Launching your first website on a shared host
This tutorial is for folks who want full control of their content when launching their first webpage on the internet. In this tutorial, I will go over the basic steps that are needed to create a website using free templates and to get that website online for the whole world to see.
Total cost for the year for the website should be around $40.
The domain name cost is around 8 dollars for the year and basic shared hosting for your web site should be around 3-5 dollars a month.
In this tutorial, you will learn the following:
1. How to purchase a domain name
2. How to create a website using free templates
3. Purchasing web space from a hosting company
4. How to transfer your website files from your computer to the web host company
5. How to make your .com name point to where your website is located.
It is a simple process but if you are new, it can be quite frustrating.
Here are the steps that I followed when I launched my first site.
Posted by: workr77 on August 26 2008 | Category: webguides | Comments: 1 |
Step 1: Purchase your domain name
Every website starts off with an idea and then develops into a name. Go to http://godaddy.com or http://1and1.com and purchase a name that you like. I first search slickdeals for coupon codes. Sometimes you may be able to snag a .com name for .99 cents.
Skip all the add on packages. As you can tell by the photos, godaddy likes to confuse buyers by making it somewhat troublesome to find the checkout area.
I included some pics of godaddy’s check out process. Be careful not to check anything you don’t want.
Step 2: Find a website template you like
There are many software programs that are available to use that can help you create a website. However in some cases, the finished website may not look like the way you wanted in different browsers. For example, a website you create may look different in internet explorer vs firefox vs safari. It can be frustrating to create a web site and then find out later that it looks different in another browser. Different as in ‘not a good way’
Besides, website software costs $$$ and that if your not experienced in design and website usability, it is probably best to let people who actually web design for a living.
now lets find some free website templates
My favorite website where you can find clean website designs is
Select a template that suits your needs. “Most” of the time, these templates remain consistent throughout different browsers. Before some of these templates are available to the public, they are tested first in other browsers to ensure compatibility.
Step 3: modify your template
When you download a template from opendesigns it will usually come in a compressed zip file.
1. unzip the file by double clicking it. if your computer does not have a zip program, you can find a free version on downloads.com
2. in the folder that was extracted from the zip file, you should see a bunch of .html files and a css folder. double click on the index.html file to view the template in your web browser.
3. next, you can start modifying the template. I wont go into step by step details but you can simply right click on the index.html file and open the file in a text editor like word, notepad, wordpad, etc…make your adjustments to suite your needs. you can make copies of the index.html file, update the content, and rename them to about.html, portfolio.html, contact.html, etc…and then tie all your files together by linking them just like this
Text to be displayed
Text to be displayed
4. After you are finished with modifying your template, its time next to upload it to a web host….now lets find a webhost!
Step 4: Find a webhost
Now that you have a domain name and your web content ready to go, its time to get some web space.
Now what do we look for?
If your website is small and you plan on getting < a few hundred visitors a day, basic shared hosting is all you need.
Web host should provide SSH access to your account. SSH access is a method for users to manage their web account from a terminal window. It also provides you an interface so you can install applications like forums and website software and manage mysql databases.
Must be dependable and have good support forums. If a hosting company does not have a forum, I would be very cautious. When a problem arise, you can post your message on hosting forum, and get help right away. You can also browse the forums for other users you may have your similar web problem.
Who to use?
I’ve heard good things from hostingrails, orange, and railsplayground. Ask friends or folks on your favorite forums for a recommendation on a hosting company. be sure you get ssh access!
1. Hostingrails.com at $3.59 cents a month
2. asmallorange.com at $25 a year, thats around $2.08 a month.
3. railsplayground.com/ at $5 dollars a month.
After you purchase a plan from a webhosting compay, lets setup the account
Usually after your purchase a plan, an email should be sent to you with your account details.
details
1.login/password information
2. account plan overview
3. a link to your websites cpanel account
4. SSH address
5. Name servers
Step 5: Setting up your web hosting account
Now that you have your account information, your ready to go.
Upload your files into the folder called “public_html” by using an ftp program. Public_html is basically the folder of which can be viewed from the websites address. Therefore, mydomain.com will point to public_html/index.html. mydomain.com/folder1/file.html will point to public_html/folder1/file.html.
Since firefox is the browser of choice, use the free ftp program fireftp Your sites ftp login/password should be in the welcome email from your web host. After you installed fireftp, in the firefox browser go to tools→fireftp, and then click on manage accounts. Put in your login and password information and connect. After you connect, you can simply open up your web site folder on your local computer, highlight all your files and folders, then drag them into the public_html folder on your web host.
After your files are finished transferring, its time to update the nameservers to point the domain name from godaddy to your web host account.
To update the nameservers
Log into your GoDaddy account and click on your account domains. Check the box next to your domain name, and then click on the link on top that says nameservers. In the window that gets displayed, delete whatever is in the nameserver’s box, and put the nameservers of your webhost. click ok and wait up to a few hours before the update.
Step 6: Finish, have some ice tea
After a few hours, your website should be live. Be sure to check all links before spreading the word about your site. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment. I should be quick to answer.
thanks!
Comments | Leave Comment?
08.30.08 - george: thanks for posting this. i may start a site now.
