Table of Contents

	192 Introduction To Web Presence Providers
	

		
» Web presence providers are companies that store Web pages and make them available on the Web.
		
 
		
• Web presence providers store Web pages on computers called Web servers. Web servers store, monitor and control access to Web pages.
		
 
		

		
Internet Service Providers

		Internet service providers are companies that offer people access to the Internet. Most Internet service providers offer space on their Web servers where customers can publish their Web pages free of charge.

		

		
Commercial Online Services

		Commercial online services such as America Online and The Microsoft Network will publish Web pages created by customers for free. Many commercial online services offer easy-to-use programs to help people create and publish Web pages.

		

		
Free Web Presence Providers

		There are many companies on the Web that will publish your Web pages for free. These companies offer a limited amount of storage space and may place advertisements on your Web pages.

		

		»You can find companies that will publish yur Web pages for free at the following Web sites:

		

		• http://www.xoom.com

		• http://www.geocities.com

		• http://www.tripod.com

		
		

		
Dedicated Web Presence Providers

		Didicated Web presence providers are companies that specialize in publishing Web pages for a fee. Dedicated Web presence providers are flexible and offer features that other Web presence providers do not offer.

		

		
Your Own Web Server

		Purchasning your own Web server is the most expensive way t publish Web pages and requires a full-time connection to the Internet. Setting up and maintaining your own Web server is difficult, but will give you the greatest amount of control over your Web pages.
		
		



	194 Choose A Web Presence Provider
	

		
» You should consider several factors when choosing a Web presence provider to publish your Web pages.
		
 
		

		
Technical Support

		A Web presence provider should have a technical support department to answer your questions. You should be able to contact the department by telephone or by email. A good technical support department will respond to questions you send by email within a day.

		

		
Traffic Limit

		When readers view your Web pages, information transfers from the Web server to their computers. The amount of information that transfers depends on the number of people that view your Web pages and the file size of your pages.

		

		Most Web presence providers limit the amount of information that can transfer in one day. If more information transfers, you may have to pay extra. You should choose a Web presence provider that allows at least 50MB (megabytes) of information to transfer in one day.

		

		
Reliability

		Make sure the Web presence provider you choose is reliable. A Web presence provider should be able to tell you how often their Web servers shut down. You may want to ask a Web presence provider for customer references that you can contact. You should take into consideration that all Web presence providers occasionally shut down their Web servers for maintenance and upgrades.

		

		
Storage Space

		Most Web presence providers limit the amount of space you can use to store your Web pages. Choose a Web presence provider that allows you to store at least 5MB (megabytes) of information.

		

		
Access Logs

		A good Web presence provider will supply you with statistics about your Web pages, such as which Web pages are the most popular and where your readers are from. You can also view any error messages that readers may see when viewing your Web pages, such as "Page Not Found". Access logs can help you determine if you need to make changes to your Web pages.

		

		
Shopping Software

		If you plan to use your Web pages to sell products on the Web, you should consider a Web presence provider that offers shopping software. Shopping software simplifies the task of creating Web pages that allow reaers to purchase products. You can easily create Web pages that accept orders, verify credit card numbers, generate invoices and organize product shipments.

		

		
Domain Name Registration

		For a fee, you can choose the address, or domain name, that people type to access your Web pages. A personalized domain name is easy for people to remember and will not change if you switch to another Web presence provider. Most Web presence providers will register a domain name for you for a fee.

		

		
DataBase Access

		If you want to give readers access to a large amount of information, you should choose a Web presence provider that lets you use a database progam on the Web server. A database program can store a large amount of information, such as a product list. When a reader requests information, the Web server will search the database for the information and then display the requested information on a Web page.

		

		
Secure Web Servers

		Many Web presence providers offer secure Web servers. Secure Web servers allow you to publish Web pages that request confidential information from your readers, such as credit card information. Secure Web servers use special software to encode confidential information that transfers between readers and the Web server.

		

		
CGI Script Access

		Web pages can include forms that allow readers to send you questins and comments, order products or fill out questionnaires. If you plan to use forms on your Web pages, make sure your Web presence provider allosw you to use CGI scripts. CGI scripts are programs that process information sent by a form.

		

		
Shell Access

		Shell access allows you to edit your Web pages directly on a Web server. This lets you make changes to your Web pages without having to edit the pages on your computer and then transfer the updated pages to the Web server. Shell access allows you to edit your Web pages from any computer connected to the Internet, which is useful if you plan to update your Web pages from more than one location.
		
		



	198 Specify Keywords
	

		
» You can specify keywords to help search tools catalog your Web page.
		
 
		
• When readers enter words in a search tool that match your keywords, your Web page will more likely appear in the search results.
		
 
		

		
Directly below the <Head> tag, type <Meta Name="keywords" and then press the SpaceBar.

		

		
Type Content="?"> replacing ? with a list of words that describe your Web page. Separate each word with a comma and a space.

		
		


		
Example: Specify Keywords
		
 
		

		<HTML>

		<Head>

		<Meta Name="keywords" Content="car, corvette, corvete, mustang, speed">

		<Title> Sports Car Home Page </Title>

		</Head>

		<Body>

		
		

	

		

		
Readers will not see the information in the Meta tag when they view your Web page.

		

		
You should use general and specific words to describe your Web page, such as "car" and "corvette." you may also want to include misspelled words that people may type, such as "corvete."

		
		



	199 Specify Web Page Summary
	

		
 
		
» You can specify a summary for your Web page that you want search tools to display when they find your Web page.
		
 
		
• If you do not specify a summary, search tools will use the first few sentences on your Web page for the summary.
		
 
		

		
Directly below the <Head> tag, type <Meta Name="description" and then press the SpaceBar.

		

		
Type Content="?"> replacing ? with a summary of your Web page.

		Try to limit the summary to one or two sentences.
		
		


		
Example: Specify Web Page Summary
		
 
		

		<HTML>

		<Head>

		<Meta Name="description" Content="Information and pictures of sports cars.">

		<Title> Sports Car Home Page </Title>

		</Head>

		<Body>

		
		
		


	

		

		
Readers will not see the information in the Meta tag when they view your Web page.
		
		


	200 Prepare To Publish Web Pages
	

		
» Before publishing your Web pages on the Web, you must prepare to transfer the pages to a Web server.
		
 
		

		
Check Web Page File Names

		Your Web page file names should all have the .htm or  .html extension

		

		Example: Garden.html

		

		and should not include spaces or unusual characters, such as * or &. You should check with your Web presence provider to ensure that you use the correct name for your home page. Home pages are usually named index.html

		

		
Organize Web Page Files

		You should store all of your Web pages in one folder on your computer. Make sure the folder also contains all the images, sounds, videos and other files you included on your Web pages. If the folder contains many files, you may want to store some of the files in subfolders. For example, you can store all the images for your Web pages in a subfolder called "images".

		

		
Check File References

		After you organize your Web page files, you should check all references to the files on your Web pages.

		

		

		
For example, if an image on a Web page is stored in the same folder as the Web page, make sure you specified just the name of the image.

		Example: Porsche.gif

		

		
If an image on a Web page is stored in a subfolder, make sure you specified both the name of the subfolder and the name of the image.

		Example: images/Porsche.gif

		

		
		
Check Total File Size Of Web Pages

		Make sure the total file size of all your Web pages does not exceed the amount of space that your Web presence provider allows. If the total file size is too large, an error message will appear when you try to transfer the Web pages.

		

		
Obtain An FTP Program

		You need a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program to transfer your Web pages to a Web server. You can obtain popular FTP programs at the following Web sites:

		

		

		
WS_FTP Pro (Windows)

		http://www.ipswitch.com

		

		
Fetch (Macintosh)

		http://www.dartmouth.edu/pages/softdev/fetch.html

		
		
		



	202 Transfer Web Pages To Web Server
	

		
» You must transfer your Web pages to a Web server to make the pages available on the Web.
		
 
		

		
Start the FTP program you will use to transfer your Web pages to a Web server.

		• In this example, we are using WS_FTP Pro.

		• The WS_FTP Sites dialog box appears.

		

		
Click the MySites folder to add a new connection to this folder.

		

		
Click New to set up a new connection to your Web server.

		• The New Site/Folder dialog box appears.

		

		
Click FTP Site option to set up a new connection.

		

		
Click in the area titled with name and then type a name for the connection.

		

		
Click Next to continue.

		

		
Type the address of the Web server you want to transfer your Web pages to.

		

		
Click Next to continue

		

		
Type your user ID.

		

		
Click in the Password area and then type your password. A symbol (*) apears for each character you type to prevent others from seeing your password.

		

		
To save your password so you will not need to retype the password again later, click the Save Password option box.

		

		
Click Finish.

		

		• The program stores the informatin you entered for the connection and displays the name of the connection on your computer in the following directory folder:

		C:/...Ipswitch/MySites/My Web Site
		
		

	

		
• Why was I disconnected from my Web server?
		
 
		
If you do not use the Web server for a period of time, the Web server will automatically disconnect you. This helps ensure that the Web server's resources will be available for other people who need to access the Web server.
		
• The time required to transfer your Web pages to a Web server depends on the connection speed, the file size of your Web pages and how busy the Web server is.
		
 
		
• Most Web pages will transfer in a few seconds.
		
 
		
 
		
FTP Program Overview
		
 
		
• The left window of the FTP program displays the folders and files stored on your computer.
		
• The right window of the FTP program displays the folders and files stored on your Web server.
		
 
		
» Connect To Web Server
		
 
		

		
Click the connection for the Web server you want to transfer your Web pages to.

		
C:/...Ipswitch/MySites/My Web Site


		
Click OK to connect to the Web server.

		• You are now connected to the Web server.

		

		
Locate the folder that contains the Web page(s) you want to transfer to the Web server.

		Note: You can double-click the Green Up-Arrow to move up one level in the folder structure.

		

		
Double-click the folder to display the contents of the folder.

		• The left window displays the folders and files stored on your computer.

		• The right window displays the folders and files stored on the Web server.

		

		
Locate the folder you want to transfer your Web pages to. In many cases, the folder is named public.

		

		
Double-click the folder to display the contents of the folder.

		The contents of the folder appear.

		

		
Click a file or folder on your computer that you want to transfer to the Web server.

		

		
Click the Right-Arrow icon between the left and right windows to transfer the file or folder to the Web server.

		The file or folder appears on the Web server.

		

		
Repeat steps 7 and 8 for each file and folder you want to transfer.

		

		
When you finish transferring files and folders, click Close to end the connection to the Web server.

		

		
Click Exit to exit the program.

		
		



	208 Test Your Web Pages
	

		
» You should test your Web pages to make sure they look and work the way you planned.
		
 
		
• Test your Web pages to see how easily you can browse through the information. Make sure your Web pages have a consistent design and writing style and do not contain formatiing or layout errors.
		
 
		

		
Check Links

		You should regularly check the links on your Web pages to make sure they will take your readers to the intended destinations. Make sure the linked Web pages still exist and contain useful information.

		

		
Use A Validation Service

		You can use a validation service to check your Web pages for HTML errors. You can find a validation service at the http://www.validator.w3.org Web site.

		

		
Transfer Speed

		Determine how long your Web pages take to appear at different transfer speeds. Many people use modems that transfer information at 56Kbps, but slower modems are still common. Web pages with large file sizes may take a long time to transfer.

		

		
Turn Off Images

		Some people turn off the display of images to browse the Web more quickly, while others use Web browsers that cannot display images. You should view your Web pages without images to ensure that readers who do not see images will still find your pages usefule.

		

		
View At Different Resolutions

		The resolution of a monitor determines the amount of information that will appear on a screen. Readers will view your Web pages at different resolutions. You should view your Web pages at the two most popular resolutions: 640x480 and 800x600.

		

		
View In Different Web Browsers

		You should view your Web pages in different Web browsers to make sure the pages look the way you planned. Each Web browser will display your Web pages in a slightly different way. Test your Web pages with the two most popular Web browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

		

		
View On Different Computers

		Web pages can look different when displayed on different computers. You should view your Web pages on differeent computers to ensure the pages appear the way you planned. You should also make sure any sounds, videos or other multimedia you added to the Web pages work the way you intended.
		
		



	210 Publicize Your Web Pages
	

		
» After you publish your Web pages, there are several ways you can let people know about the pages.
		
 
		

		
Mail Announcements

		You can mail an announcement about your Web pages to family, friends, colleagues and clients. You can also mail information about your Web pages to local newspapers and magazines that may be interested in your Web page.

		

		
EMail Messages

		Most email programs include a feature called a signature, that allows you to add the same informatin to the end of every email message you send. You can use a signature to include information about your Web pages in all your email messages.

		

		
Exchange Links

		If another page on the Web discusses ideas related to your Web pages, you can ask if they will include a link to your pages if you do the same. This allows people reading the other Web page to easily visit your Web pages.

		

		
Web Page Advertisements

		Many companies set aside areas on their Web pages where you can advertise your Web pages. The LinkExchange helps you advertise your Web pages free of charge. The LinkExchange is located at the adnetwork.linkexchange.com Web site.

		

		
NewsGroups

		You can send an announcement about your Web pages to discussion groups called newsgroups. Make sure you choose newsgroups that discuss topics related to your Web pages. You can announce new or updated Web pages to the comp.infosystmes.www.anounce newsgroup.

		

		
Mailing Lists

		You can send an announcement to carefully selected mailing lists. A mailing list is a discussion group that communicates through email. You should read the messages in a mailing list for a week before sending an announcement to make sure the mailing list members would be interested in our Web pages. You can find a directory of mailing lists at the www.liszt.com Web site.

		

		
Search Tools

		Search tools help people quickly find information on the Web. You can add your Web pages to various search tools so people can easily find your Web pages.

		You can see a description of the top 100 search tools at the www.mmgco.com/top100.html Web site. You can add your Web pages to many search tools at once at the www.submit-it.com Web site.