What is ftp?
FTP (file transfer protocol) is the method you will probably need to use to get your website on to the Internet.
Once you have designed and built your web site you will need to copy the files from your computer onto the computer (aka server) where your site will now reside so everyone can see it.
There are various free ftp programs available on the Internet (a popular one at the moment is SMART FTP. It’s not the one I use but then I use the one I do because I always have and not because it’s a good one (which is why I’m not telling you what it is).
When you sign up for some hosting from an ISP (Internet Service Provider) they will give you some information about ftp. You will get a server address (often ftp.yoursitename but sometimes some numbers seperated by dots), a username and a password.
Somewhere you will have to put this information into your ftp software. This varies as to where the information goes but I recommend reading the software’s information to find out.
Most ftp system used port 21 (you will probably not have to do anything about this but I mention it in case you get a port number that confuses you).
Once you have set up your ftp program and connected to your server (computer where your site will live on the Internet) you will get the option to transfer files from your machine to the server. Pay attention to what you are doing and if you are making a major change I always like to have a backup of any files that I am overwriting. I have had occasions where files have not transfered properly and so cause all kinds of problems on a website – it is always wise to make sure you have copies of everything.
Then when you have uploaded (or updated) things I recommend testing it. I’ve been caught out more times than I’d like to mention with not checking things. The typical thing to do is to forget to upload some images when you upload a file. You will be annoyed if you forget so its best to make sure you’ve got it right straight away – saves on the stress.