Web Design: GETTING YOUR OWN WEB SITE QUICKLY AND CHEAPLY

GETTING YOUR OWN WEB SITE QUICKLY AND CHEAPLY

Written by Gini Graham Scott

Today, it is possible to create your own Web site in minutes and at no cost. Then, when you are ready, you can get your own domain name and Web hosting service. But first, you can experiment, develop what you want to say, and put up a site with 20-50 pages - about 5-50 MB - absolutely free. To get started, you can get a free site at many different services. These include a site through an on-line service provider, like AOL. Or you can sign-up with any number of web-based servers, generally in return for allowing for some ad banners or links on your site. Some of these servers even have their own Web building software to help you get started. Some of repparttar

servers I've used myself are www.geocities.com, which is connected to Yahoo, and www.xoom.com. You can also find over 200 free Web site hosts if you go to www.freewebspace.net. Typically, if you use a free sites, you choose a name, if available, and then your name follows repparttar 134792

address of repparttar 134793

site, such as www.geocities.com/changingworld - repparttar 134794

name I used for one site. And if you want another site, come up with another name and sign on again. Once you have your site, you can easily start building your first pages in one of repparttar 134795

latest word processing programs, like Word 2000, which already have repparttar 134796

coding to turns a word processing document into a Web page. The coding is called HTML (which stands for hypertext mark-up language), but when you're just getting started you don't need to know this. Just save your document as an HTML document. If you are only going to create a few pages, a word processing program is fine. Just create your first page as index.html or index.htm, which is understood as repparttar 134797

first Web page on most servers. Then, as you create and name additional documents, add in hyperlinks to these pages, so you can move to these pages by clicking that hyperlink. Add a hyperlink on each of repparttar 134798

linked pages to take you back to your first index page and call it "home". Once you start each new page, put in your copy and any graphics just like in any word processing program. And for more control, use tables. Start with a table for your whole page and divide it table into three columns. Use repparttar 134799

first column for repparttar 134800

narrower navigator section, repparttar 134801

second for a very narrow separator column, and repparttar 134802

third for

bulk of your copy. Make as many rows as you want, and use these sections to put your copy and images where you want them.

Let's Get Navigational

Written by Chrisi Darrington

Navigation is extremely important for your website. It's part of your design, look, and feel. The right navigational tools will create a user-friendly website, while a poorly mapped out website can crush your success.

The following are some points to consider: Presentation - Functionality - Familiarity -User-Friendliness

Place main website links at repparttar top and bottom of every page, or on repparttar 134791 side and bottom, depending on your page layout.

The reason for this is so that visitors can instantly discover your key features.

Some search engines cannot navigate through your entire site through pictures, icons, or graphics. They need text links in order to spider through your website.

Limit your navigational links to three clicks. So, say you're a pet store. Your main links might look like this: HOME - DOGS - CATS - CRITTERS - SPECIALS

These would be your main links. Your top links can be linked pictures. The bottom links can be simple text links. The following is how your next menu would look if your visitor clicked repparttar 134792 dog site.

DOGS TOYS - FOOD - GROOMING

Your main links would still be available; however, your sub-menu for repparttar 134793 different dog links would now be visible. Let's take it one link further.

TOYS BALLS - CHEWS - SQUEAKY - STUFFED

In three clicks your customer has reached his desired goal. Dogs/Toys/Squeaky. This should be your goal as well.

Nothing is more frustrating than having to click deeper and deeper into a website to find what you need. If you're looking for a dog squeaky toy, you shouldn't have to go through more than a few clicks to get there.

Here's how your clicks might go:

Dog Toys - Small Squeaky Toys ... you're there.

Unless repparttar 134794 shop has too many of that type of squeaky toy and you have to click for more squeaky toys to view, you should get to repparttar 134795 squeaky toy section or directory within a few clicks.

A large website should have a site map. (Our site map should be up and running this week) A site map is a page that will direct your customers to any place they want to go.

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