People love talking about their family. Sharing memories of loved ones is part of what makes life worth living. In fact, the increased popularity of websites like Ancestry.com and MyHeritage speaks volumes about how much interest there is for people learning about their roots.
Another way to share your family history is by creating a family website. Even if you don’t consider yourself very tech savvy, starting a web page that features family photos and stories is easier than you might think.
Let’s take a look at what it takes to have your own place online for sharing your family with the world.
We Are Family: How to Create an Awesome Family Website
There’s no better way to memorialize your family history than with a family website. Read on to learn how to create one!
Register Your Domain Name
The first step in the process of having your own web presence is to secure a domain name. Sound complicated? Don’t worry, it isn’t.
A domain is simply a way of telling the internet where you live. To get one of your own, go to a popular registrar site such as GoDaddy.Com or Name.com. Type a domain name into the search field to see if it’s available.
Once you’ve purchased your domain, you’re ready to go.
Gather the Content You want to Share
Next, collect all the materials that you’re wanting to publish online. This will be your website “content”.
This should include photos, videos, and documents, etc.
Choose an Online Platform
Now that you’ve secured a domain name and have your content ready to go, you’ll need a place online to put it all. There are plenty of hosting services to choose from, whether you want to use WordPress or Squarespace, etc. Many of these have inexpensive or free options and are relatively simple to set up yourself.
Simply choose the template or theme you like best, and get to work.
Create Your Website
Building and customizing your site is fun. It mostly consists of following a set of steps that include completing text fields, choosing fonts, uploading photos and videos, and moving things around the way you like them.
If you aren’t sure how you’d like your website to look, visit websites you enjoy and use those as examples. Pay close attention to headers and the way photos and blocks of text are organized, and try to keep it looking clean and streamlined rather than cluttered.
If you’ve been thinking about how to take care of your family after you’re gone, it might be time to start looking into wills.
Go Live
Once you have everything uploaded and saved, and you like the way it looks, it’s time to publish, or make your website “live’. This is done literally with the click of a button.
You did it! Congrats!
The Joys of Sharing Those You Love with the World
Creating a family website can be lots of fun. Not only is it a creative outlet, but family websites also allow you to establish an online archive that will live forever.
Take the time to explore themes that reflect your values and the joy you feel when surrounded by those who mean the most to you. Have fun, be creative, and spread the love!
Click here to see 7 tips to improve your overall website navigation design.