How to Build Your Own Web Site with Little Or No Money: The Complete Guide for Business and Personal Use

Bruce Cameron Brown

Jan 2010 · Atlantic Publishing Company

About this ebook

Web sites are an essential tool that every business must have in today s economy. Only 15 years ago, you could count the number of Web sites in the world with five or six digits; today there are between 15 and 30 billion active Web sites and millions more being added every day. Creating a Web site can be a great way to market a new product, promote your business plan, promote yourself, or simply share a few details about your life with the world. The cost of creating a Web site has risen right alongside the number of Web sites created though and many people are nervous about being able to utilise this revolutionary medium without breaking the bank. This book has been created for just such people, outlining for you in perfect detail everything you need to know to create a traffic attracting Web site, while spending little or no money at all. There are countless resources available, and when you put them all together, they provide a complete toolkit that can make anyone a top notch Web site in no time flat. You will learn how to buy a domain name and host your Web site for less than $15, with no additional fees charged to your account. You will learn how to use open source software like Wordpress, Joomla, and Mambo to create a platform on which you can build anything you want. You will learn how blogging has made Web site creation easier than ever and how sites like Squidoo, Facebook, and MySpace allow you more freedom to build traffic and draw more attention to what you are advertising at any given time. You will learn how to use common software to edit and tweak your Web sites and how to read the basic code that all Web sites are created in. In addition, an entire chapter is devoted to teaching you how to promote your Web site and draw traffic to it, without spending a dime in the process. You will learn why information is the most valuable asset on the market and how you can become an expert in a niche of your choosing, making money to cover any fees associated with your Web site. With the added resource of hours of interviews with web professionals you will learn which free resources not to use and which ones to outright avoid, as well as how to find and install open source modules and tools to enhance the look and feel of your site. You will learn where you can find copyright-free images to use on your Web sites and how to get free copy that will draw traffic and entertain your visitors. You will learn how to keep a free Web site from falling into the traps the major search engines set to stop spam and ultimately how to leverage new friends, business contacts, and interactions out of your Web site. If you are now, or have ever, considered starting your own Web site before, this book will map the way for you.

Ratings and reviews

Have you ever wanted to put a personal webpage online? Have you ever wanted to expand your business by going online? How to Build Your Own Web Site with Little or No Money: The Complete Guide for Business and Personal Use is the book you need. In the book, you will learn about website hosting, domain names, marketing your website, and website design. The author easily explains how to make HTML web pages, images, hyperlinks, tables and forms. You will also learn about JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). You will introduction into different software you can use to build a website, like - Adobe Dreamweaver CS4, Microsoft Expression Web 3, CoffeCup, and many others. How to Build Your Own Web Site with Little or No Money is a whopping 720 pages. You do not have to be an expert in web site building to be able to follow the book. The chapters are written for anyone to understand them. I was already somewhat knowledgeable about the HTML code, but I found the chapters on CSS scripts to be interesting. The author lists free and paying site where you can host your site. There is even a chapter on Harnessing the Power of Blogs, and using social networking. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and learned some new things about web site building. *I would like to thank the Atlantic Publishing Group for sending me a copy to review.

This specific book spiked my interest because I've built websites and I've had others build them for me. Even so, I knew there is much more that I can learn and this book didn't disappoint. I was pleased to see a section on "Developing a Successful Business and Marketing Plan & Finding Your Niche." So many people think they could just set up a website and millions of people will flock to it. I know that each one that thought this has been disappointed. This section covers the basics such as market analysis, business objectives, marketing strategies, public profile, etc. It's important that one is clear in all these areas before even attempting to create a website. Once clear, and only then, it is time to proceed with establishing a website. Bruce C. Brown gives step-by-step instructions and information on deciding what format to use. In fact, the section explaining HTML is the most concise, yet user-friendly I have seen. Although you may not be coding yourself the knowledge gained will dispel any anxiety or questions of "why" and "how." Although this book covers everything possible I feel that the section on "Optimizing Your Web Site for Search Engines" is extremely important. Fully understanding how this works will enable you to place your website on the first page, if not on the top of the list, with many search engines. I could go on-and-on of the importance of this book. I feel it is one of the best on the market, and certainly one that isn't all techie-babble. The writing is very reader-friendly, especially for those that have very little knowledge of the industry. Highly recommended.

When I requested “How to Build Your Own Web Site with Little or No Money” for review, I expected the typical ‘how to’ book of basics of putting together a simple internet page. What I got, however, was well above and beyond my wildest expectations. The book is so much more than anything ‘typical’; it’s an honest to goodness ‘Web Site Bible’. “How to Build Your Own Web Site with Little or No Money: The Complete Guide for Business and Personal Use” is *the* book to have if you are interested in building a Web site. Author Bruce C. Brown walks you step by step through every possible nuance related to the subject. What I especially liked about the book is that it didn’t just tell you how to format content and graphics then send you on your way; Brown includes marketing analysis and strategy advice, search engine optimization suggestions, a Pay-Per-Click walk though, and utilizing blogs and social networking to your advantage. It’s everything you’ll need to make your Web site not only attractive but successful. Perhaps a bit daunting to read initially (720 pages!), “How to Build Your Own Web Site with Little or No Money” quickly puts your mind at ease when you realize Brown’s language isn’t just technical jargon. Readers with some computer experience will easily understand Brown’s information but he also incorporates a glossary for those a little light on the lingo. Everything is organized and broken down to aid in the learning process and for effortless reference later. Whether you are building a site from scratch or improving an existing one, the book has something for any aspiring Web designer. The only ‘off’ thing I found about the book was the way it was printed. Each of the pages was printed at a slight angle instead of straight across; when opened, every left page slanted up while every right page slanted down. This made reading slightly irritating at first but it wasn’t long before I quit noticing the slant. I’ve reviewed several books for Atlantic Publishing Group in the past and none have had this issue. So, I’m assuming my copy’s printing problem was unique. Other than this minor point, I was extremely pleased with the quality and content. VERY well done! --Vicki Landes, author of “Europe for the Senses – A Photographic Journal”

About the author

Bruce C. Brown is an award-winning author of more than ten books as well as an active duty Coast Guard officer, where he has served in a variety of assignments for more than 26 years. Bruce is married to Vonda and has three sons: Dalton, Jordan, and Colton. His previous works include: He holds degrees from Charter Oak State College and the University of Phoenix. He currently resides in North Carolina.