A lot of people know how to create simple HTML web pages…but they have absolutely no idea how to get it online and published for all to see. This is not something I learned at school (some people believe that just because I went to school, I learned everything I know there). Here’s how it’s done:So you have created a nice-looking HTML web page and would like it online, preferably for free for all to see. I hear ya.
First, make sure it is saved as an HTML page or HTM page. Both will work. Also, make sure that your first page (the page that the visitor will land on if they visit your home directory, is ‘index.html’. You can also name the file “home.html”, “home.htm”, and even “default.htm” or “default.html”. But honestly, I’d just stick to index.html because it is standard.
Ensure that all your hyperlinks works, and all the internal links that link one page to another also works fine. Now it’s time to find a free web host. If you do not have a domain name (e.g. www.yoursite.com), then sign up for a free account at co.cc. This will give you a free www.yoursite.co.cc domain name. It’s not bad for small personal sites. But if you have serious plans for your website then you should get a .com. Places like GoDaddy, Moniker, Dynadot, iDotz etc. are good registrars that won’t ‘steal’ your domain name (remind me to blog about a past experience with another registrar).
I’ve had an okay experience with 000webhost so I would personally recommend them. They offer 1500Mb disk space and 100Gb bandwidth / traffic. If you don’t want to spend anything on a web host just yet, sign up for an account with them.
After you create an account, you will be sent your FTP details. Don’t know what FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is? It doesn’t matter and it’s not important. It’s basically a software that allows you to upload and download files on your server. Download an FTP client, I recommend FileZilla if you have an okay internet connection and Core FTP LE if your internet is a bit slow (like mine). Both softwares are completely free of charge (yay!).
Copy and paste your host, username and password and click on ‘connect’. In some cases you will see some folders, e.g. cgi-bin, public_html, public_ftp, www, htdocs, etc. In most cases your HTML files should be uploaded into the ‘public_html’ or ‘www’ or ‘htdocs’ folders. Check with your hosting provider if you are uncertain. To upload your files through FTP, all you need to do is to highlight your files and drag them into the folder they need to be in.
When they’ve been uploaded to the folder, you can then check http://www.yoursite.com on the address bar and you should be able to see your web pages!
Thanks a lot for bringing forward the concept for free HTML site. A website can be of immense help in establishing an online business and it is the first step towards setting up a business.