|
Prepare A Web Host
If you did what I suggested in the last part and found a web host then you are ready to begin uploading your page. If not go back and find one. There are two ways of uploading (sending) the files of your website to the server. One of these is using a web-based interface which some web hosts have. If this is what your web host provides you will find all the instructions online. If not you will be using FTP.
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the best way of sending files across the internet. The first thing that you will need is and FTP program. Any program will do but one of the best is Cute FTP. You should download this now. For the rest of this tutorial I will cover what you should do if you are using Cute FTP. Other programs are nearly exactly the same.
Connecting To The Server
Once you have installed Cute FTP connect to the internet and then run it. You will get a screen asking you to register. Click OK to run the program. You will now be shown the
Connections dialog box. There are some pre-made connections but you will need to create a new one. Click Add Site.
You will now see a box like this. Fill in the following:
Site Label: My Site
Host Address: FTP Server Address (e.g yourname.netfirms.com)
User ID: Your User Name (e.g yourname)
Password Your Password (e.g. yourpassword)
All this information will be given to you by your web host. I have included texamples you would use if you signed up to Netfirms with yourname as your user name and yourpassword as your password.
Click OK to close the dialog box and connect to connect to your site's server. You will now see a screen like You will now see a box like
this. It is the main FTP window. In the top pane is the information which is passing between your computer and the FTP server. On the left is a list of files on your computer and on the right is a list of files on your server. At the bottom is a list of files queued for upload.
When you first connect to your host you may get a popup window with some information. Read it and then click OK to close it. The first thing you want to do is find the files to upload. In the left hand pane find and open the folder which contains your site.
Now select all the files in the folder (by holding down shift and selecting the files) and right click to bring up a menu. Click Upload at the top of the menu. Now wait while the files transfer to your web host. Your site should now be ready.
Testing Your Site & Fixing Problems
Open your web browser and go to your site's address on the internet. The first page of your site should appear. If it does not go back to Cute FTP and check that it is called index.htm or index.html. If it is not then rename it to that by right clicking on it and choosing Rename.
Now check that ALL the links on your site work. It is very likely that you may have some problems. If one of the links is broken, look at the address that failed and see what you did wrong (usually it is just spelling a file name wrong). Update it in your web design program, save it, and re-upload that file.
back to Beginners Tutorial |