Do you have a small business or idea that you would like to get on the web? This article will explain the basic steps to get your business or idea on the web.
There are many free ways to get an online presence but the best way is by having your own, unique, web site. There are a few thinks you will need to get this web site online but they are not very complicated or expensive.
The first thing you need is a domain name. A domain name is the address that you put in the address bar of your web browser. It usually looks something like www.somename.com. This is a unique name you will use to identify your business from the rest of the world. A domain name can be purchased from any number of registrars for under $10 a year.
The next thing you will need is web hosting. This is a service that lets you have a place to upload files and display them to the world when someone goes to your web site. Web hosting is another service that can usually be bought on the web for between $5 and $15 a month.
Once you have your domain name and web hosting set up, the real work begins. You will need to design a web site. There are any number of tools you can use to create a web site, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage, Notepad, or another similar program. Designing a web site requires, at least, some knowledge of HTML (or XHTML). HTML and XHTML are static scripting languages that you use to tell your web browser how to show your information. There are other languages you can use to create web sites such as PHP, ASP, and ColdFusion. These languages are more complicated and are used to create dynamic sites and interface with databases.
Designing a web site can be a daunting task. There is always the option of having a design company create you web site for you but that can cost quite a pretty penny. Another option is to install a pre-made web site script that you can administer from a simple administration. Some of these script include Mambo, phpWebsite, e107, and many more. A script like this, usually, still requires some knowledge of HTML and/or web design because they are highly configurable and require a bit of tweaking to make it look the way you want.
It may sound complicated to start a web site but it really isn’t. All you need to do is take a bit of time to read some tutorials and examples, that are freely available on the web. You can learn the basics in no time completely free of charge.
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