| Surfing the internet has become an important part of | | | | use. |
| most peoples lives. Whether you want to learn how | | | | - .gov-is used by U.S. governmental entities and |
| to make a web page for business purposes or just | | | | agencies. |
| for fun, you will find that it really is not too hard. A | | | | - .info-usually used for informative websites. |
| web site can be built inexpensively. You will need to | | | | - .edu-is used for education institutions such as |
| purchase a domain name and hosting and after that | | | | schools and universities. |
| all you will need is the knowledge of how to use free | | | | - .org-is normally used by organizations but anyone |
| online tools. An attractive website should do the | | | | can use it. |
| following things: | | | | There are many, many more of these extensions |
| - Simple, easy to navigate sites are the best. Too | | | | including country/region Top Level Domains. After |
| much clutter confuses the reader. | | | | you have found your domain name, you will need to |
| - You must have good content. People want to | | | | see if it is available and then register it. Most domain |
| know what your site is about immediately. | | | | names can be purchased for under $10. This will be a |
| - Fast loading sites should be a priority. Often when a | | | | yearly payment in order to keep your domain name. |
| site loads slowly, I click away from it. | | | | The final step in making a web page, is to choose |
| - The design should be attractive; that is pleasing to | | | | your web page host. What is a web host, you ask? |
| the eye. | | | | A web host is a server that is always connected to |
| In my opinion, it is best to search the internet for | | | | the internet so your website is available online. There |
| websites that you find attractive. You will then know | | | | are many reliable hosting services available. If you |
| what you want and don't want in your own site. | | | | search, you can find a free hosting provider. They |
| Consider fonts, colors and images that are the most | | | | vary in services offered and you can transfer to |
| appealing. What your actual words look like is called a | | | | another web host at any given time. Try to |
| font, and there are many. This style of font is called | | | | anticipate what your future needs may be when |
| Verdana. Tahoma and Georgia are two other popular | | | | picking your web host. The following are three |
| fonts. You can bold, use italics, or even underline | | | | different hosting options: |
| keywords or other words of importance. | | | | - Free hosting normally is for small personal sites. I |
| Take a little time in choosing your domain name. That | | | | have been able to find free hosting that gives me |
| is the name of your site and it should hopefully have | | | | unlimited space and domains. See below. |
| a relevant keyword included. A domain name should | | | | - Shared hosting is when many sites are housed on |
| convey what your site is about. They can actually be | | | | one server. Business and professional sites can |
| over 60 characters long. Personally, I think domain | | | | choose this option. |
| names with no more than 30 characters are best. | | | | - Dedicated hosting is used for web sites with high |
| Domain names include what is called a Top Level | | | | traffic. These sites need a higher degree of security |
| Domain. These are extensions to the domain name | | | | and possibly will use their custom software. |
| and some of the more common ones are: | | | | Hosting services are generally around $10 a month. |
| - .com-the most common extension for personal or | | | | You can find hosting for free as I did if you are |
| business websites. | | | | interested in saving $120 a year. |
| - .net-this is a network extension that anyone can | | | | |