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- Create
Content
- Publish
your content
- Publicize your site
There are a variety
of ways to create content. The easiest way is to use a Web
content publishing tool such as Macromedia
Dreamweaver, Macromedia Fireworks or a variety
of other free publishing tools that you can find on the
internet. Other tools that are helpful include graphical
editing tools such as Paintshop Pro and even more dynamic content
generators like Macromedia's Flash. You may also
wish to edit your contents yourself by using a text editor
and learning HTML. Here are some pointers to learning HTML
Once you've finished
your page/site, you'll need to upload it to your web server.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows a person to transfer
files between two computers, generally connected via the
Internet. You can either FTP your files via the command
line (i.e. DOS), or you can find yourself an FTP client
which executes all the commands in a drag-and-drop interface.
We would highly recommend the latter to beginners and experts
alike. FTP clients make the publishing process simple.
FTP Basics
To FTP, you will need to know the host location, as well
as your username and password. All your web site contents
are stored in /var/www/html.
Using an FTP Client
Most FTP clients have the same basic layout, functionality,
and price. Choosing one is simply a matter of personal preference.
Some of the more popular clients for Windows-based computers
include WS_FTP, CuteFTP, and BulletProof FTP and for Macintosh computers
include Fetch,
and Interarchy. All clients come with
documentation, and it shouldn't take you long to figure
out how to get started. But here are a few basics:
- There will be some
kind of "Site Manager" feature which will store all your
FTP locations and their corresponding login information.
Once you enter this info, the client will automatically
log you in.
- There will be three
screens. One representing your local machine, one representing
the remote host, and one which shows the files that are
queued for transfer. You will need to navigate to the
correct folders on both your local machine and the host
machine.
- You will then highlight
the files you wish to upload on your local machine, and
there should be a button at the top that queues the files
for upload. The upload might execute immediately, or you
might have to hit a "Go" button first.
- That's it! Your
files are uploaded! You should now be able to go to your
URL and view the page.
Search Engines
and Internet Catalogs
Probably the most common way to publicize your site and
generate traffic is to submit it to search engines (i.e.
Google) and internet catalogs (i.e. Yahoo!). Most of these
sites have a form you can fill out to submit your site.
To save yourself some time, you can try a service that submits
your site to multiple search engines and internet catalogs
by filling out just one form. There are many of these services
out there, such as http://www.submit-it.com/. By adding meta tags to your
site, you can increase the relevancy of your pages in people's
searches. Meta tags will be discussed a bit later.
Reciprocal Links
If your page has a theme, seek out pages with similar themes
and ask the webmaster to post a link to your site. In exchange,
you promise to add a link to their site on yours. This is
a great way to get the word out about your site for free.
Newsgroups
Look for newsgroups where you think people who would be
interested in your site might frequent. Post a message announcing
your site and its features. Don't do this too often as it
is sometimes considered Spamming (unsolicited advertising).
Web Rings
If there are other pages that are similar to yours, there
might be a web ring out there dedicated to your kind of
site. Do an internet search for "web ring" and include a
keyword related to your site. If you join a web ring, you
will need to add a web ring graphic and links to your page.
Advertising
If you really want to give your site some exposure, you
can create a banner ad and find a company that will get
your banner put up on numerous pages. The cost generally
depends on the amount of impressions (how many times it
is seen) or click-throughs (how many times it is actually
clicked on).
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