How to Set Up a Web Page on a Server

After we have created several pages on our own computer and completed them with the proper images and text, then ultimately we will want to transfer the files to a server where everybody can view the pages. When these pages are correctly linked together they are called a website. To transmit the files to the server we use a system that is called File Transfer Protocol or FTP for short.

Instructions

1. Create some web pages on your own computer. These should all be linked to your index page, which will have the ending (.html/index) or (.htm/index)

2. Buy a domain for your website. That will be the name of your website. It is usually a good idea to buy your domain name from the same site that will be selling you space on the internet to use for your website. When you purchase a domain, the seller will check the web for duplicates. Sometimes your first choice will be already taken, so have a second or third choice in mind.

3. Buy space on the web to display the pages of your website. This can be done by the month or the year, but buying space by the year is most common practice and it is always cheaper.

4. Use FTP to transfer the files from your home computer to the server of the web-hosting company. You can also buy your own FTP package from an online company and download the system onto your computer, but if you are looking to save money, using the FTP of the web-hosting company will be cheaper. Ipswitch or WS_FTP is the most common, but FTP networks such as Filezilla are also popular. Basically, one first transfers the files into the FTP program and then sends the files to the correct FTP address, which always begins with the letters ftp:// instead of the usual http://.

5. View your web pages via one of the popular browsers such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari or Netscape Navigator. Do this to see how your page looks on each browser. If you need to make changes in the html code then do that at your own computer (offline) and resend the corrected page to the server using the same ftp pathway as before. The main server will automatically replace the old page with the new one, as long as the title for the page has not changed.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the FTP system may seem complicated at first, but once you complete your first transfer you will quickly see how easy it is. Basically, one end of the FTP system is downloaded to your computer. This is where you first put your web pages. Then you proceed with the file transfer to the main server. Once transferred the information can soon be seen by the general public.

• Learn how to keep your files small in size, while still supplying enough size to make the words and images readable.

• Be careful what your publish. Putting something on the web is just like putting something in print. There are legal restrictions and ethical guidelines.