The Newbies Guide to Web design - To the detailed: How to get your own domain name There are a lot more choices than dot-com Choose carefully - as you would name a new baby One name, multiple domains? Now, where do you hang your new name? All web hosts are not created equal, from costs to services to support What to look for beyond the monthly or annual fee When - and how - to cut and run if your host doesn't measure up What software and equipment you need - and what you don't Pre-written scripts, many free, are fairly easy to install and can work miracles Depending on need and application, add audio and video to a website with equipment you already have - or go pro Dreamweaver, FrontPage, MS Word - for starters WYSIWYG - Myth or merely fantasy? How to set up your first site in 5 minutes flat Using your host's online site creation system - with pros and cons Using prebuilt templates - thousands available free - to give even your first effort a high-class, professional look How to FTP How to create a more complex website in a few hours or days Move from free templates to paying a few dollars for a package or a few hundred dollars for a complete prebuilt site Where to find - and how to use - templates, scripts, advanced creation software and other tools When, where and what to look for if you need professional help Price does not always mirror quality Neither does experience - ask for multiple site examples and get feedback from previous customers Where to "shop" your request - and have dozens bidding to do your project How to put it all together with the least amount of blood, sweat and tears There are at least a dozen widely used browsers other than Internet Explorer - and no two will display your site exactly the same way Multiply that several times over to accommodate different monitors with different screen sizes and settings (resolution, color, contrast, etc.) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Contrary to popular belief, "search engines" do NOT actually search the Internet If you build it, they will NOT come - unless you tell them you exist and where to find you And why How to avoid innocent mistakes that could get you banned from the search engines, your Web host - even the Internet itself Content is King How to fill those empty spaces How to do that with something people actually want to see How to keep it fresh - people and search engines both hate sites that are never updated Troubleshooting The pros and cons of Flash, Java, tables, frames, PDFs, site navigation, site search and more Validate your design Keep your links alive Monitor your traffic A picture paints a thousand words Choosing and using the best graphics programs Paint Shop Pro Photoshop Free alternatives