Finding a web host

I blogged earlier in the year about trying out a free web hosting service. If you followed those blogs, you are aware that the site was down more than it was up. Taking into account the time spent putting together a website, setting up the server account, and loading the website to the web host server, I concluded that even a free web host was not worth the trouble if the site was down extensively.

Web hosting can be obtained for around $5 a month, and there are many reliable choices. I launched my first commercial website in September, and have found IMH to be a good web host. As with many host companies, their website provides tutorials and instructional materials for website management. They also have customer service tools like a chat line and faq pages that are helpful.

I chose my host company by geographic location and pricing. Decide what aspects of a web host are most important to you, and chose your host accordingly.  Recommendations from friends can also help in the decision making.

Putting your web site file on the web

A FTP transfer program like FileZilla or Dreamweaver is used to set up your remote file and to post your web files to your host account. This is described in GetWeb Hosting for a New Domain - Part 2 on You Tube. Ralph Phillips demonstrates this step using FileZilla and Dreamweaver. His Dreamweaver version is earlier than CS5, but the process is similar. 

Use the web host information copied earlier to give the server information for the site. Use your new domain name as the FTP address.

Once the remote site set up is complete, you are ready to post your files. The key is to drag and drop or “put” the site file into the public html folder. You also should delete the web host’s default.php file which is a temporary display until your site is placed.

File structure is KEY to getting your site to display correctly. Look at the remote file structure in Dreamweaver’s file panel or the FileZilla display. If any of your files have landed outside the public html folder, your site will not display properly.

Drag and drop to move the files until they are inside the public html.

I used Dreamweaver because I use it in my courses. Having said that, the behavior of Dreamweaver with my new web host was different than with the school server.

When I used the general “put” command, the file landed beside the public html file, but not inside it. I simply had to drag and drop the file in the right place.

As I made adjustments to web pages, I found that “putting” added the amended file instead of replacing the old file. To remedy this, I deleted the old file and dragged and dropped the amended file in its place. Also, dragging and dropping doesn’t always get your file in the right place. If this happens, delete it and do it again. Eventually, I got my files in the right place, and was pleased with the result.

If you have problems, review the Phillips You Tube tutorials and verify your set-up steps.

Good luck!