. By that time the content is stale. He wants out. but can’t leave. He learned that he does not own the site after all.
If you’ve ever tried to build a website or hired a company to build your site on their platform and later walked away frustrated — this site was built for you. And if you are new to building a site and want to know how to do so this site is for you too.
What This Site Is Not
Though I’ve built over 100 sites and learned a ton along the way, I am not a site builder. I’m not here to sell you design or setup services. I’m not here to push you into some trendy all-in-one platform where your name ends up as a subdomain like yourbiz.their-company.com just so I can get a commission from your pains.
And I’m not here to restrict you to a ‘paywall’ membership system to gain access to these steps for building a site of your own. All of this information is available publicly. The problem is knowing in advance where to look. Almost no one knows where to begin. That is why companies make millions, in some cases build billion dollar publicly traded companies selling web packages to millions of uninformed small business owners who if knew better would follow these steps instead.
What’s The Cost?
To you? Nothing. I make the information freely public. Yes, it is costing me money to publish this free to everyone: I pay for hosting, I pay for the domain name, I pay for internet access to create and manage the site–all free to the public.
So if this site helps you build a site of your own feel free to leave a tip here.
What Makes This Site Different?
Too many new business owners fall into traps:
- You build a site, but later find that the host owns the design and locks you out if you ever leave
- You buy a domain, but it’s bundled with a sketchy service that makes transferring it nearly impossible
- You start with good intentions, but get overwhelmed and stuck just trying to get started
We’re not doing that here.
This site exists for one reason:
To show you how to build a real business website — the right way — and own it fully.
I’ll show you the step-by-step process to:
- Register a domain that you control
- Host it with a provider that doesn’t play games
- Build a clean, expandable WordPress site
- Set up your own professional email address
- Protect it with security, backups, and smart tools
- Avoid spam filters and shady design “locks”
All with no code, no hype, and no fine print.
No Tech Background Needed
There are other guides available. Most are too technical. Or they lean heavily towards talking you into options that pay the site a commission as if that is the only option available. You won’t need a background in tech to follow along with me. If you can send email and follow simple directions, you can do this.
Each step is broken down clearly across 12 separate guides. No pop-ups. No sales traps. No bloated packages. And no hidden commissions. Full disclosure: I am an affiliate of Godaddy and Hostgator. For now I am not linking to either of them. There are zero affiliate offers at this time. Only a tip link. Any other links are for information only. I am in no way associated with those third-parties.
Why Listen To Me
I guess this is important. My name is Andre Bell. I am a writer, business consultant, software designer, and AI Agent designer and online creator who’s been online since before the world wide web existed, back in the old BBS days of ‘The Net.’ If you’ve watched “War Games” or “The Net” you know what I’m talking about.
When the worldwide web became available I jumped in with both feet forward (or head first) and got burned. Back then I lost a domain I owned and spent a number of years building up — I lost it simply because I trusted the wrong registrar. That registrar went out of business, and in the chaos, someone else grabbed the domain I ‘owned’ before I could reclaim it. I was told I’d have to sue — or pay the then-$2,500 domain dispute fee through ICANN — just to try to reclaim it. I knew nothing about that process and figured it wasn’t worth the time, money, or stress—for that domain. So I walked away. Lost the name, the content, and the credibility I had built.
Another time, a hosting provider disappeared without warning — taking every uploaded file I had with it. I was very inexperienced back then. I had no backups. No recovery. Total loss.
I Made The Mistakes So You Don’t Have To
I built YourFirstBizWebsite.com to help others avoid those same mistakes and more.
No tricks. No hype. No bait-and-switch platforms. And none of those ‘let us build your site for you’ leaving you to find out the hard way you don’t actually own the site. Way too common. And hopefully no tech overwhelm.
If you’ve tried building a website using some “free” service or bundled “all-in-one” package, you probably found out the hard way (or will):
- Your site ends up on their domain (
yourbiz.their-company.com) - You’re limited in how many pages, images, or videos you can add
- You cannot access server logs (reports) to see where your visitors are coming from and which of your pages they like most without paying extra
- You can’t transfer your content without rebuilding everything from scratch
- Or worst of all — they own the design, layout, and even parts of your content
This site walks you through how to do it right the first time:
✅ You own the domain
✅ You control the hosting
✅ You keep everything you build
✅ You can move it, back it up, or shut it down — whenever you want
Enough of the bad here’s the good: What You’ll Learn Here
We break the process into 12 simple steps, from choosing a domain name to launching a site you fully control. You don’t need to know code, and you don’t need to be a tech wizard. Each step is a short, clear guide to help you avoid the common traps and keep control of what’s yours.
We’ll show you how to:
- Register your domain with a trusted registrar (like GoDaddy)
- Host your site with real, full-featured hosting (like HostGator)
- Install WordPress (the industry standard)
- Choose a theme, add plugins, and protect your site
- Set up your own email (no third-party email plan required)
- Configure settings so your emails land in inboxes, not spam folders
- Back up your site and keep it safe
- Never get stuck — or locked out — again
With all this in mind I welcome you to the site. And I hope the straightforward details are exactly what you need to launch your new website.