Before you get into the technical side, you need some kind of basic idea to work with. I suggest getting some paper and a pen first. Start by sketching a layout of what you want your web page to look like. For example, a simple title at the top, the area where you want any content, images, and so on. Now it’s time to code something!
Don’t be put off by the word programming. Anyone can learn it and there are several websites that offer free tutorials. One such site is http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp. Although you don’t need to be a top-notch programmer to create and run your website, you should learn the basics of HTML. I recommend that you familiarize yourself thoroughly with tables. They are widely used and you can use them (even if you are a beginner) to create a professional looking layout.
You can use any simple text editor like Notepad to write, edit and save your code (HTML). When saving your work for the first time, choose Text Document as the file type and then save with an htm extension (e.g. index.htm). Your home page (the first page people usually see) is usually saved as index.htm. To see what your page looks like, double click on the file and it should automatically open in your browser.
Now that you have your website ready, it’s time to find a host (a place for your website to live). Since this is your first website, I suggest you use free web hosting. Some hosters place advertisements, e.g. a banner, on your website as a cost of free hosting. Others only charge you to register your domain name (www.YourSite.com). Be careful not to accidentally sign up for extras like URL protection, spam control, etc. (unless you feel you need them) as they increase your costs. These sites have bandwidth limitations (how much data can be transferred per month), email accounts, and maybe a few other things, but are still great for beginners. If later you feel you need more, you can usually upgrade. To find a host, just use any search engine and the Free Web Hosting keyword phrase.
OK! You’ve designed a layout for your web page, learned some basic HTML skills, coded your web page, found your host with the most (couldn’t resist) and registered your URL (www.yoursite.com). Now it’s time to upload (transfer) your file (webpage) to your host. You need an FTP program for this. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. Usually when you use this application there are two windows. The left pane shows your computer files and the right pane shows the files stored on your host. For a good tutorial and to download a freeware FTP program, FTP Commander, go to (http://www.nexcess.net/hosting/support/tutorials/ftp/ftpcommindex.php).
Now you should be ready to use. But don’t stop there. Continue with Teak, add pages, learn to link to other pages and sites, and add new content often. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll learn to benefit from your creation.
