Before getting started, you should understand that EVERY website must have two things:

1) A domain name
2) A web host

Domain Names

A domain name is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet, based on the Domain Name System (DNS). In the simple world the domain name is the address of your website (yourwebsite.com).

Web Hosting

A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity, typically in a data center. Web hosts can also provide data center space and connectivity to the Internet for servers they do not own to be located in their data center, called colocation.
You will be uploading your website files to your host. This is how a web site become visible on the internet. They also provide you with e-mail addresses ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), scripts for forums, blogs, chat, feedback forms, etc. A web site can not exist without a host.

There are many hosting companies that you can register your web site. I personally have registered my domain with GoDaddy.com
When you go to GoDaddy.com Hosting Plans you will see two kinds of hosting plans:

First option: Regular Hosting

The first on is located under the hosting tab. This is the most common type of host that most people use for their websites and blogs. It’s the most economical and you can do whatever you want with your site in terms of adding forums, chat rooms, user uploads, video, etc.
You can use Notepad or any text editor to create your pages and also you may use your own web editing software like Dreamweaver or CoffeeCup or you can use any of open source content management system like joomla.org or drupal.org. Then you can upload your pages to the web via your web host’s control panel or an FTP program.
If you use this type of host you need to code your web pages by hand. If you've never coded a web page, here's a simple tutorial that explains the process of creating a web page with an editor and viewing it in a browser.An example of a text editor and a conventional HTML editor is provided.

Seconec option: Website Tonight

The other hosting option is Website Tonight. It is a template-bulilder and you do not need any software to create your pages. In fact, you can build your pages right from the Web and use computer as long as it has internet access.
You only need to select your design template, add you pictures and texts and your is live in a minutes. This is good option for simple sites that will only involve text and pictures.