Useful Resources
Finally, bookmarks, make space for them because you will collect loads of them. You’ll need bookmarks to html and css guides, clipart and stock images, your content management system’s support pages, sponsors, forums, blogs and many others besides.
The webmaser support forums will become important to you over time. You will build long lasting relationships with other webmasters who’ll advise you on your website’s look, feel and operation. They’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest tips and tricks for attracting traffic and dealing with spammers.
Here are a few of my favorite bookmarks:
Advertisers
Advertisers like these tend to pay per visitor action e.g per click or per impression. These are good for sites with high visitor numbers.
Google Adsense – search for Google Adsense and sign up to display Google’s adverts.
InfoLinks.com – text based ads automatically placed over inline text by a java script.
Adbrite – text, banner and full-page ads. You can even advertise over your videos with their watermarks.
Affiliates
These are companies that “warehouse” affiliates products and services. Service and product providers register with these companies so that you can easily join their affiliate programs ands advertise (or pre-sell) them. These tend to pay commission from your referral’s purchases. Good for both high and low traffic sites.
- TradeDoubler – use banners and links to advertise electrical goods, services, holidays, insurance products, books and anything else you can think of.
- AffiliateFuture- use banners and links to advertise electrical goods, services, holidays, insurance products, books and anything else you can think of.
- AffiliateWindow – - use banners and links to advertise electrical goods, services, holidays, insurance products, books and anything else you can think of. AffiliateWindow also provides an online shop api.
- Clickbank.org – sell ebooks and software with links, banners, landing pages and emails.
- Amazon – Set up your own online shop or just sell specific products with banner ads and contextual links.
- RegNow – Sell software and offer free downloads through RegNow. Provides pre-made shop templates (php, xml and Java)so you can create your own online download store simply by uploading the required software script.
Website Design Reference Pages
These are the pages I found most useful when learning html. I still refer back to them whenever I forget html tags and their corresponding css selectors:
- Cookwood – Very handy CSS and HTML reference. This compliments a book written by the site’s owner. The contents of the book is available at the Cookwood website. I use this site quite a lot.
- HTML.net – Beginners HTML and CSS guide. Very easy to follow.
- HTMLDog – An entertaining site tat teaches HTML and CSS in a very relaxed way. I highly recommend htmldog for for people who want to learn html.
- Apple.com – A handy guide to webpage layout. A simple, table based layout that’s easy to replicate. Taught in an easy to follow style.
- Tizag – Another useful guide to HTML and CSS. This one provides good, followable usage examples. Much better than the examples offered by w3c
Webmaster Forums
May webmaster forums exist. Some are better than others. The best advice I can give you is that you join a few and see which ones are best for your needs. Second bit of advice: be careful with DigitalPoint, it’s trawled by scammers, advertisers and wannabes; some advice offered at DigitalPoint is really good but most of the posters are immature and very willing to mock new and innovative ideas as well as nick other content from other webmasters:
- Webmaster-Forums.net
- Webmaster-Talk.com
- Webmasterworld.com
- WarriorForum – One of the best affiliate marketing advice forums I’ve seen.
My Favorite Host and Domain Registrars
Every webmaster has a preferred web host and domain registrar. Different people, different countries, different needs. I like these ones, although, overall, I prefer Hostgator for both domain registration and hosting, 123-Reg do put on some good registration deals. Webs provides free websites with paid upgrade opportunities:
- Hostgator – hosting and domains
- 123-reg.com – domains
- Webs.com – free hosting and domain provider
Content Providers
Thousands of article content providers exist on the Net. Most provide variations of the same articles and some provide a better service than others. The best 300 article directories that I am aware of are listed in JournalXtra’s Webmaster’s Tool Kit.
Finally, here’s a link to a book that sounds interesting but I’ve yet to buy. It’s available through Click-Bank and, yes, this is an affiliate link:
Confessions of a Lazy Super-Affiliate
This article has been written as a very basic introduction to setting up a website. Its scope is only to point out a few considerations that beginners usually miss. I hope it’s been useful. If your aim is to develop an adult site then leave a message and I’ll offer some guidance.
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