Session 9: Getting Your Site Online
Okay, now that you’ve gone to all the trouble to create your website, what's next? Well, putting it online to share with others is probably your ultimate goal. So what do you have to do to accomplish that goal? Glad you asked.
IP Addresses:
Well, we've already learned that every resource on the Internet can be referred to by an IP address (e.g. a "dotted quad" such as 74.125.91.104), but those are rather difficult to remember, so domain names were created to solve that problem. If you type that example IP address into your browser's address bar, where does it take you? I think you'll agree that it's easier to remember the domain name than it is the IP address.
TLD and Domain Name:
Have you got a catchy domain name that you'd like to use for your site? While most of us opt for the tried and true "dot com" addresses, there are a lot more Top Level Domains to choose from (such as .ca, .org, .net, etc.) . The second hurdle to overcome is checking the availability of the domain name you'd like, and registering it. To register a domain name, we use a Domain Registrar.
Domain Registrar:
Domain Registrars offer us tools to track down a domain name we like. There are literally thousands of Registrars to choose from, such as easyhosting.com, godaddy.com, networksolutions.com, but not all are created equally. The prices and services will vary from place to place, so shop around.
Hosting:
Most Domain Registrars will also offer hosting (also at varying prices), but there are also other options. Most ISPs (Internet Service Providers) offer some free "web space" to their customers, so if you have Internet access from home, you may already have a place to park your website for free. Check with your ISP (Telus, Shaw, etc.) to see what they offer. Another alternative is free hosting, but alas, nothing is really free, and you may have to put up with ads on your pages, to help cover their costs.
Uploading your site:
Whew, almost done. One final step, however, is getting your HTML documents and images to the host's server. Commonly, FTP clients are used to transfer the documents to and fro, and there are a number of good, free, clients to be had. The one that comes to mind for me is Filezilla, but a list of others is available here.
Getting traffic to your site:
Coming soon.
Earning money with your site:
Coming soon.