How to Create Start a Website

Conceptualize. Never jump into a project without first figuring out exactly what you want to do. Software offers such a multitude of options that you can easily lose focus during creation. Be sure to have a solid plan before you begin to build.
Chose a platform to build your website. If you have minimal knowledge of HTML, use Moonfruit or a similar program that requires no knowledge of HTML. If you want to be a bit more advanced, use Adobe Dreamweaver or comparable software to build your website.
Follow your original plan, but feel free to improvise a bit. Once you open a builder, you will be shocked at the array of tools at your disposal. Many preset themes may fit your tastes; alternatively, create your own design based on your concept from the first step.Spice up your website with photographs. Find a stock photo site to use by conducting an Internet search.
Publish your website. You need to choose a domain name and a hosting plan for your site. The Internet offers many free options for hosting; however, a domain name will never be free if it stands alone. For example, “xyz.com” cannot be obtained for free. Alternatively, “tripod.com/xyz” may be available for free.
Profit from your creation. Even if you do not sell a product, your website can earn money in the form of advertising revenue. Google and Yahoo both offer programs that will pay you when people click on their ads on your site. Other Web advertising services are out there as well. The more traffic you pull in, the more advertising revenue you can make. Thus, be sure to optimize your meta-tags to boost your search engine optimization (SEO). Also, be sure to submit your website to Google and other search engines. Free programs will let you do so. Finally, consider paying to buy some advertising for yourself. It may pay dividends to invest some money upfront to jump-start your traffic.
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How to Create Custom Error Pages

Create your custom error page. Your custom error page can be whatever you'd like it to be -- funny, whimsical or apologetic. Create the 404 page in HTML and/or CSS code or use website design software like Adobe's Dreamweaver or Microsoft's Expression Studio.
Save your new error page as '404.html'. Save it into a folder or area on your computer where you can find it later to upload it to your website.
Log in to your hosting site and locate the .htaccess file. It should be in the main directory of your website, i.e., 'http://www.yourwebsitename.com/.htaccess."
Download the .htaccess file onto the computer or open it if your website has editing capabilities. If you downloaded it onto the computer, open it in a word processing program like Notepad.
Add the line 'ErrorDocument 404 http://www.yourwebsitename.com/404.html" to the document.
Save the .htaccess file and upload it back to your site (if downloaded).
Upload your '404.html' webpage to your domain, keeping it in the main directory of your site, e.g., 'http://www.yourwebsitename.com/404.html."
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How to Download and Use Website Templates (5 Steps)

Search for template sites online, looking for a template that suits your needs. If you're creating a website for a business such as real estate or accounting, you can find several templates with themes suited to those industries. If you're creating a personal website, find a design that suits your personality or the topics you'll be covering on your website. Note which platforms the templates are designed to work on. Some are for use with Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage or WordPress. Note that Dreamweaver and FrontPage would need to be purchased if they didn't come with your computer. WordPress can be downloaded for free.
Download the template by clicking on the 'Download' button on the page where you found the template. If it isn't free, you will have to purchase it before you will have access to a download link.
Unzip the files after they've been downloaded onto your computer. Double-click on the Zip file, or right-click and select 'Unzip File'. You will be prompted to select a place to which to extract the files. Create a new folder on your computer with a name and location that you will remember.
Upload the files. Your website hosting provider may have an online file manager so you can transfer the files to their server. If not, you will need to download an FTP program. You can find various FTP programs for free online. Connect to your host using your username, password and FTP address. Contact your host for this information if you don't know it. Upload the template into the public_html folder if you can find this folder on your host's server. If you can't, contact your host and ask them for the appropriate place to upload the files.
Access your administration panel through your website platform. This could be WordPress, FrontPage, Dreamweaver or another program. You will generally need a username and password to access it. You can change the text and make some design adjustments if the template allows.
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