Things You'll Need:
- Web hosting account or server hardware with a high-speed broadband connection Website files FTP program
-
Step 1
Consolidate all of your website files into one folder on your computer. You may wish to separate the individual files into categories (e.g. place all images into a folder entitled "images"). This will make it easier to upload the website to the hosting server and manage the website after it is hosted. If you have not yet built your website, create one using basic HTML coding. Don't worry about creating a final version of the website, as it can be edited after it has been hosted. Consult a guidebook on the basics of building a website for specific details on writing HTML. Such books are available from your local bookstore or from online retailers such as Amazon (link in the Resources section).
-
Step 2
Decide whether you wish to host a website using a third-party hosting service or using a local server that you directly manage. Using a hosting service can be an economical way to host a website without having to worry about the technical aspects of managing server hardware. Various hosting services, such as 1and1 (link in the Resources section), have website hosting plans targeted at the budgets of home consumers and small businesses. The advantage of managing your own server is that you are able to manage its technical features with full control, though the start-up and management costs may be significantly higher.
-
Step 3
Sign up with a third-party hosting service that fits the limits of your budget. If you plan to use your own server hardware, connect the server hardware (a list of server hardware options is linked to in the Resources section) to your broadband Internet connection and download the Apache HTTP server software (link in the Resources section). Follow the installation instructions included in the Apache installation file to activate the program on your server.
-
Step 4
Upload the website files using your FTP software. Depending on the size of your website files, this process may take several minutes. The website is now activated and accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection.
