(no subject)

[asterroc]

Suppose I wanted to get a webpage. Suppose I know the URL I want and no one else has it. Suppose I also need server space to host the actual webpage. Now what?

Edit: Suppose it is for a professional website.

Originally posted on Dreamwidth. comments there. Comment here or there.

Comments

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

First, register the domain name. Then find a web hosting service. Some web hosts also do domain registration, but are probably going to charge you more than a place that specializes in domain name registration.

I've been using hostgator.com as my web host for 2+ years, and I think they're pretty good. I also did my domain name registration through them, though there are probably less expensive places to do that.

It runs me under $10/month for more storage than I will ever use, and they have a nice dashboard that gives you control over your files and whatever you want to install at your domain - like websites. They've got a whole bunch of blogs and other tools you can install, with a very simple system for installing them (pretty much "click here"). You could either use a Wordpress installation for setting up the site, or another kind of website builder. Hostgator (and many other hosting companies) provides a whole bunch of website designs that you can install for your own use - I have only used Wordpress, so I don't know how easy the other methods are, or how easy they are to customize.

There are SO MANY web hosting companies out there - but most of them should make it really simple for you to install a blog/other website builder, store files and link to them, etc.

ETA: If you're building your own site from scratch so you know all the html, then you (obviously) don't need the built-in website builders at all, though they might be useful as instructional tools.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

Do sites that offer builders also allow uploading your own? I agree I could learn from the builders.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Yep. I actually have nothing but some minimal html on my primary domain. (I have more interesting domains for the sites I -want- people to see, and I put the Wordpress sites on those.)

I don't recall if hostgator has ssh, though I think they do, because I've been happy enough the graphic interface for uploading files, and I'm not a real power user. Also, the file manager interface has some built-in ability to edit html - and other - files right there, so when I've been tweaking css files for the wordpress sites, I don't have to keep uploading new files from my desktop to see the changes.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

From the demos, it seems that Hostgator.com is the same interface as Hostmonster.com, which my union uses, which I find ugly but usable. Do you know, do you have to use Hostgator's webpage to upload files, or are there ways I can set up say Dreamweaver or MS Expression Web to do it within the program? Or can I do that thing on Windows where it's listed within My Network Places, I think it's called VPN?