How to Upload Website Files to My Index Page

Add graphics and text to your index page by uploading files via FTP

Upload files to your website for linking and displaying on the index page. The index file is the domain home page, and when readers type in your domain URL, the index page is displayed. To add other objects to the index page, such as logos, background images, contextual graphics and links to separate pages, upload them to your domain's hosting server. The page code contains the path files to these objects. If you ever delete objects from the server or change their locations, make sure you update the code in the index page to prevent broken links.

Instructions

1. Use a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) manager or web development software to connect your local computer to your domain's hosting server. Provide the domain name, such as "mywebsite.com," the login name and password.

2. Arrange your website files under one root folder on your local computer using Windows Explorer. Name the folder a descriptive title matching your domain name, such as "MyWebsite," and make sure the index page is located in this folder only, not in a subfolder. Create new folders under this root directory for other web pages, if desired, and dedicate one folder to images. Name it "images" in lowercase.

3. Open the index page in the web development software. Add graphics from the "images" folder using the "Insert" commands in the software. This will automatically link the graphic to the appropriate file path.

4. Link page text to other web pages on your site or separate websites. If the software has a link creator, you can highlight the text and select the page you want to link to. If not, you can alter the HTML code with the appropriate link path.

   For example, if you want to link the index page to your contact page, the link might look like the following:

   <a href="http://www.mywebsite.com/contact.html">Contact Us Today!</a>

   The file path between the quotes is the exact location of the contact page on your server if the contact page is located directly under the root folder. The "Contact Us Today!" text between the arrows is the link text displayed on the web page.

5. Upload the root directory from the local computer to the remote server. The remote server will mirror the folder structure on your local computer, so any images and links used on the index page will be automatically linked to the correct file path.

References

• Web Developer's Notes: How to Upload Files to a Web Host