Detailed step-by-step guide on how to develop a website yourself, from offline design to uploading it on the internet

 

 Now, a lot of entrepreneurs have been wondering "how do I promote my business without having to break the bank?" or "I don't have this amount to pay a website developer", "how can I attract sales or new customers?"

The answer lies in digital marketing.

To be effective or more productive in digital marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO), you need a requisite tool to excel in this field. Note that digital marketing comprises of email, social media, SEO, website optimization, etc. You may have the know-how on all of the above, however, SEO goes hand-hand with web development.

You have to ensure your website is mobile friendly and responsive to any screen size and resolution. Do not develop a website that has some parts cut off, the images take forever to load, the website consumes 5-10MB of data hence making it unfriendly to mobile phone users. Especially those who are working hard to save data no thanks to the expensive data plans by most telecom companies.

Do you know there is an easier and cheaper way to develop your own website yourself?

It does not require a lot of time. However if you cannot afford to do it yourself? You can use any Do-it-yourself website builders. However, those websites come with hefty charges. Don’t believe me? Google cost of using website builders.

Now that ASUU are on strike, many young bloods need to acquire a skill. This is where I come in. The steps below are categorized in two parts.

a.       Part A

b.       Part B

c.       Part C

Part A is about setting up the environment while part B is the development phase. Part C is the deployment and uploading phase.

The steps for Part A are as follows

1. Download Local by flywheel. This is the most straightforward app you will ever see on the internet
2. After download, click on the set-up file to commence installation;
3. After installation is complete, open the Local by Flywheel App via the desktop or start menu.
4. After the App is open, on the bottom left of the App screen, you will see a “+” symbol which means you should add site. Click on that sign.
   
   
   
   
5. On the next screen, you’ll have the option to pick a name and domain for your site. You can choose any domain name and suffix you like, and the application will modify your hosts file to make it work. In my case, I went with mylocaltestingenvironment Do not click on “Advanced Options” dropdown. Unless you know what, you are doing.
   
   
   
6. Local by Flywheel will automatically create a directory to store your site’s files, but you can also set it to any folder you like. When you’re done with these settings, click on the Environment tab underneath.
7. In this tab, you’ll be able to choose which versions of PHP and MySQL to use on your site, as well as the type of server. We recommend using the latest versions of the tools in question, along with whichever web server you prefer. It is best you leave on “preferred” setting. Custom is for advanced users.
   
   
   
8. Finally, click on the WordPress tab below Environment. Here you can enable Multisite for your installation (for advanced users only). You can also choose your admin username, password, and email just ensure the details are stored somewhere you can easily retrieve them. (Screenshot 595)
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9.       These last settings are entirely up to you. Once you’ve customized them, go ahead and click on the Add Site button in the lower right corner.

For now, you can sit back while Local by Flywheel gets your site up and running (which shouldn’t take long). When it’s done, your new site will appear in the application’s left-most column, and you can click on its name to review the details.

Afterward, you can go ahead and access your site from any browser.

10.   To begin editing with your site, you’ll need to log into the WordPress dashboard as you usually would. Remember the login details you created in step 8. If you chose the same domain name, we did in step 5, you will see something like this on the search bar “localhost://100388/wp-admin. Note that the numbers after the localhost name are just random port numbers assigned to your offline WordPress site.

What you’re working with here is a fully-featured WordPress site, set up in record time! This means that you can install any plugins you want, add custom themes, break it, fix it, break it again, etc. It’s a coding playground, and there’s no risk to a live site! You don’t need Internet to edit the themes except you want to download new themes, plugins and make the necessary updates.

 

Part B will be based on selecting and downloading themes and plugins.

You don’t need to purchase anything here. Just download Blocksy, Astra themes and kick start from here.

These are the plugins I highly recommend to download for a start.

1.       Blocksy companion and theme.

2.       Jetpack (mostly comes with the hosting server). A hosting server is where you get to upload your website to.

3.       Lite Cache, to speed up your website

4.       WP Forms. For receiving online subscriptions to your web.

5.       All-in-one WP Migration.

All of the above are downloaded when you access the plugin menu from the left side of your screen on the WordPress Dashboard. There are loads of templates to download and use for your website. Play around with it. You may discover something new. Till then, keep playing around with and I will send some links where you can get free template layout from free. If you are lost in anything I suggest you watch YouTube videos.

Part C: Uploading the website

Now this one here is tricky.

1.       First download ALL IN ONE WP MIGRATION. The purpose of this plugin is to easily migrate from an offline environment or local server to an online server.

2.       Install the plugin.

3.       Click on export option while accessing the plugin from the WordPress dashboard.

4.       Select “WordPress file” from the dropdown menu.

5.       The website will be downloaded to an external source in your download folder. It is saved with “localhost…” it is in in Zip file format.

Depending on the size of your website, it should not exceed 300MB if not you may have to purchase the pro version for a large size. But I had to tweak the code to get 5GB max upload. That will be another article.

6.       Then go to this link and purchase a hosting plan from Bluehost or WPEngine (I may get small commissions if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you)

7.       For those on a budget, you need to select the least affordable plan. Select the first one on your left. You will see the features you are paying for. Study them carefully.

8.       After purchase your preferred plan, you will be asked to create an account for any of the servers you have patronised.

9.       Follow the instructions and verify your account then go back to your account dashboard.

10.   If you selected Bluehost, you will see manage WordPress hosting, select that one. Create a WordPress account again but similar to the one in Part A so that it stays consistent. However, you have to choose a different username to avoid conflicts.

11.   You will be taken to your WordPress site. Don’t worry it is not the one you developed using Local by Flywheel. You will only have to download the All-In-One Wp Migration on this Bluehost server.

12.   Once you have downloaded the plugin, locate the downloaded file from step 5 and 6 above.

13.   Go to your Bluehost live WordPress server and search for the All-in-one Wp migration

14.   Select “import”

15.   Select “file”

16.   Locate the downloaded file of your localhost website

17.   Ensure it does not exceed the max of 300mb else you may have to delete themes and plugins you don’t use.

18.   After upload your new website should be live.

19.   It will demand for your login details after the import has been done. So please refer to Part A, steps 5-8, to locate where your original login details.

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS PT. 2: SELECTING THE RIGHT LAWYERS FOR YOUR MUSIC BUSINESS

 Everyone has an idea; everyone has talent; everyone thinks that they can write or play or sing a song better than much of what they hear on the radio. There are one hundred songs on the charts. Why can’t theirs be one of them? Perhaps it can. However, I am certain it will not.

In fact, although unique talent is rare, all of us have talent to one degree or another. But what we do with our talent is the ultimate issue—and the key to opportunity.

I say opportunity, not success, because all one can hope for in the music business is opportunity. Success depends on many factors: the ability and inclination to roll up one’s sleeves and work at the craft of creation so as to actually improve and fine-tune one’s skills; the ability to earn money and to provide oneself with food and shelter during the process, which can and will  take  many  years;  understanding  one’s  limitations;  and identifying an attainable goal and keeping it in mind over the years, amid innumerable distractions. It also depends on one factor over which even the most talented individual has no control: luck—ever-changing radio formats; the attention—or inattention—of an artist’s representatives  at  important  moments;  timing  (for  example,  the release of a key single on the same day the label is shut down and its artists moved to a sister label). I  have  long  been  sure  that  most  of  the  talented  people  who pursue their craft diligently and over a long period of time—those who “stay in the ring”—do realize their potential. The truth of this has been proved time after time. What I am less sure about is what advice to give to the young artists who have talent but who may not have the personal or financial resources to pursue a career in the arts. One thing is for sure: These artists will not lack for advice. There   is   no   limit   to   the   number   of   people,   including   top professionals in the  music business, who think they know it all. Sometimes  advice  givers  are  being practical; sometimes  they  are simply jaded; sometimes they are dead wrong—and some are greedy and will say anything to get up-front money. So, how can the artist seriously  pursuing  a  career  in  the  music  industry  maximize  the chances  of  getting  good  advice?  As  I  emphasize  throughout  the article,  the  best  approach  is  to  assemble  a  team  consisting  of  a lawyer, a personal manager, a booking agent and an accountant (you will need someone to keep tabs on your expenses or cash flow).

Let’s talk about the professionals you’ll need to maximize your career and net worth.

SELECTING THE RIGHT LAWYERS FOR YOUR MUSIC BUSINESS

There is plenty of justification for seeking out a good lawyer from the outset, not least because lawyers have become an important source of business to the record and music publishing companies. Record companies know that if they maintain a cordial relationship with us, they may eventually be at the top of our shopping lists when an artist of significance comes into the picture. Lawyers are also safe—in the sense that the presentation of an artist to a record or publishing company by an attorney diminishes the possibility that the artist will create problems for the company in the future.

In addition, lawyers are licensed by Federal authorities and have ethical code of conduct that guide and bind them. ( like the Nigerian Bar Association, Rules of Professional Conduct 2007 and the Legal Practitioners’ Act 1975).

People in the entertainment industry have learned something that many in other industries –and countries- have not: the selection of a lawyer should be made earlier, not later, so he or she can help you in structuring your deals and relationships in ways that can avoid problems. But,  although choosing the right legal representation is one of the most important decisions that creative people make, there is no simple formula for making the right selection. Lawyers come with offices, secretaries, and occasionally ties and jackets. They come in every possible stripe and from every possible background, and it is difficult to evaluate them objectively. Attorneys with all of the trimmings appear to be more     stable—more     dependable—than     those     without.     But appearances  can  be  deceptive,  and  there  is  no  substitute  for extensive experience in the music industry.

It is not difficult to begin your search. Numerous websites and bar association assistance lines, as well as books and magazines, identify lawyers whose practice areas include the music business. Most lawyers, or their assistants and secretaries, are helpful and clear with callers and are happy to guide potential clients to the appropriate  firm  or  institution  for  assistance.  In  addition,  most lawyers will  provide  brief  consultation  time,  at  no  charge,  to potential clients.

Once you are in the process of narrowing down your short list of potential lawyers, however, things become more complicated. You will need to personally interview each lawyer, and at some point all of the following questions must be answered to your satisfaction:

●       Has the lawyer had experience with your kind of music?

●       Which record companies does the firm have the best relationships with?

●       Which record companies have most recently signed the firm’s other clients?

●       What is the firm’s policy with respect to introducing new clients to other clients –like producers, managers, songwriters, production companies, etc.?

●       How does the firm resolve the issue of conflict of interest in the event that it sets up relationships with other clients in your area?

●       How does the firm charge for services, and what are the rates of the partners?

●       When rates are about to change, does the firm advise the client?

●       Does the firm request a retainer (an advance against fees), and how is it calculated (for example, does it reflect hourly, monthly, bi-annual, yearly rates that will have to be “refilled”)?

●       What are the firm’s, and the artist’s, short term and long-term goals?

●       If the agreed-upon goals are not fulfilled, or are not fulfilled in a timely fashion, is the unused balance of the retainer returned?

●   How are the nitty-gritty details handled? (for example, when the firm “shops” a demo, does it copy the artist on the correspondence? If contracts are made via email or telephone, is it the firm’s policy to provide updates on each contact, or periodically on a quantity of contacts?)

Although it may appear so, I am actually not suggesting that as a potential client you interrogate potential legal representation with a machine-gun barrage of questions. Needless to say, no one wants to be  subjected  to  this  kind  of questioning.  And  you  are  still  the “seller,” not the  “buyer,” so you  will  have  to be  somewhat more circumspect in your approach. Nevertheless, these are all questions that need to be explored and eventually answered.

 

So in subsequent articles, we are going to emphasize on the importance of the following team members you will need. The main players once again are your: 1. Personal manager 2. Lawyer 3. Business manager 4. Agency 5. Groupies.

 With respect to number 5, you’re pretty much on your own. As to the others, let’s take a look at it in subsequent articles.