Please help, basic questions on web design

[gangst]

Hi,

I am new to web design, and have taken a liking to it, at the moment I am learning Dreamweaver from scratch.
I have decided to take on web design for myself and friends, and will start by uploading .htm files to my .mac HomePage.
But since this is a .Mac page, I thought I would use it to practice my page design and buy a web address to use for myself (this is where my problems begin). I do not know where to start with buying my own web address. Where do I go to? What happens about server hosting? How much does it cost? Is it easy to maintain? etc....
I also was wondering how do you get a website listed on Google and other search engines?
I am a total newbie, so please bare with me, I just don't know where to start.


Thanks in advance.

 

[gangst]

anyone??....

 

[mikebatho]

Well, I don't know about the design of websites myself. I just create images, but I do have a website, and I had the domain name and hosting taken care of by a company called cyberquest.

They're very helpful, and well priced.

I'm sure if you gave somebody there a ring or drop them an email they'd be happy to answer any questions....

webmaster@cyberquest.co.uk

http://cyberquest.co.uk/

Hope this helps.

 

[gangst]

thanks mike

 

[ChicoWeb]

I think your question is so broad no one really wants to take the time to respond. It's like asking how to build a house. Where do I start? What tools do I need? Where should I buy the hardware?

Three things involved in having a website.

1. Domain
2. Server or Web Host
3. The web site

You can buy domains anywhere really now a days. Go daddy has them for resonable price. Host. You can get all sorts of great hosting. I would go with unix platform. Then you begin drafting your website with Dreamweaver or Photoshop or a combonatin of both.

Once you get your website online get it linked from as many places as you can. This will allow for your site to get spidered as quickely as possible for SEO reasons.

This is the most broad response, but you're going to have to do some leg work yourself. Google can answer most of your questions. If you need a webhost, let me know or click on my sig.

 

[ppc_michael]

Dreamhost is a great place for webhosting. You get a few gigabytes for basically the cheapest I've seen. Plus, they will register your domain name for you (whatever-you-want.com) and that domain will be completely free as long as you stay with Dreamhost.

I've been there for two years with no problems.

Getting your site listed on Google/Yahoo/etc. Search engines automatically add pages to their database, it just takes time. However, Google has an "Add URL" page where you can submit your site to ensure that it will index your page at some point. Other search engines have similar pages you can go to, but it's not necessary.

 

[Nickygoat]

But since this is a .Mac page, I thought I would use it to practice my page design and buy a web address to use for myself (this is where my problems begin). I do not know where to start with buying my own web address. Where do I go to? What happens about server hosting? How much does it cost? Is it easy to maintain? etc....

Doesn't your ISP offer you web space? Most do - it might not be a lot but it's worth a try to start with.
After a quick look
BT offer 30MB. Pipex 50MB, Plusnet 100MB, Telewest 30/100MB.
Might be of some use to you.
At least it would be free.

 

[ITASOR]

I would suggest not getting a domain from your host. Most web hosting companies, including my own, buy domains and then resell them to the client, which in turn increases the price by a few dollars a year.

I recommend NameCheap.com ($8.88 .com/.net/.org/.biz $2.88 .info). Then, when you sign you for hosting, there will be an option that looks something like "I already have a domain". It will instruct you to log onto namecheap and change your domain's "DNS" settings to something like ns1.yourhost.com and ns2.yourhost.com.

If you need any help, feel free to PM me, I like talking about this stuff.

 

[gangst]

thanks for everyones help and comments

 

[ChrisWB]

Gangst,

I also recommend DreamHost. My website has been with them for over a year. I host two domains (websites) on a Crazy Domain Insane plan with no problems. If you decide to go with DreamHost, you can have a current customer refer you by giving you a promotional code which will discount your price significantly. This gives you a discount and the referrer gets a benefit, too.