Learn How to Start Your Own Website

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Almost everyone's having one nowadays and there's really no reason to why you don't already have your very own web site. It's easy as well as cheap to set up and it can change the way you look at things. We know for a fact that many have experienced such economical success that they've been able to quit their day time work to solely concentrate on their site. Of course, there's nothing wrong in setting up a site just for the fun of it. To help you get started we've created this article filled with tips and tricks.

Start your own website

Let's start with the programming bit. If you want to start a website, the first thing you need to understand is that a website is always built on one or a mix of scripting/programming languages. The most common and basic is HTML, that won't take too long to learn and will allow you to create simple website pages. This language is the base for others like PHP and ASP, but can, if learned properly, solely be used in creating full scale dynamic websites. Dream Weaver is a common editing tool software where you can create and edit your HTML pages displaying both code and layout preview. Start learning HTML now!

How to start up your own web site

Finding a Web Host

When it comes to web hosting it can play an significant part in helping you start your own website. Not only will a webhost guarantee your presence online by offering space on their server for you to store your website files, a domain name and proper bandwidth. A good web host will also have a services and software that can take care of the site building for you.

Software like SiteBuildIt and cPanel and already made script templates like Wordpress, Joomla or Mambo are available for free and allow you to create a website, install a blog, CMS (Content Management System) in a matter of minutes.

These services will of course initially take away some of your control over the website. But as soon as you have learned and understood how exactly websites are constructed these services will not stand in your way in changing or adding function and features on your website. Commerce scripts and free website plug-in scripts are offered by a number of good web hosts, sign up today and have a dynamic website up and running within 24 hours!

How a Website works

Programming aside, a website basically consists of a number of files stored in the root directory of your web hosting storage space. When somebody types in the domain name address in a web browser or clicks on a link to your website, the web browser sends a request to you web host server. If all is good the server responds with proper data, that is displayed in the browser as you website. The first file that will be requested from the web browser when somebody types in your domain name, is the index-file.

The most important HTML file- index.html

When you log on to any website, the file that is loading on almost all web servers is index.html. Take an example where you are making a web site of three HTML pages, the opening page (index.html), an about me page (aboutme.html) and a links page (links.html).

If you're on your own domain, the files would look like this once you upload them on your server.

http://www.yourdomain.com/index.html
http://www.abc.com/aboutme.html
http://www.yourdomain.com/links.html

The first page, http://www.yourdomain.com/index.html, can also be loaded by just typing http://www.yourdomain.com/

The same is true of folders or directories. If you made one called /xyz/, you could put a new index.html in it, and it could be accessed two ways:

http://www.yourdomain.com/xyz/index.html
http://www.yourdomain.com/xyz/

The Two Copy Rule

When you write your web site, you'll need two copies, one on your web host and one on your hard drive. The reasons for this are, firstly that you need a backup and secondly when you're working on your site, you don't work on it live. When you work on the copy of your HTML pages on your hard disk, it's called "editing the local copy." The copy on the web host is called the "remote copy." You will edit the files from a folder in your hard drive, and once you're down, you'll upload them to your web host. That's when everyone can view it. You can always view your files on your hard drive before you upload them.

Open your web browser.
Choose File -> Open... File, (Browse).
Find the folder with your HTML files.
Double-click the one you're working on, and it will be in your web browser.

Choosing a Domain Name

One of the most important things that you will have to do when setting up your website is picking a domain name. This step is crucial and it can to some extent make or break your website. It's also one of the most difficult steps as most good domain names already are taken. However, it's not impossible task so don't despair - start exercising your creative muscles and take the time it takes and you won't have anything to worry about.

Generic Domain Name - This is the classic way of picking domain name but there is a problem arising with this type. As it's a first, first served basis pretty much all the good ones are taken. Should you find one - grab it at once.

Because of the fact that generic domain names most often already are taken the unconventional domain names are growing in strength. Take the del.icio.us - it's an extremely popular site that has managed to go around the problem. Start brainstorming - who knows? You just might come up with a name that will stick in the mind of your visitors.

Another tip is to keep the name short as this will make it more memorable and easier to spell. If it's too long you risk the chance of losing visitors as they won't remember the name of your site. It's also a good idea to use a keyword in the domain name. This is because it will increase the chances of getting a high rank on the search engines.

Commonly made Mistake

The most common mistake for new web-designers is to put the c:\ in links and images. When you're on the web, there is no c:\ to the rest of the world. When you start out, keep all your HTML files and images in one folder, and don't use c:\ at all.

For example- <img> loads an image into a web page. If you have a file called taco.jpg, use the code <img src="taco.jpg"> to load it, not <img src="c:\My Documents\website\taco.jpg">

Get Started!

Hopefully you are now starting to grasp the concept of starting your own website. We encourage you to learn more about different script languages so you ultimately can make your own websites, exactly how you want them. Until then, the smartest way to get a site live is using various commerce scripts offered by our listed web hosts. Go to Advanced Search to list your desired hosting features and search for affordable, reliable and proper web hosting.

Written by Chris Reynolds

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Chris Reynolds is a true hosting geek that was born in the city by the sea, Seattle, in the late 1970's. Growing up in a progressive community he quickly became interested in things of the more technical kind. In recent years his interest has progressed as well; namely into his line of profession. Keep your eyes open for any of his articles on topics such as Linux, PHP, CSS, and ASP.

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