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Do You Wish You Could Make a Web Site?

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Written by Phyllis Wheeler

Friday, 02 May 2008

by PhyllisWheeler

Since the dawn of time, setting up a viable business has never been easier. Through the Internet, you can now tap the world's marketplace from your living room. But here's the problem: you don't know how to make a Web site!

The world is changing in other ways too. No longer do we expect to get a 9-5 job that lasts many years. In fact, short-term contract jobs without benefits are becoming more and more common. This uncertainty might cause you to consider starting a small business in your spare time. If you get the knack, you may even be able to make enough money to make it your sole income.

But you're not taking the first step. You don't know how! And you think you can't afford it.

There are plenty of tools out there on the Internet that will help you. They are template Web sites that do nearly all the work for you. But there is one problem with them: you don't learn the skills you need to know to manage the site! As a Webmaster you will need to some HTML, the formatting language for Web sites. You'll need to add affiliate links, shopping carts, and clickable ads -- three of the big tools you'll need for earning money on your site.

So how can you learn HTML? There are tutorials on the Internet, and books on the subject. Here's a tip: you don't need to learn a lot of HTML! You just need to know a little to be able to modify your Web site for links and shopping carts. And we'll let you in on a secret: it isn't hard!!

You will need to use Web site creation software. There are basically three alternatives for you: Macromedia Dreamweaver, which is several hundred dollars; Microsoft Front Page, which costs around $100; and Nvu, which is free. Nvu is open source software, originally part of Netscape-that browser that was a competitor to Internet Explorer in what seems like the distant past now. Open-source software is publicly available software that is maintained by programmers on their own time, usually because they want to provide us with an alternative to Microsoft.

You'll need Web site hosting, too. (That's renting space on someone's server in cyberspace.) You can pay a lot of money for plenty of bells and whistles. But what you really need to get started is a simple hosting solution. You can find these for as little as $25 per year, including domain registration (that's reserving a domain name that is just for you, such as www.myspot.com). The secret is usually this: the hosting company wants you to deal with them for both domain hosting and domain registration. You can put "cheap domain hosting" into a search engine and look for simple, user-friendly solutions.

E-books are becoming more and more common. When you buy an ebook, you are paying for the information in it, pure and simple. In fact, that's all it is, information. You have to provide the printer if you want a hard copy. E-books are popular because they provide information instantly--something that folks in our culture are happy to pay for. In fact, you may be able to find an e-book on how to use Nvu.

About the Author:

Be sure you take Phyllis Wheeler's six wise free Internet business lessons. If you would like to make a web site on a budget, you can do it using Phyllis Wheeler's e-book Web Site ABC's and free software Nvu.

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