You create your web site on your hard drive, but you will place your files on a web server so they will be accessible via the web. This means that you will have to arrange with a company that has a web server to accept or host your site.
Your ISP
One source of hosting that may be available to you is your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Many ISPs include hosting of web sites as part of their agreement with their clients. Typically, they provide about 5 or 10 MB of disk storage. You will need to talk with your ISP about the particulars of their hosting, especially whether they allow commercial sites if that's your interest.
Free Web Sites
There are companies that provide free hosting for web sites. In return for their giving you free hosting, you give them permission to place advertisements on your site (not all companies put ads on your site). The amount disk storage included with the hosting varies with the company. Before you sign up, read their policies so you'll know what your agreement is with them. Some companies claim intellectual ownership of all material you post on their site. Other companies claim ownership of your domain. Be careful!
FreeWebSpace has probably the most comprehensive list of free web sites that is available. You can search their database and get links to literally hundreds of free sites. You also get reviews of the free sites. Cool!
Here are a few of the major sites giving free hosting.
 | AngleFire |
| Fortune City |
| FreeServers |
| GeoCities |
| OneStop.net |
Paid Web Sites
If you want a site free of advertisements, you will have to pay for site hosting. The amount of hard disk storage, and the amount of traffic your site will be allowed varies with the hosting company. Before you sign up, read the contract carefully. The cost of a paid web site ranges from about $3 per month and up, depending on the services provided with the hosting. The company that I use is 1AND1
Your Own Domain Name
If you want your URL to be a domain that is specialized for you or your company, you will need to have your site hosted with a "virtual server". For example, General Motors has its own domain, and its URL is http://www.gm.com/. In choosing your domain name, try to include one that contains your most important keyword, because some search engines use the domain name as a source of keywords. Virtual servers cost more than having your URL as a sub-directory, and you usually get a lot of disk storage, Internet bandwidth, e-mail addresses, and no advertising banners on your pages (unless you put the banners there).
To have your own domain name, you have to register the name. There are many companies that registrar names at discount prices. The company that I use is 1AND1. For links to other registrars, go to the Accredited Registrar Directory and follow the links.
Click here for guidelines on finding a paid server to host your domain.
© Copyright 1998, 2011 Allen Leigh