Web Publishing and Hosting – SS2 Digital Technologies Lesson Note (First Term)

Web publishing is the process of putting a website on the internet so that other people can see it. It needs a domain name, which is the address people type into a browser, and web hosting, which is a server that stays on all the time and stores your website files. Files are moved to the server using FTP.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• State the two things needed to put a website online.
• Choose a suitable domain extension for a given type of website.
• Explain how web hosting works and describe shared and dedicated hosting.
• Describe the steps for publishing website files with FTP.
• List the checks and updates a website needs after it is published.

What do you need to put a website online?

To put a website online, you need two things: a domain name and web hosting.

• The domain name (the address): This is the name people type into their browser to find you (e.g., www.yourschool.com).
• Web hosting (the plot of land): This is a computer (called a server) that stays on 24/7. It “hosts” your files so that when someone types your address, the server sends them your HTML and CSS.

Simple analogy: If your website is a house, the domain is your street address, and hosting is the physical plot of land the house sits on.

What do domain extensions mean?

The ending of a domain name (the part after the “dot”) usually tells us what kind of website it is.

How does web hosting work?

A web host is a company that has giant, powerful computers connected to very fast internet. When you pay for hosting, you are renting a small piece of their computer’s hard drive.

Types of hosting

1. Shared hosting: Like living in an apartment building. You share the server with other websites. It’s cheap and perfect for beginners.
2. Dedicated hosting: Like owning a whole mansion. The entire server is yours. It’s expensive and used by giant sites like Facebook or Amazon.

How do you publish a website? (step by step)

Once you have your files ready and your hosting paid for, you need to move the files from your laptop to the internet.

1. Get an FTP account. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the “delivery truck” that moves your files. Your hosting company will give you a username and password for this.
2. Use an FTP client. An FTP client is a piece of software (like FileZilla) that lets you drag files from your computer and drop them into the web server.
3. Use the “public_html” folder. On the server, there is usually a folder named public_html or www. You must put your index.html inside this folder, or the website won’t show up.

What testing and maintenance does a website need?

After publishing, your job isn’t finished. You need to:

• Check the links: Do all the buttons still work?
• Do a mobile check: Does it look good on a phone, or is the text too small?
• Update the site: Websites need to be updated. If you change your phone number, you must edit your local file and “re-publish” it to the server.

Key terms

Evaluation

1. Why can’t we just leave our website on our own computer for people to see?
2. If you were starting a charity for homeless dogs, which domain extension would be best?
3. What is the name of the main folder on a server where website files are kept?

Assignment

1. Write the three steps for moving website files from your computer to a web server.
2. Explain the difference between shared hosting and dedicated hosting.