It’s Time To Build That Website

You can download the NVU software for FREE just go to www.nvu.com. Here is a tutorial on building and editing web pages using the opensource Nvu HTML editor.

Follow the prompts and download the software. You need to choose someone to host your site. All hosts are not created equal. You can get alot for you money if you are careful. Spending about $75.00 a year for a host is all you need to do. With this price you can have unlimited websites. I reccommend one of these three for value and service Bluehost, Hostgator, or Weycrest if you are in the UK. The domains will cost you $5.00-$10.00 a piece for the year depending on how many you pruchase at once, and yes you should have several domain names. In the beginning you really won’t know what name might be the best moneymaker.

Ok, you have your HTML editor, and your guide, and you have a domain name, and a host. Lets build a site! Open your software and check out. For the most part it works like most office software. It has font colors, styles and sizes. Just type what you want. Choose the size of your font and color and plan out a nice headline, sales text, opt-in form etc., simple and to the point. Don’t give the reader too much, just direct them into what you would like them to do. You can add images where you would like, pictures of the product or service you are offering. I usually make a table center page and then lay-out this area into more tables. For instance if you want links to other parts of your website use a table that has one row and three columns. Type Articles, Links, Guide, Gifts, or whatever you would like into these columns. Center the words and make them the size and text style you like. When you click on the table you are working within that table. Click outside the links table and you are working in the bigger table. Choose size, background, and color for each table. Once you have your link table set up you will make hyperlinks that link the words you have chosen to the page you want the reader to got to. Use the same software to make your article page. Make a page with the titles to each of the articles you have. Save each article you have on a separate page as article1, article2, or by name of article. For example your site is bestwebhost. You have an article called What Makes A Good Host. You save the article as “goodhost”. The hyperlink will be www.bestwebhost/goodhost.html. Load each named file using your file manager within your hosting site. The titles on your article page will be hyperlinked to the page set up with the article on it. The possibilities are endless!

Check out my orchid site gallery page at www.care-orchid-care.com/gallery.html. I am working on this site still adding and fixing as it grows in traffic. Notice the links at the top. This is a simple table. The pictures are loaded in either a table (if you want to ad text or color to the background) or you just ad the images side by side and choose the padding around each picture. This is a simple site with no expensive graphics but it looks nice and does the job. You can always purchase graphics and add them as you can afford it. The most important thing is to get started. Choose a subject, topic or product that you believe in and build your site. Get it up so the search engines can start crawling it. Get content and links added as you go and come on - build your empire!

Your domain name is the first place to begin search engine optimization. Let’s say you have a site for web hosting. When someone wants a host for their site they might search web host, web site host, hosting service, web site hosting……do you see what I mean? You need to choose your domain names as natural search words and phrases. What are people typing into the search box? What would you type into the search box? Now go to one of the suggested hosts and look for some domain names. Be creative but choose what people would naturally type as they are searching. You will get better traffic with less work this way.