Start a Website

Step 1 : Design a webpage

This isn't as hard as it used to be these days as there are many programs that will do all the difficult work for you. Macromedia Dreamweaver is a recommended program for doing this, there are other more affordable programs available but we cannot guarantee how good they are. We don't recommend FrontPage as it generates some very messy, non standard HTML which often only works in IE and not other browsers.

Macromedia Website
Our web design guide will show you how to use HTML to design a page either in DreamWeaver or Raw HTML. Take the tour and give it a go.

Web design guide
Once you have your site designed and ready with all the content in place you may want to consider getting a template made professionally for you. This is the most cost effective way to get a great looking website without having to pay a web designer to do everything for you. If you don't take this option now, it's certainly worth looking at later. It's the way we've always done it and we save an absolute fortune. Programmers can code pages perfectly, we just can't get them looking great without the help from a designer. Take a look at the template design services from CosmicSiteDesign.com, they are affordable and very effective:-

Template web design
If you are going to open a picture archive then creating thumbnails is essential. Web Thumbnail will create thumbnails in linked HTML pages in no time. Do not trying doing this by yourself. You'll be there for hours!

Step 2 : Get webspace to put your page on

If you don't have any money then start your site on free webspace, as this means no overheads and pure profits. But be warned, as domain names and web hosting are so cheap these days you'll be hard pushed to sell products off a website that is hosted on free web space.

Free web hosting
Accounts are very limited, but you won't find any better.

Step 3 : Submit the site to the major search engines
These should include Alta vista, Yahoo, Excite, Google etc. The use of programs such as Web Position gold and Engenius will improve your search engine rankings. Don't forget, search engine traffic is the best you can get.
Click below to download
Web Position gold

Engenius
Submitting your site to the major search engines is best done manually. There are submission services available that will submit your site to all the minor engines.
Ineedhits submission services

Step 4 : Market, market, market!