Web Basics

There are four steps to getting your web site up and running. We can do it all, or you can handle some or all of the steps yourself. Either way, I'm sure you'd love to understand how this mysterious web stuff works.

Step 1 - Get Yourself a Domain Name
Go to a domain service on the web and register the best available name.

Step 2 - Set up Your Web Hosting
There are many companies who can host your site, all offering different services and charging different rates - anywhere from $11 to $25 per month (including your own email) or more for advanced services such as shopping carts. You need to choose a company and a package, perhaps with the help of my easy-to-use comparison chart that's part of the free starter package. Once you've chosen a web hosting company, they will provide you with a user name and password which you will need to complete the next step.

Step 3 - Design, Build & Upload Your Site
Now you have to design your site. The first step is to plan the page-by-page flow and write the content. Next, your site must be designed and coded. Finally, with the site architecture perfect, the site has to be uploaded which is when you'll need the user name and password mentioned in Step 2.

If you'd like more details about designing and building your site, contact me and I'll send you a free web starter package.

Step 4 - Get Listed on the Search Engines
Now your site is up and running on the internet. You go to Yahoo! and type in the name of your site, the results come up and... you're not there! We still have work to do.

Yahoo, MSN, Alta Vista and the others send out something called spiders to search the web. Spiders collect specific information which is used to create a listing. There are several ways to help spiders collect the information they need - this includes adding smart keywords and descriptions to your pages. I do this, as well as other secret things I have sworn never to reveal, as a routine part of designing and coding your web site.

There's one more thing to do. The spiders have to know your site exists. This is done this by manually submitting your information to 50 of the most important search engines and directories. Those submissions are reviewed by actual human beings (!) who decide whether or not your site makes the cut. If it does, and every site I've designed has, a spider is sent to your site and voila, your site appears on search engines, the world comes knocking at your door, you sell lots of whatever it is you're selling and refer all your friends to me and we all live happily ever after.

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