Firstly a web page needs some 'content' – even if it's just a few lines to instruct visitors to go to another page or even a different web site altogether. Or it could contain a menu and articles of information you want to offer people (such as this one) or pages with details of various things you would like to sell. These could be your own products and also those of others. There are so many different ways of doing business on the internet, but more about that later.

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The alternative – learning to do it all yourself

Web pages need to be in a 'language' or format recognised by internet browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera and many other programs. The most common language is HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language). HTML pages can be produced very easily with software you most likely use already – Microsoft Word for instance. There are many programs that will create a file with an '.htm' or '.html' extension. HTML pages can be edited 'manually' using a simple text editor like Notepad. Besides text and images, web pages can include all sorts of extra features, like animated graphics, sound files, even movies. Many programs or web sites provide pre-designed pages (templates) which can be changed to include your own information. Designing attractive well laid out web pages requires some skill and practice, so you can also consider paying someone to do it for you professionally. There is even an inexpensive program available that can actually create new pages, with original content that can be customised, automatically. Learn about The Article System.

Secondly a web page has a unique name called a 'URL' – uniform resource locator. This is what appears in the address box of your browser and usually starts with 'http://www.' followed by the name of the site, and the relevant page reference. This is often the 'url' or address of the site's 'Home Page' on the World Wide Web. By comparison, you probably already have a personal address for your email messages. If you use your own computer to connect to the internet, your 'host' or ISP (Internet Service Provider) may have provided this address for you. Or you may have created a free email address with a service like Hotmail or Yahoo, so you can send and receive emails from any computer. A web site has a 'base address' known as the 'domain name'. This has an extension like .com .net .org and others. The first two are still the best ones to use, but it can be difficult to find a name that hasn't already been used.

Get inexpensive hosting for multiple websites:

Domain name registration is easy and inexpensive too now, generally costing no more than $5 and $10 per year. It may even be less or included free and managed by your chosen hosting company. Domain names remain your personal property as long as you keep them registered in your own or a company name. Existing names can be bought from and sold freely by their current owners. Some people even do this as a business!

Web sites need a 'host' or 'server'. This service may be offered by your current ISP too, or you can choose from many others which can be located anywhere in the world. A host is a company that provides 'space' on its 'servers' which are powerful, high capacity computers. Their resources are sufficient to be shared by different customers, allowing fees to be much less than a few years ago. Larger operators may require 'dedicated servers' which will cost more. There are also free servers still available, but they may not always be reliable and limit what you can do with your web site. They are often 'teasers' with paid upgrade encouraged.

Today hosting multiple sites using an unlimited number of different domain names, with thousands of viewable pages, can be had for under $10 per month, with all the important features and support for webmasters included. HOSTMONSTER is our recommended choice for a well-known, reliable US hosting company.

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Video on the Web

Adding video to your web pages is a great way to increase visitor interest. What used to be a difficult task has now been made very easy with software that will convert a video from your digital camera or mobile phone to a compressed file that you can upload to play on your website or blog – with just a few clicks. The program we recommend and use is called Easy Web Video and if you visit the site you will see why. You can download a copy for just $97 – much cheaper and easier to use than so-called professional video converters

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