I want to create a website. What do I do first?
When you first start out, one of the most confusing aspects is where to find the space you need, what image hosts you should use, what editors you should use for editting your code, etc. This is where you can get a few helpful hints to get you started.
Free WebspaceFirst and foremost, you need webspace. Many people choose to start with a free web server. If that's the case, the one I recommend is Freewebz. They offer you one of two options. You can choose to use an advanced HTML editor and do all of the coding yourself, or you can choose an amateur approach and use their templates, with basically a "fill in the blanks" type of scenario. Some of the free features they offer you are form submissions, guestbooks, free hit counters and more. I've used Freewebz many times with no complaints.
Go to Freewebz
If you want something even simpler, you can use Yahoo Geocities to create a free website which is almost all point and click action. The ease of use is amazing, however you will have to deal with large obtrusive ads on your pages, where Freewebz only requires a small tracking code at the bottom of the page.
Go to Geocities
Free Image HostingIf you require a host that will let you direct link images, then you can try one of the ones below.
Filelodge
Fileden
Photobucket
Image Shack
Tiny Pic
HTML EditorsPersonally, I always use windows notepad or wordpad, and find this the easiest way of doing it. However, if you'd like a program that can help you a little, you can try CoffeeCups Free HTML Editor. This program has hundreds of features, making more advanced codes just a matter of point and click.
Download CoffeeCup HTML Editor
URL RedirectionIf you want your website to have a shortened, domain-like URL, you can use a url redirection service. This gives you a short URL, which when typed into a browser, redirects someone to your website URL. The service I've used in the past is Dot Tk. They do have a banner ad when someone enters your page, but if you scour through the options in your Dot TK account, you have the option to turn this advertising off. There's also ShortURL, which does carry with it a small banner ad, that you can have removed at the cost of $2 a year.
Dot Tk
ShortUrl