(Please note that this article only deals with creating web pages that do not conduct monetary transactions over the Internet. If you want to accept payment for your product or services over the Internet, the majority of the web hosting companies require that you pay a monthly fee. Watch for an upcoming article discussing the options available to home based businesses who wish to consider e-commerce.)
A Place to Park Your Page
Surely you have come across a web site that beckons, "Get Your FREE Webpage Here!" These sites are fairly easy to come by. But before you sign up, you need to know what you are looking for. Make a list with your own personal and professional specifications before venturing out. Here's a list to get you started:
- How much space do you actually need?
- How much traffic do you anticipate? (This is the stickler if you are really wanting to drive traffic to your site. Many free web hosts offer a fair amount of space to house your site, but limit the hits per megabyte.)
- Do you mind pop-up windows?
- Will you need to run CGI? Java?
- Read the fine print!!
With these things in mind, here are some of the hottest free web hosts around:
Xoom.com.
Geocities.
TalkCity.
And don't forget to check with your current ISP - they may offer free space to
host
your page. (That is where my page is currently parked - with no restrictions as
to e-commerce, CGI, or commercial usage.)
Creating Your Web Page
Netscape Communicator is what I created my business web pages on. I found it very easy and straightforward, as well as fairly flexible. Other programs have been suggested since, and I might just try them out the next time I need to do a major overhaul. Try Download.com's searchable files for a program that suits your needs and preferences.
Once you have a program to house your HTML, you will need to learn the basics. Yes,
