Why Build Your Own Site?

Brand Yourself. A personal website is an excellent starting point for others to learn about you. It allows you to showcase your skills, achievements, and personality in a way that social media profiles can’t.

Disseminate Your Work. Many publishers permit authors to store a copy of their accepted manuscripts on personal websites. This can be a fantastic way to share your work with a broader audience, especially when access to the original publication is restricted by paywalls.

Share Your Thoughts Beyond Academic Publications. A personal website provides a platform to share ideas and thoughts that may not fit into academic publications. Whether it’s photography, travel, cooking, or any other passion, your website can be a space to express and share these interests with others.

How to Build It?

Building a website can be roughly divided into three steps: creating and editing content, hosting the website, and setting up a domain.

Step 1: Creating and Editing Content. Start by designing your website’s layout and adding content such as text, images, and any necessary functionality. This is where you bring your vision to life.

Step 2: Hosting the Website. Once your content is ready, you’ll need to host your website. This involves uploading your website files to a web server so that it can be accessed online.

Step 3: Setting Up a Domain. Finally, register a domain name and configure it to point to your web hosting server. This makes your website accessible through a unique web address.

One-Stop Solutions. If this process sounds daunting, don’t worry! There are services that provide one-stop solutions, such as GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages, and Google Sites. For example, GitHub Pages allows you to create and host a website for free, with a domain like username.github.io. With many ready-to-use templates, GitHub Pages has become a popular choice for rookie website builders.

Commercial Services. Additionally, there are commercial services like Wix and WordPress that offer more advanced features and customization options. These platforms provide user-friendly interfaces and a wide range of templates to help you build a professional-looking website with ease.

Some Examples

Below are some examples of personal websites, including those of academics, industry professionals, and artists. Go check them out and get inspired!