Creating Your Site
In many ways, actually creating your site is the easiest thing about the adult internet. Anyone with a modicum of computer skills can create a basic site.
You don't need to be an expert in html to create a site anymore. There are many good programs which you can use to help in site creation. While Claris Works, Hot Dog Pro, and others have their proponents, I am going to recommend two programs:
1. For the computer beginner, Microsoft's FrontPage. Yes, it writes somewhat sloppy code. Yes, pages designed on it will not look the same on Netscape. Yes, it will not allow for certain practices such as multiple title lines. However, if you can use Microsoft Word, you can use Frontpage. It is easy and intuitive. And it is fairly cheap.
2. For the more advanced computer user, I recommend Macromedia's Dreamweaver. This is a slick program which writes surprisingly clean html and allows greater flexibility and diversity. And while keeping in mind that sites should be designed for the lowest common denominator, it is sometimes hard to resist some of the extremely kool things you can do with it.
Once you have a basic concept for a site, take a piece of paper and sketch out the general site layout. Look at other sites on the internet and see what you like. How do you want to categorize your pictures? How do you want surfers to go from one page to the next. Keep in mind that you should strive to keep each individual page short and sweet. If possible, try to get your entire site laid out so that a surfer will not have to scroll down. So more pages, in an easy-to-follow link progression, is generally better than a few, long pages.
Use graphics sparingly but effectively. Your initial page, for example, should be less than 30 or 40k. You need to grab the surfers' attention and make your pitch. You can use backgrounds, lines, and images to make a statement without using up too much bandwidth. Try to steer clear of large images or larger animated gifs. Yes, they look good, but many people will give up and go to the next site if the loading takes too long.
One easy technique is to make a nice logo and use it on each of your pages. I use Xara 3-D for many of my logos. Check out their home page to see what they can do. I also make use of Adobe PhotoShop to make either logos, links, or to highlight certain words:
has more "umph" than:
LINKS
while only using up 2k in the process.
One strong word of advice. You might be a computer guru with a Dell 450 Optiplex and cable modem or a T3. Everything is fast and looks good to you. But most people in the world still use a 14.4 mps modem and 14 inch screens. Stay away from frames, java, shockwave, and other high-end techniques. Make the site look good, but use easy, tried and true technologies which everyone can view.
Site Building Steps
1. Organize your pictures/content before you start. (Click here for more details)
2. Build your site.
3. Refining--In order to optimize your search engine rankings, you need to work with your html. Click here for the Site Analysis section.
4. Uploading--If you use Microsoft FrontPage to design your web pages, and if your server can support the FrontPage Extensions, then you can automatically upload your site as you create it. However, for more control, or if you are not using FrontPage, ftp is perhaps the easiest method to get your page from your computer to the server. Ask your hosting server technical support for assistance.
5. Testing--Once you have uploaded your site, test it! Go to it and click on all the pages to see if the links work and the images appear. Try to test it from another computer, if possible. Sometimes, if a site may link to a picture on your harddrive. You will see the image when you test it, but no one else will be able to see it.