Once you have a rough idea of what your site will do and look like, it's time to start building! First, find a template that has the features you want. Although there are many templates available on MyFreeWebsiteBuilder, you still might not find exactly what you're looking for. That's ok. Here is where I go to get free templates for my websites: www.oswd.org. There are literally thousands of templates to choose from, and chances are you will find what you are looking for there. Simply download the template you want to a folder on your desktop dedicated to files for your website. In general, the template will contain an HTML file (usually labeled "index") and an images folder. Make sure you keep these in the same folder or your images will not work.

Now that you have a template to work with, it's time to start putting your site all together. Open MyFreeWebsiteBuilder, click on "Create A New, Empty Web Page" then use the open command to start editing the template you just downloaded. You can now follow the instructions and tutorials in MyFreeWebsiteBuilder to modify the webpage to meet your needs.

The first page you will want to make is a "template" page. Think about what all your pages will have in common, such as the header/logo text, navigation buttons, links, footer text, etc. then create a file called "template" so you don't have to re-create each page from scratch. Some other pages you may want to add include a "contact us" page, a sitemap (helps search engines rank your site), an "about us" page, and a page or pages for the products/services you offer if not listed on your "index" (home) page.

The next step is to simply fill in the blanks. When you are done with your template, save it, then "Save As" whatever page you are currently working on. Be sure to keep your file names short and easy to remember (ie. "index" for your home page, "contact" for your contact us page, etc.). This will make it much easier on you to keep track of everything. Now type or paste in all your materials into each page as you would like it to appear. Use the "Browse" button in MyFreeWebsiteBuilder to see how the new web page will look in your browser.

Finally, MyFreeWebsiteBuilder has a "Validate HTML" tool that you will need to use before publishing your site to the web. Because each browser platform is different (Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera, etc.), your website might not display correctly on all browsers. Validation ensures that your HTML code conforms to industry standards (set by W3C.org) so that it will be read correctly in most browsers.

Congratulations! You have now built your own website for free! Now that you know how to get started, I strongly encourage you to get your online business started! There is a whole world of customers in need of what you have to offer. Be sure to watch for the next article in this series: How To Get Your Website On The Internet.

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