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Beginner Tip:
Publishing Your Web Page, Part 1
by Larisa Thomason,
Senior Web Analyst,
NetMechanic, Inc.
One of the most common questions we receive from beginning webmasters is "How do I get my Web site on the Internet?" It's one of those short questions that has such a long and involved answer that we're going to devote two newsletter stories to it. In this article, we'll discuss the basics of finding a Web host and deciding what method to use to post your page to the server.
Find The Best Host For Your Needs
You have many different options for Web hosting. The best one depends on the type of site you're planning to maintain. Most sites fit into one of these three categories:
- Personal or hobby site
- Small business site
- Ecommerce or high-traffic site
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The size, complexity, and expected traffic load of your site are the main things to consider when you go shopping for a host. Think about them carefully before you even start looking.
Personal And Hobby Sites
People use these types of sites to communicate with friends and family and/or share information about their hobbies with other enthusiasts. These sites are usually small and low-traffic. Look at free options first.
- Your ISP (Internet Service Provider): Most give customers access to a personal Web page as part of the regular service, but they strictly limit the amount of bandwidth you're allowed to use. A lot of pictures from family holiday gatherings may push you over the limit.
- Free Web Hosts: You get a free site and the host gets to advertise on it. Storage and download amounts are an issue here too. Sites that exceed their bandwidth allotments during the month may get shut down until the next month when the bandwidth counter restarts.
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You also may not be allowed to use your own Top Level Domain (TLD) name with either option. Instead of:
MeetJillsFamily.com.
you may have a more cryptic domain address with special characters and subdirectories like
TheFreeHostName.net/members/~jillsfamily/index.html
That isn't a problem for personal sites, but will make you look less reliable and professional if you're running a business site.
Small Business Sites
You have a lot of affordable hosting options if your goal is a simple brochure site with basic company information. It's called a "brochure site" because it contains the same type of information you might find in a printed advertising brochure.
But it is still a business site, so you need reliable hosting that won't be shut off unexpectedly and your own TLD. Fortunately, you can usually get both pretty inexpensively.
Your TLD should be memorable and explanatory - review our domain name selection tips before you decide on one. It should cost anywhere from $0 up to $35. Your Web host may offer a domain name free for a year when you sign up for a yearly hosting account.
Carefully research the services provided by different Web hosts to find the one that's best for you. Make a quick checklist of the seven questions to ask your web host. It will help you evaluate the different hosts and their services.
Ecommerce Sites
When individuals and small businesses start selling products and services online (and collecting online payments), they become ecommerce sites. At this point, the game gets more serious - and expensive!
That's because they need a working shopping cart system, an online merchant account (in most cases), and a Web host that supports all that.
Review our 3-part Ecommerce series for more information about shopping cart systems, merchant accounts, and the Web hosts that support them.
Ecommerce Introduction
Shopping Carts and Databases
Web Hosts and Payment Methods
Get Ready To Publish
Once you've found your Web host, but before you design your site, decide how you're going to publish your pages to the Web.
Basically, your options are:
- FrontPage extensions
- HTML editor with FTP (File Transfer Protocol) capability
- A standalone FTP program
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You have to decide this before you begin designing because the answer may affect your the design and HTML editor choices!
- FrontPage (FP): Special components called WebBots let you create special effects, emulate server-side includes, and process form information. They interact with special software called FrontPage extensions that have to be installed on the server. You can also use FP extensions to transfer files to and from the server as easily as you move files using Windows Explorer.
- HTML editor FTP: HTML editors like HomeSite and Dreamweaver have FTP capability that also makes it easy to transfer files. You can use the mouse to "drag and drop" files between the server and your local machine.
- Standalone FTP Programs: You may have one installed on your machine and just don't realize it because some manufacturers install an FTP program with the operating systems and other software.
There are also many free and paid versions of different programs like WS_FTP available online. For more information, check out our July 2000 Beginner Tip: FTP Basics. It covers the basic terms and discusses different types of FTP programs you can use to transfer files.
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Be aware that Front Page extensions don't play well with FTP. When you're using FP extensions, you can't transfer files using FTP. Doing so disables your FP extensions and they don't work until your Web host reinstalls them for you. After a couple of installations, your host may get a little testy about it - and visitors my get annoyed if your forms stop processing correctly.
You're now halfway to an online presence! In Part II, we'll discuss the logistics of uploading and maintaining your Web site.
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