Get a Domain (URL):

To get the most out of your hosting account you should consider buying a domain. The domain is what you or your site visitors would type into a web browser in order to get to your space. While this isn't required, it makes site navigation much easier for you and your visitors.

I suggest getting your domain from GKG.net . While there are many other ICANN certified domain registrars their prices range widely with little or no discernible differences in services. For example, a 1 year registration of “yourname.com” would cost $9.99 per year at GKG while the same domain for the same amount of time with Network Solutions would be $35.00 per year.

Note: Every registrar also offers additional “products” you can add to your domain name registration. It is important to note that with this hosting account, those additional items are useless!

Things you will need:

One of the ideas that I am trying to stress with this hosting setup is that having your own website should not cost an arm and a leg. By harnessing the power of freely available open source software you too can have the same powerful toys as the pros. Below I will describe what you need, and how to get it for your budget.

• An HTML editor: HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) is the first language of the Internet. While a simple text editor like Notepad will suffice, I would suggest a dedicated HTML editor. Most dedicated editors change the text colors based on the section of code you are working on. For example, table code could be green, links in purple, images in red. Thats a big help when looking for code typos and broken links.
  
  There are some great HTML editors out there including CoffeeCup HTML ($49), CuteHTML($19) and Dreamweaver MX 2004 ($399). There are a number of free, open-sourced editors out there such as 1 st Page 2000, HTML-Kit, AceHTML and many others, all of which with a little practice will work so much better than Notepad or Word.
  
  Beware of editors that call themselves “what you see is what you get” or WYSWIG. These editors such as older versions of Dreamweaver, FrontPage by Microsoft, Microsoft Word and Netscape Communicator's HTML editor all have a nasty habit of writing really bad, redundant code which will only cause you headaches in the long run.
• An FTP client: FTP stands for file transfer protocol. As you can guess, its what allows files written on your computer to be transferred to the server computer so the rest of the world can see it.
  
  A good FTP program allows you to drag and drop files just like in Windows Explorer but with some safety features such as overwrite prompts and “resume.”
  
  Some free FTP clients are ws_ftp LE, smartFTP, core FTP, and FileZilla.
• A graphic editor: Graphics are almost as important to the message your site delivers as the text itself. In order to awaken the Rembrandt in all of us, we need the proper tools. There are currently 3 graphics programs worth your time. They are: Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 ($99), Adobe Photoshop CS ($649) and GIMP (free).
  
  GIMP is an open source project which has made considerable strides in the last few versions in order to become a powerful imaging suite in its own right and not just a clone or close approximation of Photoshop, the gold standard. Paint Shop Pro is a smart choice as a financial investment. It has the ability to open images made in most professional, proprietary formats as well as an intelligent, easy to use interface.
  
  When it comes to graphical power, there is no name more respected than Photoshop. However, unless you are planning on making a career out of image editing, the difference in price between GIMP, Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop should be your primary basis for comparison.

Getting Started

Basics:

The basis of 90% of all web pages is. The basis for HTML is a series of text-based commands called tags. These tags are encased in < and > signs. For example, to display a graphic you would use an <img> tag.

While HTML is primarily used for layout and structure purposes it has yielded some of its authority to Cascading Style Sheets or CSS. CSS allows a central point of control for fonts, tables, margins, etc. Changes to the single style sheet reverberate throughout your entire site. It make updates, improvements and corrections to your site simple and it removes the doubt over whether or not you fixed every instance of something.

With HTML and CSS managing your layout and text, you might think thats all you need and for a majority of pages it is. There are circumstances when you need something to happen such as a drop down menu or play a sound. These interactive features require scripting.

There are two types of scripts involved in web sites: those which run on the server aka server side, and those which run on the visitors computer aka client side.

The most common example of client side scripting is Javascript. Javascript is used for navigation scripts and mouse over images. One of many server side scripting languages is called PHP. There is a ton of online material with sample scripts, tutorials and helpful forums.