choosing a domain name - Just the facts

Make Money with a website -Tutorial

Getting an official website with a real domain name

Before Beginning: I have put this tutorial on a printer friendly page so you can easily refer to it. I will be sending you off to different places on the web so you may want to print it up for easy reference.

You have decided to get a real domain name and that is fantastic. It will cost you a few dollars but there are many benefits and there are also a few things you need to learn.

There are four things you are going to need to make your own website:

A Domain name (This is the name and address of your website) Mine is Stormthecastle.com This will cost you a few dollars. Usually about $15.

An account with a web hosting company. This will cost you a monthy fee. If you shop around you can get a cost as low as $5per month..

You need web design software such as Frontpage or Dreamweaver. I will lead you to a free version you can download.

You will need FTP software that will allow you to upload your website and pages to your webhosting company. Note that if you use FrontPage or Dreamweaver you will not need the FTP software. These programs have the ability to do this for you. If you use the free web design software then you will need to get the FTP software. I will lead you to a site where you can get this software for free.

1.Getting your own domain name

You probably have been thinking about a domain name. Maybe you have a few ideas for a name but you are not sure if they are already taken. Netfirms.com is a great Internet Service Provider that has very low rates and they have a search tool that will help you easily find out whether the domain name you want is taken.

Try to get a name that is relevant to the subject of your website. This will help people understand what your site is about and it will help you get better placement in your search engine.

Click on this banner to get started. This is the company that I host all of my websites with

.On the very first page you see a domain name search box. Enter the name you would like to have for your website. If the name is already taken you will asked to try another name. Grab a dictionary if you need help thinking of something. Keep entering names, maybe with small variations until a name you are happy with is available. They also have a name wizard that will help you to choose a name.

2. Setting up your account

Netfirms.com makes it very easy for you to set up your site. Once you have chosen your domain name then you can simply continue on with the process by clicking on the order-service link. They will take you quickly through the set-up process. After completing the required forms you will receive a verification email. Reply to this email. Shortly you will receive another email from Netfirms with all the information you need to get your website going. Infomation like where how to find it through their servers and the password you need. This may take one or two business days. Once this is done you are now the proud owner of your very own website.

3. Software to design your site

If you already have web design software then you can continue on to the FTP section of this tutorial. If you are not sure if you have web design software then you don't. Go here to download Frontpage express and go through the tutorial on how to use it. Free FrontPage Express for web design

4. Getting FTP Software So you can upload your website to the server at Your-Site.com

If you have FrontPage or Dreamweaver they have a command called publish which will allow you to easily publish your website to the server at Your-Site.com. If you are using FrontPage Express or some other program that doesn't have the abiliity to publish then download and use this free program.

If you already know how to FTP you can continue on with the tutorial

Let's Add some great content to your site

TANGENTS

What is FTP Software? FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. When you surf the internet you get files from other computers and load them automatically on your computer so you can view them in your web browser. But when you are making your own website you have to upload files from your computer to the webhost computer. You do this with the FTP software. It allows you to place files on the webhost. And it is all password protected so other people can't modify your website.