Quick Start Manual: This free tutorial is ideal for those of you who want to learn how to create a business or personal website from scratch.
It includes all the steps of creating a web site and includes info about domain names and web hosting.
To download it to your PC simply follow the steps below, but please read the instructions below before you start the download.
1) Click the link below to begin the download process.
2) A pop-up menu will be displayed. Choose "Save as" and save the book to your DESKTOP for easy access. (If the Desktop is not your default "save-to" folder, then you can change the folder). Many people have trouble locating the tutorial later because they don't remember where they downloaded it. So it's important to take note WHERE this file is saving to.
3) Choose "OK" and the download will begin.
4) After the transfer is complete, simply "Open" the ebook or double click on it from your desktop (assuming you saved it to your desktop). If you saved it in another folder, navigate to that folder and double click the file called "websitetutorial.exe."
Begin the download. File size: 350 KB
Free HTML Tutorial: This is a condensed version of the Quick Start Manual, as it only contains the HTML tutorial section.
There are a few tips on registering a domain name, etc. but the main focus of this tutorial is learning to code HTML.
Begin the download. File size: 380 KB
Website Creation Tutorial for Beginners Welcome! You have stumbled upon one of the few web development tutorial sites that encourage you to GET THE FACTS before you create a website. No other site caters to the beginner like 2 Create a Website because we understand how important it is for you to obtain all the facts before you begin.
Forget about expensive web design firms. Web hosts have gotten so affordable and user-friendly these days that you can build a site on your own. Use our step by step tutorial to guide you! Before you do anything else, please read
this article on choosing the correct web host.
This is important because the type of site you plan to build will govern the kind of host you need. The article covers information on creating free websites, business/money making sites and much more.
Steps to Creating a Websites Step 1: Register a Domain (Dot Com) Name If you're looking to create a website that will last, you should register your own domain name, rather than building a site from one of the free hosts.
When you use a free host, you won't have nearly as much freedom when it comes to building and designing your website.
The amount of space for your pages is limited and you may not be able to add functionality (order forms, interactivity such as chat rooms, gaming, etc.)
You'll also have to wonder if it will be around the next day should the company decide to fold or start charging a fee.
Additionally, you may have to put up with annoying pop-ups and banners on your pages. Also, the support is usually very poor since they are providing the service for free. Trust me, it's no coincidence that many of these companies hide the "Contact" link on their sites.
Let me share my experience that will hopefully show you why the freebies may not be a good idea. If that doesn't convince you, read more about why you may not want to
create a free website.
So let's get started. Here you'll discover how to choose the best name that may help you receive additional traffic from search engines all over the web like I did.
Step 2: Select a Hosting Company After you register your domain name, you'll need a
web hosting company so you can start creating your web pages. And if you're a beginner and don't want to learn how to write HTML (programming), make sure you choose a hosting company that offers online tools to help build your pages.Learn more about
hosting your site.
Step 3: Create Your Web Pages
You can either build your pages by writing HTML from scratch, using an HTML editor or by utilizing the tools provided by your
web host.
More Website Building Information Google Can Help Pay For Your Site
A great way to fund your site or even earn additional revenue from it is to display Google text ads on your pages. I earn a nice monthly income from this free affiliate program and quite frankly, it's one of the easiest ways to earn money for your site.
Learn more about Google Adsense. Looking to Create an Ecommerce Website?In my opinion, there is only one web hosting option you should ever consider if you want to
create an ecommerce website. Read this article and discover the hundreds of website owners that have found success.
How to Make Money With an Information WebsiteIf you think you need a product to sell to earn a nice income on the web, you're mistaken. More and more people are building information websites and profiting from affiliate programs like Google's Adsense and Amazon.com.
Creating an Online StoreBefore you build your website/online store, there are some things that you need to understand about how the web works when it comes to getting traffic to your site. Most people start off on the wrong foot, so it's important you learn to do it right the first time.
Read more about building online stores here.
or,
Free Website Tutorials to Download.
Which Website Creation Option Is Best For You?
Free Website Builders Many web hosts provide you with the space to create your web pages, but they don't give you much (or any) guidance when it comes to writing the HTML, web design, creating graphics, etc.
I find this very interesting since most of their customers are brand new to website creation.
Many novices don't want to take the time to learn how to program. They want to build their web site quickly and easily using templates and without having to become a design guru. Sound familiar?
The bottom line is, if you don't know how to write HTML or own any web authoring software on your PC (Microsoft Front page, for example), you may find yourself up a creek without a paddle when it comes to creating your pages and designing your site.
If you're like many, you want to create a spiffy site but do not want to spend hours in front of your PC staring at HTML code and learning how to write it.
Below you'll find some web hosting options that provide free web page builders when you select them to host your website.
Powweb Hosting Powweb offers a free web builder with their hosting plan and the monthly cost is only $7.77 for 5,000 megabytes of space. That's enough room to create hundreds of thousands of small to medium-sized pages on one domain.
You may even wonder why you'd ever need that much space. Well, if you plan on having video or an abundance of large photos, you may be surprised at how much room these take up. It's always better to have more disk space in case you ever decide to expand your site.
Their free web page builder comes complete with pre-designed templates for many types of sites. It's the quickest, most convenient and most affordable way to build a complete multi-page website all online.
You'll receive supreme, quality customer support which includes access to a toll free 800 number, message board support, and fast email responses. They're setup process is lightning fast as well.
How to Receive This Site Builder It's simple...
After you
register your domain name, sign up for
Powweb's web hosting plan, and you'll get this add-on to your hosting account for free.
WebSite Tonight Hosting This plan allows you to create and design a 5, 10 or 20-page web site using a beginner-friendly browser-based web tool. All you do is point, click, and type to create your site. There's a built-in web publishing tool that will allow you to build pages quickly and easily without knowing a single thing about web programming.
Many people find Website Tonight perfect for creating almost any kind of personal or business web site. However, they are especially popular for photo oriented sites because there are some great templates available for photo galleries.
How to Receive This Site Builder As you may know from reading this site, in order to create a web site you need to do two things. First,
register a dot com (domain) name.
Second, you will need a web hosting company to provide the platform for you to create your web pages.
When you choose one of the Website Tonight hosting packages here at 2 Create a Website, the plan comes with a free point and click builder so you can create your pages in a snap. There's no software to download. This tool is completely browser based.
Click here for more details on WebSite Tonight Hosting. Try CoffeeCup's HTML Editor for Free
This software does not come with any web hosting, but it's a darn good HTML editor to use no matter who your web hosting company is. Click for a
free trial.
Save on Web Design Software at
Amazon.com.
Which Website Creation Option Is Best For You?There is never one hosting option that's best for every website. Some of you may just want a small "About Me" personal website, others may want a larger, more interactive website for personal or business reasons.
Be sure you've made up your mind about the type of site you want to build because it has a great impact on the type of host you need.
Most web hosts don't help you with the pre-planning process. They just want you to sign up so they can host your site and collect your money. I created this page so you don't jump into the process too fast and make the wrong decisions.
"What is a web host?"A web host is the backbone of any website and no site can exist without one. The web host is responsible for providing you with the space for building your web pages, setting up your email accounts (if any), giving you the option of setting up additional functionality for your site (message boards, order forms, games), etc.
Important: Not all web hosts allow you to add additional functionality and other interactive features, so that's why it's important that you read this page in its entirety. You don't want to start building your website and then discover you can't accomplish what you want with the host you've chosen.
"I want a free site."Don't we all. :) I
would love to tell you that a free web host will allow you to create an outstanding site that attracts lots of visitors. Unfortunately that is a difficult feat to accomplish these days.
I tried going the free route but all my sites were eventually wiped out because the companies either shut down or I left because I wanted to add things to my site that just wasn't possible because of technical constraints. It was frustrating.
Free web hosts are very limited in what you are allowed to do. They don't give you your own domain (anyname.com). So your website address will be something like
http://www.freesitehost.com/members/yoursite.html.
They don't allow you to add any additional functionality to your site so if you plan on adding order forms, chat rooms, games etc.
you can forget it.
The search engines also don't have much respect for them so it's very difficult to get your site listed in places like Google, MSN and Yahoo. That's a BIG problem if you plan on getting free traffic from all over the web. I get 90% of my traffic from the search engines and I can almost guarantee that would not have been the case had I chosen a free web host.
The only reason I'd suggest a free site is if you are a kid and are not old enough to register your own domain. Or perhaps you just need a temporary site for school or a one-time event. You also can't be expecting much in terms of the look and feel because free websites look cheesy. Most of them require you to display banners and/or pop ups and the design options are very limited.
Web surfers can generally spot a free site from a mile away and that might hurt your credibility. This is especially true if you are creating a business or ecommerce website.
Most free website providers also do not offer any email accounts so you'll probably have to use your existing email accounts instead of having an account that matches your site's domain (you@yourdomain.com).
As you can see, I'm not a fan of them. Especially because the price of web hosting has come down so much over the years. In my opinion, it's worth paying a few bucks per month for a site because you have the peace of mind knowing it will be there as long as you need it. There are no guarantees with free web hosts.
Choosing Your Best Web Hosting OptionNow that you know free websites are probably not the best choice for your site, let's get down to business and determine the method you should use for building your site.
Before I begin I want to mention that before you can start creating your web pages, you must reserve a domain name (unless you choose option #3 below). Once you have done this, the web host kicks off the web page creation process.
Now let's talk about the different types of web hosting options...
1) A Simple, Personal WebsiteIf you just want a simple site that talks about you, your hobbies, vacations or anything personal that you'd like to share then you need a very basic web host. You don't need all the fancy bells and whistles for creating others type of functionality.
If this is the case, I'd recommend a web hosting option called Website Tonight. The entire building process is done through templates and adding your text. You don't need to know anything about programming. All you do is point and click to select your design, then type your text and add your pictures.
I wouldn't recommend this option for business sites or sites that want additional features like chat rooms, games, etc. because the functionality is limited. This is best for sites that are just for displaying text and pictures. Photo sites work very well with Website Tonight.
The entire process is browser based so there is no software to install. You simply choose the best package for your site and within minutes you start building your pages.
The downside to Website Tonight is that you are limited to a number of pages. There are 3 different packages (between 5 and 20 pages). So if you ever want to expand your site beyond 20 pages, you'll have to switch to another type of host.
However, if you know you won't need a site larger than 20 pages, this option will be fine. Beginners love Website Tonight.
Don't forget that you'll still need to register a domain name (someName.com) first and then sign up with WST afterwards to begin building your site.
2) A Personal or Business Site With InteractivityMost people fall into this category because they want to have more flexibility with their site and be able to create an unlimited amount of pages. Generally people like having the option of creating ordering options, games, feedback forms, chats, surveys and other interactivity if they should decide.
If you choose this kind of host you'll either have to own some kind of web page building software, use the web host's building tools or learn how to code your own HTML. If you own Microsoft FrontPage for example, you'll be able to create and save your pages right to the web from the software.
I use this method now. I own FrontPage and create my pages using this software and then publish my work to the web instantly using its built-in publishing feature. My entire site is managed through FrontPage. If you want to do the same, always make sure the host supports "Microsoft FrontPage extensions." Almost all of them do nowadays.
The nice thing about using this method is that you don't have to learn HTML. FrontPage has an interface very similar to Microsoft Word so editing and formatting text is very simple. There are even sites out there that offer free design templates that are designed just for FrontPage users.
If you think this type of host is the method for you then there are two that I'll recommend below...
Powweb Web Hosting With Free Page BuilderPowweb offers 12,000 megabytes of space for $7.77 per month. In case you're wondering that's probably the best deal you'll ever find on the net. What that means is you're given this 12,000 megabytes (12 gigabytes) and you can build as many web pages as you wish as long as you stay within that limit.
That's enough room to build thousands of pages and add tons of pictures. Heck, I had a PC in the 90's with less hard drive space than that! :) To give you an idea of how much room that is, I have over 630 digital pictures stored on my home PC and they take up about 270 MB of space. So 12,000 MB's is probably more than enough room for anyone.
You'll also have the capability of adding interactive features (games, message boards, etc.) if you wish. This host does have Microsoft FrontPage compatibility.
Powweb also has a built-in web page builder so if you don't own any software, you can use theirs.
Turbo Charged HostingThis is a very similar option to Powweb except there are no web page builders. You either have to use software like Microsoft FrontPage as I did or code your own HTML from scratch.
The nice thing about this option is that there are three different sized packages to choose from, unlike Powweb that just gives you the one package for $7 per month.
3) A Business Site To Earn MoneyIn my opinion, there's only one hosting option to use if the sole purpose of your site is to make money and that's a tool called Site Build It (SBI). This is especially true if you are a beginner.
Don't get me wrong, you can use one of the two above (Powweb or Turbo Charged), but you do not get the search engine ranking and research help that you get with Site Build It.
If the success of your online business thrives on getting free traffic from all over the web, you'll need to learn how to build your pages so they rank high in Google, Yahoo and MSN. No other web host besides Site Build It will help you with that. The rest of them just provide the tools to get your site online but you're on your own when it comes to optimizing your pages for the search engines.
Site Build It is an all-in-one web page building tool that acts as your domain registrar and web host. You don't have to go to a separate site to register your domain like the options described above because all that is done through SBI. That's why it is a bit more pricey than the above two hosts at about $25 per month ($299 per year).
No programming or additional software is needed. You create your pages by using a simple browser-based form. Adding images and formatting your text is just a point-and-click away. There are also several pre-designed templates available for you to use.
I wouldn't recommend this tool if I didn't use it myself. I actually have another website that was built using SBI and it's amazing at how much help you receive compared to regular web hosts. More on my SBI site in a bit...
Amazing Brainstorming Feature - My Favorite!Before you register your domain name, SBI provides an online brainstorming tool you can use to research your topic so you find the most profitable niche. When you start out, you may think you have the perfect topic for your site but after using the brainstorming tool many people discover there's either too much competition or there aren't enough people searching for that topic to make a decent profit.
SBI helps you research even further until you've come up with a good topic that has a high enough demand (lots of searches in the popular search engines) and lower supply. Supply would be the number of sites that already exist on that topic. Once this is done and you're happy with your topic, SBI proceeds to help you select the best domain name for your site.
It's truly amazing what this tool does for you even before you begin building your web pages. SBI is the first and only web host to actually provide a thorough research tool to help you choose the most "profitable" topic and domain name for your site.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to start their own online business is that they pick the wrong topic, which then leads to difficulty getting search engine traffic and making sales. SBI makes sure you don't make that mistake.
Where was this tool when I tried my first online business and failed miserably??? :)
Good Rankings With Yahoo, MSN, Google etc.Once you build your web pages, SBI will analyze the content and tell you what you need to improve for a high search engine rank. Then it will tell you when it's time to submit the page and will report back on your rank for the keywords you desire. It also keeps you informed on the major and up-and-coming directories and instructs you on how to get listed with them.
Site Build It has experienced researchers behind the scenes that keep up with the latest search engine technology so you don't have to. When something changes that my affect your ranking, they let you know so you can update your pages accordingly.
Building an Online StoreI'm glad you found this article because you are about to learn something that most web hosts won't tell you about building online stores.
Now before I get started, let me just say that I didn't write this article to discourage you from creating a store. I wrote it to educate so you won't fall into the same trap so many other beginners find themselves in when first starting out.
To begin, creating an online store is not the challenge it used to be. These days the "building part" is pretty easy. There are thousands of web hosts now that offer a free, built-in shopping cart when you pay them to host your site.
Another alternative is to use Yahoo!'s shopping cart program and have them build and maintain your store for a monthly fee. Heck, you can even use
Paypal.com for free! All you do is sign up and paste some HTML code into your website and Voila....you've got an instant online shopping cart.
Paypal handles the credit card transactions while depositing the profits into your bank account. (They take a small percentage of every order, of course).
So hopefully you can see that actually building the store is not the tricky part anymore.
The Biggest Obstacle . . . The real challenge is actually getting enough traffic to make a profit from your store. After all, what's the point in spending time and money into building a store if you haven't a clue how to bring in traffic from the Internet.
Ninety eight percent of the people that try to create online stores or shopping sites struggle because they don't understand how people use the search engines to find information online.
They spend all this money on a fancy website and storefront and have no idea how to make their site rank high with Google.com -- which is the best source for free traffic on the Internet.
Why would someone search for Luke's Shopping Site to buy something when they know they can go to reputable companies like Yahoo, Overstock, Amazon and many of other popular online retailers to buy the exact same items you're trying to sell?
In other words, how are you going to get your store noticed among all the billions of online stores already out here?
The answer is...you probably won't. Unless, of course, you're prepared to fork out millions of dollars in advertising every month like Yahoo, Amazon and some of the others did way back when.
Not to sound discouraging, but unless you've got an enormous amount of capital, you will go broke trying to get your site seen among the gazillion online shopping websites.
Big name companies like Amazon.com have spent years and millions of dollars in advertising to build their own brand awareness and it's hard to get in on this market share if you're just starting out.
But don't worry... there IS a solution to being found. And the good news for you is that most people will never figure this next part out.
So if you can grasp and implement what you're about to read, you're way ahead of the game already! Congratulations in advance. :)
Take the Google Test Try this now. Go to Google.com and type in online shopping. Look at the number of total search results that come up (upper right hand corner gives you the total number of sites). There are millions.
These are all the sites you will be competing with if you try to go after a broad term like that.
The reason I use Google as an example is because more than likely this is going to be your best place to get free traffic. People often underestimate the amount of visitors that are possible from this growing search engine.
I can definitely tell you that you won't want to ignore Google and this should be where you focus on getting a lot of your visitors -- especially since it's free!
Getting back to the example... "online shopping" would be a bad term to try and target because it's too generic. You need something more specific.
Find Your Online Niche You need to find your niche. This is the key. Instead of trying to build a shopping site that sells everything under the sun, start out small and capitalize on a niche you are familiar with.
Build a small site that only sells your niche products and go from there. You don't have to be as big as Amazon.com to achieve great levels of success.
Here's an example...
Let's say you've always wanted to sell something on the Internet but you're not exactly sure what would make the most money.
Instead of trying to peddle every kind of product known to man from your store, try focusing on a subject or hobby you know a lot about.
People don't often correlate hobbies with income and online success, but what you may not know is that some of the most successful shopping sites out here stem from people creating a website on what they know and love.
You've probably never even heard of most of them because they are what we call "niche sites". These are sites that find a particular audience they want to target and sell products that only cater to this particular group.
Why Niche Sites Work... 1) They often have much less competition. Compare the results in Google when you type in "online shopping" versus "baseball cards".
Sure, "online shopping" is a much more popular searched term, but you'd have a hard time getting traffic because you're competing with so many other webmasters who want their sites to be #1.
2) One of the keys with getting traffic to Google is content, content and more content. If you build your site on a hobby you can write pages and pages of content on this subject to help funnel in more traffic.
The more pages you have on your site, the greater chance the search engines will find your site, thus bringing you more visitors.
More traffic will hopefully mean more sales for you in the long-run.
Build Your Main Website First Many people don't ever get this, but the key to making your store popular and successful is to build your main site and have that act as a gateway to your online store. I can't stress how important that is.
In other words, work on getting traffic to your main site via the search engines and then link your store to this main website.
The reason is, it's much easier for the search engines to find your main, content-rich website than it is to find a single stand-alone store.
In fact, most search engines won't even add your store to their index by itself, but they will list your main website that links to your store. So that's why you need to focus on that main site first.
Juggling All The Way To The Bank My favorite example of a successful niche online store is jugglenow.com.
Instead of trying to create an ABC Online Store that sells everything, the owner Jim Nelson created an information site about juggling that links to his online store.
Notice when you go to
http://www.jugglenow.com/, there's much more than just shopping to be done there. Jim includes tons of articles and information about the sport of juggling.
These pages are very important because they draw in traffic from the search engines. So instead of just promoting his online store by itself, these other pages help do the marketing for him.
This is what I mean when I say draw traffic to your main site first. Even though Jim's money maker is the actual store, he draws traffic to this store by providing tons of content for the major search engines.
Jugglenow.com is a perfect example of creating a successful, niche store. There are tons of sites out there like his but with different topics. You can do the same with the topic/niche of your choice.
Use Site Build It For Your Website As I mentioned above, building the actual store is not going to be the challenge. You can go to Yahoo Store or any web host out there that will offer some kind of online shopping cart solution. Once that's setup you just link to your store from your main website.
What you need to be focusing on right now is how are you going to get traffic to your store. What is going to be your main marketing source to bring in the visitors? What will be your niche?
If you plan on relying on the search engines, you'll need more than just a Yahoo Store because they won't help you get the traffic.
Sure, they'll setup your store for you, but they won't help you get noticed in Google, MSN, Yahoo Search and more. This is the job of your main website that will link to your store.
Anyone who is serious about starting an online store and making good money should always consider Site Build It.
I'm not saying it's the only solution, I'm just saying it's the best. Hands down.
This is actually the same tool that Jim from jugglenow.com used to create his website. Notice he still relies on Yahoo Store for the actual store part of his website, but the rest of his site was created using Site Build It.
Like Jim, you need to create a main website that will draw traffic in from the search engines first, and then from this main site link to your online store.
What Is Site Build It? Site Build It (SBI) is an all-in-one web hosting/online marketing tool at your fingertips. As a customer you'll receive a login and password and will be able to manage your entire site right from a browser-based application.
You don't have to know anything about HTML, PHP, CGI or any other acronyms you may or may not be familiar with. Creating web pages is as simple as typing text into a blank form and hitting
"Save".
SBI registers your domain for you, they act as your host, provide email accounts and everything you need to build and maintain a website.
You won't have to worry about going to a separate site to register a domain name then go someplace else to find a host. Everything is done in one place.
So if you decide to go with SBI for your site and online store, you can ignore the website building steps here at 2 Create a Website because SBI acts as your web host and domain registrar.
Many beginners find this tool a breath of fresh air because everything you need for your website and store can be found inside this one tool that walks you through everything step by step.
Sounding promising yet?
Well I haven't even told you about the best feature of SBI.
Probably the most useful part of this package is the search engine help you'll receive. There's no other web host on the planet (and I mean that literally) that will do what SBI can do when it comes to getting traffic to your site.
There are no tricks or hidden secrets used -- only proven techniques that show you how to build web pages that the search engines will love so you can bring traffic to your site and ultimately your online store.
As you create your pages, there will be an "online coach" telling you how to improve your content to achieve the rank you want for various keyword phrases.
You will learn what the search engines look for and how to ensure your site is always listed with all the popular engines.
Over half of the people that use SBI to create their sites end up in the top 3% of most visited sites on the web because of the search engine success.
See these sample SBI sites.
Not getting enough traffic is the number one reason people end up quitting their online businesses. They don't know how to get their sites ranked high with Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc so they find themselves frustrated.
If you use SBI, you won't have to worry about this. The online guide will literally walk you through the steps to submitting your site and improving your rank. It's a MUST if you want to profit from your online store.
My Recommendation If you are new to building a website, I strongly recommend you consider Site Build It to help you get started with your store.
Even if you use Yahoo Store (or outsource) your actual online store and shopping cart, at least use Site Build It to build your main site because the search engine help will be well worth it.
No other web host will give you this kind of assistance.
Download Your Six Free Guides Here This guide is ideal if you are completely new to starting an online business and you'd like to know what's possible out here on the Internet. You may be amazed at how people are earning money.
Download the course here. (3.78 MB, 513 pages)
Requires Adobe Acrobat This is the ACTUAL GUIDE that you would receive if you purchase
Site Build It so you can see how the web host works. It's a great preview so you'll know exactly what you'll get for your money should you decide to buy SBI.
Select a Web HostYou've arrived at the 2nd step to creating a web site. After you have selected your dot com (domain) name you're ready to choose a web host. A web host provides you with the space, tools and support to create your web pages and email accounts (
you@yourdomain.com). This is where all the action happens, so please read this page carefully to ensure that you choose the most appropriate option for your site.
There's no reason to pay a lot for web hosting. There are companies out there taking advantage of people's ignorance about web hosting and charging $40 and $50 per month for very basic hosting that offers no help for beginners and very little space for your web pages.
As you'll see, these plans are affordable and offer a lot for your money. They are also very beginner-friendly if you are a first-time website creator.
Affordable Web Hosting PlansDepending on the kind of web site you need, there are different web hosting options. It's important to note that all of the plans below provide the following:
- Top quality customer service
- Email accounts (you@yourdomain.com)
- Around-the-clock phone and email support
- Ability to update your site 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week
- No obligation to stay
It is suggested that you read this ENTIRE page very carefully before making your decision on a host. This will ensure that you choose the best option for your individual needs.
Option #1: WebSite Tonight HostingSign up Here or read more about the plan below.
This is a revolutionary web hosting plan that will enable you to easily create a 5, 10 or 20-page web site using a beginner-friendly browser-based web tool that includes pre-built templates. All you do is point, click, and type to create your pages. There's a built-in web publishing tool that will allow you to build your site quickly and easily without knowing a single thing about web programming.
And for those of you with some HTML knowledge, you can add your own custom HTML code if you wish.
Free Design TemplatesThis web hosting package comes with over 100 professionally-designed HTML templates (with high quality photos and graphics) for you to choose from to customize your site, and it also includes hundreds of premium quality photos.
Many people find Website Tonight perfect for creating almost any kind of personal or business website. However, they are especially popular for photo oriented sites because there are some great templates available for online picture galleries.
The professionally designed templates are what make this option so popular. People pay web designers over $150 per hour to create the kind of templates you can get here. Remember, all you do is point and click. No programming skills or additional software needed.
WebSite Tonight PricingThere are 3 different packages to choose from (5, 10 or 20 pages).View the Tour
Click here to view a sample slideshow so you can get a feel for the interface of WebSite Tonight.
Actual Websites Created Using WebSite Tonight
http://www.dachsund-beagle.com/www.mooreraiders.netHow To Sign UpWhen you
register your domain name, select one of the
WebSite Tonight packages as your hosting option on the order form.
Click here to sign up for WebSite Tonight Hosting.
Option #2: Powweb Web Hosting- Best option if selling products - Easy site builder for beginners
Sign up Here or read more about the plan below.
Powweb is one of the most reputable and respected hosting companies on the Internet. They are a privately owned, debt-free company that maintains all of their services in-house and have been providing top-notch web hosting since 1999.
I also just read that their new customer statistic is growing at exponential rates as word gets out about their outstanding service and features and low, low prices.
Powweb offers a generous 12,000 megabytes (12 gigabytes) of web page space and they have one plan for $7 per month. That means you can make your site as large as you want (infinite number of pages) as long as you stay within the 12,000 megabyte limit.
To give you an idea, that would be enough room to create hundreds of thousands average-sized web pages for one site. Even if you plan to have video and lots of pictures, this is PLENTY of room.
Easy Website Builder AvailablePowweb also offers a site wizard similar to Website Tonight plans (above) where you can choose a pre-created layout/template - no programming is necessary. All you do is select the design you want and add your text.
There are over 400 design templates for you to choose from in all kinds of categories such as Sports, Automobiles, Hobbies, Real Estate, Business, Education, Personal Homepages, Computers, Nature, Pets and more.
Microsoft FrontPage CompatibilityIf you don't want to use their free website builder, you can also use software like Microsoft FrontPage to create and edit your pages. So if you own the software, you can save and publish all your work directly to the web right from FrontPage in a matter of seconds.
This is a great option for beginners and I highly recommend going this route if you choose Powweb. The software is very similar to Microsoft Word, so if you've used that, you'll find FrontPage pretty easy to grasp. I used it to create this site. In fact, it's the only program I've ever used to build any of my websites and I love it!
Advanced FeaturesThis hosting option also provides the platform so you can add advanced features such as message boards, chat rooms and other interactive features.
Tons of Satisfied CustomersWhen you visit their site, you'll notice that they proudly display over 100 testimonials from their satisfied customers that prove they are well worth the time and investment. They also pride themselves on their peer-to-peer chat forums so you can chat with other Powweb customers as you share ideas, ask questions, and more.
Actual Websites Created at Powwebhttp://www.tonicsdesign.com/www.handvision.comHow to Sign UpWhen you
register your domain name, choose the web hosting option that says "Parking these domain names FREE". This just means that your domain name will sit on the 2 Create a Website servers, but you're hosting your site some place else.
Then after you have finished the domain name registration process, head on over to
Powweb's site and sign up for their hosting.
Click here to sign up with Powweb.
Option #3: Turbo-Charged Web Hosting- Great for very large or expanding sites
Sign up Here or read more about the plan below. If you choose the biggest plan for this host, you will receive 20,000 megabytes (20 gigabytes) of web space. (There are also smaller plans starting at $3.95).
Now you may ask yourself, "Why would I need that much space?" Well, the truth is, you may not need it in the beginning, but should you decide to expand your site in the future, it can come in handy.
Also, large pictures and videos tend to take up more room so if you plan on building a site with a lot of media, it can't hurt to have the extra room. And of course, if you do not need that much room there are smaller plans available that you can easily downgrade to.
IMPORTANT!The Turbo-Charged plans DO NOT come with any software or web building tools like Website Tonight and Powweb, but if you don't know how to write HTML from scratch, this host also supports Microsoft FrontPage and
CoffeeCup. This means you'll be able to publish your pages directly to the web using this software.
All of these plans also provide the functionality that will allow you to create message boards, shopping carts and other interactive tools, however, you will be responsible for setting these up on your own. Of course, you can always consult the support team for guidance.
How To Sign UpWhen you
register your domain name, select one of the
Turbo-Charged hosting plans on the "hosting section" of the order form.
Click here to sign up for Turbo-Charged hosting. "So, Which Hosting Plan Should I Choose?" Just in case you're still not sure about which hosting option to select, here's an overview and some basic tips on choosing the right hosting option for you.
Remember, when you go to register your domain name, you also need to select one of the hosting options mentioned above. (Except if you choose
Powweb, you'll have to go to their site separately to sign up after you register your domain name).
Option 1) WebSite Tonight If you're looking for a quick and easy way to build a personal or professional-looking site between 1 and 20 pages, then choose one of the
WebSite Tonight packages. The point and click web page building tools make creating your site a breeze.
This is a great plan for simple, personal websites. A lot of people use Website Tonight for "About Me", wedding and vacation sites. It's a great choice for sites that will have lots of photos. All you do is select a design template and then add your text and pictures. No software or programming experience necessary. Beginners love this option.
Option 2) Powweb A great option for large (or expanding) sites. With 12,000 megabytes of space that is enough room for thousands and thousands of web pages.
This is the only hosting option that offers a built-in shopping cart, so if you plan to sell products then you should keep this in mind. The Turbo Charged option also has the functionality available so you can build a cart, but you'll have to install it yourself. With Powweb hosting, it's already setup for you.
They also provide a built-in web page builder for beginners with tons of design templates. Or if you want, you can use your own programs like CoffeeCup and Microsoft FrontPage. When you are
registering your name, just select the hosting option that says you'll "park your domain here for free". This just means that you are using another company (Powweb) to host your site. Then after your domain has been registered you'll
go to Powweb's site to sign up for hosting.
Option 3) Turbo-Charged For those of you that already own or do not need any web page creation tools, choose the Turbo-Charged option. The plans start at only $3.95 per month and if you do not own any web design software you can use an editor like CoffeeCup or Microsoft FrontPage to create and manage your web pages.
Keep in mind this option also has a very large plan that provides 4,000 megabytes (4 gigabytes) of web page space. So if you know you will have a lot of pictures and videos, then this is a good option.
It also comes with the functionality that will allow you to create message boards, shopping carts and add other interactive features to your site.
Make Money With Google AdsenseYou may want to bookmark this page now. I can guarantee after reading this you'll want to come back here and probably even show this to your friends.
Anyone who owns or is thinking about creating a website would be crazy to ignore this. Earning money with your site, no matter the topic, has become easier than it's ever been before - and it's 100% legit.
If this program had been available in 2000, I would have NEVER shut down my soap opera fan site that received 200 hits per day. I would have been able to earn money from that traffic and probably turned a small profit.
First of all, Google.com earns most of its money by allowing other website owners to advertise on their search result pages. Now you can earn a share of the revenue that Google earns by placing these same text ads on your site. In other words, you're helping Google advertise.
The program is called Adsense.
Every website owner should be involved in this. It's just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Even if your site is just for information purposes, you can still participate and make decent money with Adsense -- or at least enough to fund your website.So if you are one of those people that don't like the idea of paying for a site, this is an excellent way to earn your money back and then some. Even if you earned as little as $10 in a month, it would more than likely cover some or all of the costs for your web site. Perhaps you are simply looking for ways to add additional revenue to your website, then it's perfect for that situation too.
This program is getting so popular, people are creating websites just to display the ads and profit from Google's Adsense alone.
I don't usually like to use the term "easy money" because there really is no such thing. You still have to create your own website and learn how to bring in traffic in order to make good money with this program. I certainly don't want to make it sound like you get something for doing absolutely nothing.
However, I've got to say that Adsense is probably the closest you'll ever come to fast money on the Internet -- especially if you already have a website that gets a good amount of traffic. What's even better...the program is completely free. You can also use it on multiple websites and there is no limit to the amount you can earn.
How Adsense WorksIf you go to
Google.com and do a search for almost any keyword phrase, you'll notice some "Sponsored Links" that appear on the right side of the screen that are relevant to the keywords you just searched for.
Website owners pay Google to display these ads and are charged a predetermined amount every time their ad gets clicked by a web surfer. With the Adsense program, you will display these same text ads on your site just like Google and get paid for it as well. All you do is copy and paste some provided HTML code into your pages and Voila! the ads will show up.
Every time an ad is clicked on your site, you will receive a certain percentage of what Google receives from the advertiser.
Once your account reaches $100, you'll receive a check in the mail.
"Is Google Crazy?"I know what you're probably thinking...
"What's the catch here? Why would Google just give away money advertisers are paying them?"
The answer...
Because Google is very smart.
Now that I understand how Adsense works, I can see that it's a win-win situation for everyone involved, and the bottom line benefits Google. Let me explain...
Since the advertiser's ads are now being displayed on more web sites all over the internet (instead of just Google's site), they are getting much more exposure. More exposure means more clicks and even more traffic for their site over a shorter period of time.
This is good news for Google because the more traffic the advertisers receive, the faster their advertising funds are used up. Remember, they get charged every time their site gets a visit. And of course, it is Google's hope that they'll continue to keep funneling more money into their account for more ad exposure.
What an ingenious way for Google to increase the amount of money they earn from advertisers while building loyalty with website owners (like us) who are now getting paid to help them advertise.
Of course, I'd expect nothing less from the most popular search engine on the web. :)
"How Much Can I Earn With Adsense?" Google does not disclose exactly how much you'll earn per ad that is clicked.
The commission you receive per click depends on how much advertisers are paying Google for the particular ad. You will earn a share of that amount. I've heard of earnings anywhere from 2 cents to $15 per click.
So it is logical to believe that keyword phrases like debt free, employment, make money, mp3, sex, etc. will earn you more per click since these are highly competitive keywords that are searched for quite a bit on the web.
Advertisers generally pay more for popular terms because they are searched for more.
Even though Google will not reveal how much you are earning for each ad that is clicked from your site, you can still login to your account at any time and see the total amount of revenue you've generated that day, week, month, year, etc.
For example, if you see that you've made $12.60 today from 9 clicks then you can calculate that your average click-thru commission was $1.40 per click. That's as detailed as their stats will get. Also remember, that's only an average. You won't know how much each specific ad brought in.
The amount you'll earn also depends largely on the amount of targeted traffic you receive to your own site, how well the ads match your audience's interests, the placement of the ads on your pages, and of course the amount you receive per click.
Ideally, you should create a site on a topic you know a lot about. That way you'll have a much easier time creating a generous amount of content on that subject.
How Google Matches the Ads to Your Site's Content
One of the main reasons this program is so successful is because the ads that are displayed closely match the content of your website. This increases the chances that someone will click on the ads.
Here's how Google accomplishes the content match (in their own words)...
"...We go beyond simple keyword matching to understand the context and content of web pages. Based on an algorithm that includes such factors as keyword analysis, word frequency, font size, and the overall link structure of the web, we know what a page is about, and can precisely match Google ads to each page."
So let's say you have an information website about yoga. Once you join Adsense and paste their ad code into your site, Google's technology will determine the topic of the pages by scanning for keyword repeats, page title, etc.
If successful, you will see ads that relate to yoga displayed on your web pages. Of course, the more related the ads are to your site's content, the better the click-thru.
Keep in mind, the ads may not be an exact match because it depends on the ads inside Google's database. So instead of seeing yoga ads, you may see more generic ads like exercise, healthy eating, etc. This is not a bad thing because these are topics your visitors will likely be interested in as well.
Why I Believe Adsense Works So Well For years, website owners have tried to make money from their sites by putting up banner ads in hopes of visitors clicking them. The problem with banner ads is that the Internet audience is so immune to them, people do not click on them anymore.
When's the last time you clicked a banner ad?
...Exactly!
Second, in order for the web site owner to earn money from that banner ad, usually the web surfer that clicks has to purchase something. With Adsense, your visitors just have to click the ads. They don't have to purchase a single thing.
Third, most people that use banner ads do not do a good job of matching the ads to the website's content so the click thru percentages are dismal.
With Google's Adsense, not only are you displaying text ads, (which tend to receive a much higher click-thru rate than banner ads), but you are displaying contextual ads that match your website's content....thanks to Google's advanced technology.
Lots of times people think the ads are part of your site's content so they click because the information is relevant to your site. Whereas with banner ads, they often have little relevance and people tend to ignore them no matter how much they flash and fly across the page.
Creating Your Website for Adsense Before you even begin your site, make sure you've come up with a topic that you feel you know plenty about. That way it will be easiest to write a lot of content.
The more content you have, the better chance you have getting accepted into the program. Also, the more content, the greater the earning potential. Adsense is nothing but a numbers game. If you want to make a lot of money, prepare to write a lot of content.
Now let's talk about building your website. There are two ways you can approach this:
1) Do it Yourself (DIY) from scratch 2) Use Site Build It (SBI) The Do It Yourself Method I've actually used both methods for building my site and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
The Do It Yourself Method I've actually used both methods for building my site and there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
If you use the DIY method, you will have to go and
register a domain name (yoursite.com) and then sign up for a
web host and build your pages. You can either learn HTML or buy some kind of web editor like Microsoft FrontPage to build your pages. That's the method I used to build this site.
Averaging between $7 and $15 per month, the DIY method is usually the most cost friendly of the two but you are mostly on your own in terms of learning how to create your web pages and adding the Adsense code to your site.
Web hosts are generally there to house your site. They don't specialize in helping you market and optimize your site for the search engines to help you get traffic. So don't expect a lot from them in terms of helping you market your site.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. I had to learn how to build this site on my own and it wasn't very difficult. I bought Microsoft FrontPage and in about a day or two my site was up and running. So if you don't mind learning, it's definitely doable. In fact, most people use the DIY method to build their websites. The 2nd method below is fairly new in comparison.
How to Join Adsense After you have created your website, go to
https://www.google.com/adsense to apply.
Most sites are either accepted or rejected within 24 to 48 hours, so you shouldn't have to wait too long to find out if your application has been approved.
Once you've been accepted, simply copy and paste the provided HTML code into any page that you'd like to show the ads. If you've done a good job of defining the content on your web pages, the ads that show should be relevant to the content of your page...increasing the chances of click-thrus by your visitors.
You can either display the ads vertically along side the page like Google does or in a banner-like formation horizontally across your pages. The placement is up to you. You can even customize the colors to match your site's theme.
If Your Site Is Rejected by Google... If you receive that email from Google stating that your site has not been accepted, the first thing you should remember is that as an Adsense member, you become a partner and are representing Google, Inc.
They have to make sure the websites that display these ads are up to par or they could run the risk of losing advertisers. Imagine if you were paying Google to display your ad and you found it showing up on a poorly developed, junky website.
Of course, if your site is rejected, it doesn't mean it is poorly developed. There may be other reasons:
1) Is your site an "About Me" page?
Google does not usually accept these kinds of personal sites because most of them do not have a specific topic or theme. They are usually just random facts about the website owner or their hobbies, pictures, etc. It would be difficult for Google's technology to display targeted ads on these kinds of pages because the topics vary from subject to subject.
They are looking for "themed" sites that contain a generous amount of information on a specific topic. It could be anything from sewing tips to sports. Just make sure there is an obvious theme with adequate information.
2) Is your site organized?
Be sure your site has a neat and clean navigation that's easy to follow. Also ensure all the links work and that there are no typos. Keep the colors to a minimum and make sure each page has a consistent layout.
3) How many pages are on your site?
Even though Google doesn't specify a page number requirement, many believe they are looking for web sites with a certain amount of content. Again, it's not likely a two-page site will get accepted. Try to strive for at least 15 pages.
4) Is your content solid?
Don't just submit a website with a bunch of links to other sites. Be sure you have a themed/niche site with enough original content of your own.
5) Is your site an exact carbon copy of someone else's?
Some believe Google can find out if your site is original or not. Don't risk it and steal from someone else. It will come back to haunt you.
If you're stuck, write a few articles of your own and then go to sites like http://www.articlecity.com/ and sprinkle a few of their articles around your site to beef it up.
6) Be sure to read their program policy and procedures carefully and make sure your site hasn't violated any of the terms.
Tips on Succeeding With Adsense Here are some tips for achieving success with Adsense. 1. Create a website with your (YourSite.com). Don't try to use a free web host because your site will likely have banners and pop-ups and get rejected because it looks unprofessional. Not to mention, a free web host will give you a website address like this:
http://thefreewebhost.com/yoursite/member1234/home.html instead of...
http://www.yoursite.com
See how much more clean, concise and professional that last link is?
If paying for a website causes you to frown, remember the money you earn from Adsense could more than pay for the web hosting fees you'll incur.
Look at it as an investment instead of a cost. I never dreamed I'd have this much success with this program. My Adsense earnings clearly outweigh the few dollars I pay every month to maintain my sites.
2. If you don't know web programming or have no desire to learn it, get a beginner's design editor like Microsoft FrontPage. Using this program is a lot like using Microsoft Word. You can also publish your content directly to the web.
Keep in mind you can't use FrontPage alone. You must have a web host that will allow you to publish your site to the Internet via FrontPage. (More on web hosting in a sec.)
3. If the main goal of your site is to make money with Adsense, be sure to choose a topic that you know a lot about so you can write lots and lots of content.
Don't like to write? No problem! There are sites like http://www.articlecity.com/ that provide free reprint rights. Just search their database and find articles that match the theme of your site.
Don't rely completely on sites like this, however. You'll definitely want to have some of your own unique content. A few articles from these sites is fine, but relying on them for 90% of your information is not going to help your site.
4. Get traffic. Once your site is up and running you'll need to learn how to get your site listed in the major search engines.
Getting into Google is completely free right now and can bring in hundreds or even thousands of visitors per day. All you have to do is submit your site to them and wait patiently while Google ads it to the index. It can take a few months. Patience is key with Google. Then do the same with Yahoo, MSN, etc.
5. Partner up with other related sites and participate in link swaps. This means that you place a link to another person's site on your own site and they do the same for you in return. This is a great way to get even more free traffic.
