Step 4

In Building a Website

Get your web pages built and uploaded onto a hosting server.

Here is help in understanding How to build web pages, put them together into a Website, and upload the whole thing on a hosting server.  WHEW!

Congratulations in getting this far!  Most people would just have gotten spooked at the HTML step and gone to rent-a-coder.  Actually this is a good idea for those of you who need to get something up fast.  The only problem with using rent-a-coder at the very beginning of website building is that you tend to get hooked on them.  Good for them, bad for your wallet!

So even if you hire a coder, or use something like XSitePro, Kompozer, or Hostgator's Free Site Builder Software , you should still have a good understanding of what makes up a web site and how to edit things.  This will save you hundreds of dollars in a very short amount of time.

So let's get started in dissecting a website:

A website is just like the folders on your computer.  The Hosting company is a bunch of computers, dedicated full time to serving the internet.  You build a folder and then transfer it to the computer on the hosting company using a program called an FTP ( file transfer protocol) client.  It is bit like you walking into the office next door and handing over a folder.  And when you want to change what is in that folder, you just go back, pick up the folder, and take things out or put things in.

The website folder is filled with files.  Have you ever loaded a website and noticed how various parts of it popped up before others?  There are a couple reasons for this, but one is that the webpage is actually being assembled before your eyes.  Your browser is digging in someone's folder for all the elements ( pictures, articles, fancy software programs) and then putting it together according to a master set of directions.

It is important for you to understand this so that you can find and manipulate things in your website.

Take a look at this screenshot showing this website's file structure on the server:

This looks complicated but really it is not too bad.  Most of what you see on the left is what the webhost puts in to let you control your site through the control panel they give you ( cpanel).  The only thing you have to deal with is the public_html folder.  This is what the public is allowed to see.

On the right, you see all the files that are stuffed in the public_html folder.  So all you do is take what you have built on your computer, fire up an FTP software, and make a few clicks into your public_html folder. 

Everything else is handled by your hosting company.  OK I have the feeling that you are looking at me like a cow staring at the barn door! 

The real secret in successfully getting a website onto the internet lies in the hosting company.  I think you are starting to realize why I am recommending Hostgator so much.  For eight bucks a month, you get 24 hr LIVE help, a site builder software, thousands ( yup thousands) of templates. And unlimited websites.  But believe me, the big draw is in their customer service.  I have tested it to death!  They are there to guide you through every step if you need them.

Now is the time that Step 2 becomes vital.

You can save yourself a lot of work by knowing exactly what kind of website you want to put on the internet.  That will determine how detailed your first website needs to be.

So what's it going to be?  A standard website like this? A blog? A forum? A "mini-site" ( one page sales oriented site)?  A collaboration site?

You can get free software for most of these in the hosting package using the fantastico feature.  But first you need a main anchor site.  This doesn't need to be a huge fancy thing.  My main site is www.colinnoden.com and it is a puny 3 page thing that changes whenever I want to try out something new.  But remember I was clear that this was only going to be my main hosting site and that only friends and family would wander by.  All my other sites are built under it.

 Action Time:

1. Go to Hostgator and sign up for a ( at least) a "Baby" Account.
2. Go to www.lifedomains.net  and register a domain name ( read my 3 most important parts of a website article again )
3. Fill in all the dns info that hostgator gave you.
4. Go back to hostgator and browse the site builder and templates.
5. Fill in a template with some content and upload it to your account using the information that was emailed to you ( print out all emails you get for both lifedomains and hostgator )
6. Now your website is active and secure. ( you need something in your index file to keep spy robots out)
7. Thank the instant help person you have been texting all through this ( oh yes, I know you have!)
8. Relax and begin exploring all the goodies that come in your cpanel, but don't get overwhelmed.

Don't be too concerned about your initial site looking perfect.  You will be popping in and out of it quite often to tweak, and add all sorts of things as you think of them.

Now you have a presence on the internet and a great model if you want to manually build a website.

Special Notes: