Last week when I was googling for some computer projects I noticed on many websites ads related to the same thing: getting a simple website up and running for free, low cost, or really cheap :-s. So, I decided to share what I think is the best trick to get this done.For this case, I’ll explain how to create a one page website for someone that even doesn’t know what HTML is, or for the toughest part, how it works.
Getting a website up and running can be as simple as 5 steps:
1. Buy a domain name or get a free one with a free hosting account if you really don’t want to spend on it. There are many web hosting companies offering this option; of course, you will probably end up having a few advertisements around your web – this is the standard rule with free stuffs. However, you can find hosting companies that display only a little link to them, and this is something you can live with short or long term.
2. Design your first and only page with the information necessary and pictures you want others see. Since you won’t be coding anything, do it by creating a new page in your image/graphic editor program like Inkscape (you can get it free at http://inkscape.org/) and start placing content (images, text, colors, etc) to resemble your desired web page. You can also achieve this by using a word processor like Microsoft Word and using free legal images found in recognized places like microsoft.com. It’s important to keep in mind the dimensions of each object and try to stick to standard monitor sizes. When you have the whole design as you wanted, save it as a “.jpeg” or “.png” file; this way you will only have a file compatible with all browsers and easy to upload. Be creative and think at it as if you were creating a poster for your business but instead of printing it you are going to display it on a screen.
3. Open your notepad program or a free HTML editor like pspad and create a new file. Choose HTML file if it gives you the option to do so or save it as index.html. copy and paste the following code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang=”en”>
<head>
<meta charset=”utf-8″ />
<title>your website name or any other title in here</title>
</head>
<body>
<img src=”your_image_name.jpeg”/>
</body>
</html>
Substitute where it says “your_image_name.jpeg” for the name of your jpeg or png file and again save as index.html
4. Upload the index.html file as well as your .jpeg or .png file into the folder provided by your hosting company. Inside your ftp account, which communicates with your hosting space, simply try to locate where your hosting company uploaded a file called “index.html” or “default.html” and substitute it with your new one. Make sure you uploaded the 2 files – index.html, and the .jpeg or .png.
5. open a web browser and type your website name (e.g www.YourWebsiteName.com) and Voilá! it should display your design as a website page.
Even when some people could find these steps so trivial, there are thousands of others that don’t have a clue on how to do it. The final result I shared is simple but can be as powerful as many websites out there. As much as you are able to put your creativity to work at best, and full passion into it, your website will be able to convey your intention. This technique can help you create a website to share information about your arts, hobbies, business services, events, or even to showcase your most recent acquisition like your new car, home, diploma, or baby 🙂
Make good use of this post. If you don’t know how to code more complex websites that doesn’t necessarily mean you will lack creativity online neede to manage your projects. In the event you still find this a hard or stupid work to do, simply contract or hire a web designer that will empathize with your project and give your design a boost. Although some website design projects may seem easy to describe, it isn’t the same case when you are about to do it. Show respect for other people’s skills and be open to negotiate the price that comes with it. Good luck.