As a note, free websites for advertising your own products or services should not be confused with some affiliate opportunities that offer free websites  to promote predetermined products and services with replicated websites.

Here are some of the features you should look  for when shopping around for  free website hosting

• Free domain names. (You will have to choose an existing name from a list of sub domains)
• Unlimited web pages (clarify what is meant by unlimited before signing up)
• Free web hosting. (Make sure that the company has been in business for awhile.  A lot of free hosting companies are here today and gone tomorrow)
• FTP access for uploading files.
• A WYSIWYG program to design your own website free.  (This is wishful thinking)
• At least 5mb file size limits. (This is important)
• Unlimited bandwidth (Clarify this before signing up)
• Secure hosting service.  ( Up at least 98% of the time or better)
• Interactive features (chat rooms, message boards, games, online ordering.  Some companies offer this as a paid add on)
• Free email account(s)
• Online support and help desk (shy away from companies that don’t offer support)

You may not find all of the above features on any one free website host, but you should be able to find most of them.  Some free hosting companies will supply a lot of these features and charge for others, such as chat rooms, message boards, etc.  Some will give you everything free and then start charging later.  Be ready to pay or bail.

Unfortunately, build free website comes with restrictions and limitations.   Spam is not tolerated with any web hosting company, free or paid, and when it is free, any “sniff” of spam can cause immediate cancellation without explanation.  Although, the companies will advertise unlimited bandwidth, if you plan to offer movies, large mp3 files, or some other large files, you may have to limit your downloads, in order not to exceed the actual bandwidth limitation.   Because free website services generate their income from advertising on the free websites they offer, you will not be able to redirect your website for any reason and any attempt to do so will probably result in termination without notice.

Even with the restrictions and some of the annoying limitations, it is possible to get your product or service on the internet at no initial cost to you.  However, if you intend to stick around for awhile and brand your identity on the internet, you may want to get your own domain name and investigate some of the paid services which start as low as three dollars a month.

In the meantime, if you’re dead serious about doing it all for free, I found some really cool free web building tools, a ton of information, and links to other free websites over at http://buildfree.org.  If you find anything useful, come back and let me know.

Your website should appeal to the visitor in a way that makes them want to stop, look, and listen to what you have to say, and then to purchase you product or service.  If your website makes the visitor feel like his or her life would be easier, better, more productive, more profitable and happier, if they utilize your service or buy what your product, then your website has fulfilled its purpose.

Whether you design your own website or have it designed professionally, your goal is to have a web design with a professional look that brands your company image and captures the attention of website visitors.  Your website should should convey your marketing message and reflect quality in your products or services.  Your website should have comprehensive marketing content, so that the visitor sees the value in your product or service and therefore is encouraged to either buy immediately or seek more information.

Internet surfers must be able to locate your website when they do a Google search to find providers of products and services in your category.  Therefore, when creating your website, search engine optimization is an important element which must be considered.  With good search engine optimization, your website could appear on the first page of a search engine query, when a potential visitor searches for your product or services,
and first page appearance can mean lots of sales.  Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

The decision whether to hire a professional web designer or to build the site yourself depends on what skills you have, how much time you can spare, and whether or not you want to do the work yourself.  Should you decide to design your website yourself, some basic knowledge of HTML and Search Engine Optimization is useful but not necessary, because there are point-and-click software programs available that can design, build, and optimize your website for you.

When searching for a web design software program, you should look for one that provides step by step instructions and useful tips, as well as online support in case you run into snags, or just need questions answered.  Also, because you will want to change the content of your website from time to time, make sure that your professional web designer or your point-and-click web design software gives you the flexibility to make changes quickly.

Through the entire web design experience, just keep in mind that your objective is to build a website that is able to rank high in the search engines and turn web visitors into customers.

If you would like to get in depth look at website design, Warren Baker of Web Designers 123 has written a wonderful series of articles on just about every aspect of website design.   Check out what he has to say at:
http://articles.webdesigners123.com/

A website as defined by Webster is a set of interconnected web pages, usually including a homepage, generally located on the same server or hosting account, and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization.

A website is organized similar to the way files are stored in folders on your computer.  Each website has its own identifier (file name) called a web address or url, and this url usually points to the main page (folder) on the website, also called the homepage.  Other interconnected files or sub pages within the website share the same url but have additional tags or names added to identify their location.

In order to find the main page or a sub page of a website, the url must be typed in the browser window of a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari, and sent out into the World Wide Web to look for the page with that url.  Urls start with the characters http://, followed by a domain name such as “yourdomainname” and have a variety of endings, the most common being “.com.”  Together, the url looks like http://yourdomainname.com.  It can also appear as http://www.yourdomainname.com, even though most browsers no longer require the www.  A url leading to a sub page would appear like http://yourdomainname.com/subpage.  From the url that is typed into the browser window, the browser locates the web host or server for yourdomainname.com and then finds the correct page in the website and displays that page on your computer screen.

A webhost is simply a server (computer) that is always online so that people with internet access can view the files on the server.  By having yourdomainname.com hosted by a server, you and the general public can view the files on your website 24 hours a day.

Websites can be used to publicly or privately display a variety of information.  Access beyond the first page on a private website normally requires a password, which is issued by the administrator of that website.  An example of private websites are some Social websites like Facebook and Myspace which require registration before full access is granted.

There are approximately eight main types of websites, although the number varies depending on who you’re talking to.  The most common website types are commercial, personal, organizational, educational, entertainment, news, blog, and hybrid.  The names are self explanatory and hybrid is merely a website that combines two or more of the website types and their characteristics into a single website.  Social websites more often than not fall under the hybrid category, and some consider social sites a website type in itself.

So if you’re thinking about creating a presence on the world wide web, you’re going to need a website.  When choosing a domain name and a hosting company, you will have two broad choices, paid and free.  You will need to consider the purpose of your website before choosing a domain name or a hosting company.  Even though free hosting for your website is a choice and looks inviting, most free services are restrictive, and keep in mind the old adage, “You get what you pay for.”