What do you need for a web site?

1: Software to build and edit a site.
2: Want to start from a template?
3: A Domain name.
4: A hosting service.
5: A way to deploy your site.

1: Software to build and edit a site:

As far as web design software goes, you have several options:

The consensus seems to be that Adobe Dreamweaver is the best - but it is also the most expensive ($300-$400) It has built in FTP (the program to deploy your site to the host) and once you learn how to drive it, it is by far the easiest and most versatile of the editing programs.

Microsoft Frontpage (I believe the new version is called "Expressions") is another option. It is cheaper, but not all items in it are supported by web hosts. (For instance, Dreamhost does not support Frontpage type extensions - the extra bells and whistles - unless you host the domain on a special server.)

For simple web editing there is a free program called Kompozer which can be downloaded HERE

2: Want to start from a template?

You can start your new web design from scratch, or you can start by purchasing and editing and web template. We built the CGGC website from a template purchased from AllwebCo Design(approx $60). They have some very nice templates for a good price, and they have excellent instructions on how to edit them to your liking. The instructions are very easy to follow and you don't need some of the more complicated editing software such as Photoshop, Flash, etc.

A website with hundreds of good templates to purchase at about the same price is Template World.
These are not as easy to edit and generally do not have instructions attached. Make sure to look at what programs are required to edit the template. Some of them require Adobe Flash, or Photostudio, etc.

You may also do a google search for "free web templates", or "free web sites" and do some exploring on your own!

3: Get a domain name:

There are two components necessary in a valid domain name. The first component is a public IP address of the server where your web site files will live. This is a series of numbers, like 172.159.25.63, that lets other computers find the server that hosts your site. (See #4 for more on hosting)This address is assigned by your hosting company.

The second component makes it easier for humans. It is is a name such as "mysite.com" which is easier for humans to remember than a number string.

Let me give you an analogy. Your home has information attached to it - both a number and a name. When you first move in your name is associated with the number. When you register a domain name it is the same as going to the Post Office and associating your name with the known address.

In real life - there is no charge to register your address with the Post Office. In the land of cyber space there is a fee. In cyberspace your domain name must also be unique. You can check for domain name availability and register one that is available. Some sites that register names include register.com, cheaptoregister.com, aplus.net and many others. You can find them by typing in "domain name registration" in any search engine. Almost all of these offer hosting as well, but check out section 4 below before you sign up for anything. Name registrations can cost you between $5 qnd $20 per year.

NOTE: Sub-Domains. It is possible to have a domain for which you do not have to register. This is the case when your name is tied to an already registered name. In the above analogy, after you have registered your home address with the post office you may get mail for other family members with the same name - and it all comes to the same address. Here is the cyberspace equivalent: T he registered name of our site is cggc.org. We offer hosting for the churches in our denominational 'family'. This is done through creating a sub-domain. The only hitch is that cggc.org will be the 'last name' of your domain - such as mychurchname.cggc.org.

4: Set up a hosting service:

Web hosting is giving space on a computer that is attached to the internet so that the public can access it. Building a site is only one step. You must have a place for your site to "live" in the publice realm so visitors can come and see it.

As was mentioned in item 3, Churches of God General Conference offers free web hosting for Churches of God affiliated churches.

What this includes:

  • A free sub-domain name (family named domain -if the extension cggc.org is acceptable to you) We can also host full domain names but the costs and responsibility of registering and maintaining that name remain yours.
  • Web Hosting - This is free, with the exception of a $30 set-up fee which will be billed to your church. The contract is valid for as long as we remain with Dreamhost as our hosting company.
  • Access and connection codes for your administrator.

What this does NOT include:

  • Registration of a unique domain name (i.e. yourchurch.org). We can still host you - but the name registration responsibility is yours!
  • In order to access the internet and e-mail you must have a valid Internet Service Provider (ISP). Our offer is not for individual or institutional connectivity to the internet.
  • Website design, construction and deployment or tech support for any of these functions. (Support is limited to web hosting problems)
  • A web site administrator (Note: We do not administer your website)

How do I start in the CGGC web hosting program :

  • If you are registering a unique domain name - do so.
  • Send an e-mail to comptech@cggc.org and include your domain name choice (no matter which type of name you want to use), the contact information of the person in charge of your domain (your administrator) including phone number, e-mail address and mailing address.
  • Include an acknowledgement of the $30 set-up fee

5: Deploying your site:

Once you have a web site and you have a host, you need to be able to get the files from your computer (local machine) out to the host computer (the web server). In order to transfer files you need a file transfer protocol (FTP) program. Many web editing software packages include FTP capabilities and all of the ones listed in item 1 above include FTP intheir programs. If yours does not, do not fret. There are some inexpensive and sometimes even free FTP programs out there. Try typing in "free FTP program download " in a search engine and look through the results. A well known free FTP Program is CoffeeCup. Some known FTP programs for purchase are Cute FTP for around $60 and Bulletproof FTP (1 copy for 1 year at around $35).