Uploading the site files to the hosting server is usually done by the site developer. However, you'll want to know how to do this if you've never done it. Our section on how to avoid ridiculous website fees gives you a look behind the scenes of SEO optimization. You'll learn how to optimize SEO and make changes to your site without relying on someone to do it for you thereby saving you hundreds of dollars or more per month. You're shown how to make changes using the hosting service software or downloading the file, make the changes then upload the file to server.
If you're interested in learning SEO optimization and site maintenance then you'll want to learn how to upload to the server. If you're just starting out and your site is just a few pages with a small amount of images then you don't need software to upload. Online software such as Cute FTP is normally used to upload many files at once. The hosting service you choose will have their own upload protocol. You simply log on and will be able to upload your site files directly. Here's how it's done...
For the purpose of this tutorial we'll use Entirely Digital's platform but most hosting services work similarly. You will need to locate the cPanel. Log onto the site. Look for your active product or site by name then click on it. Next, click cPanel or log into cPanel. Click on File Manager. If your server is Linux in the window that comes up you should see the Directory name of public or public_html. If it's Windows/Plesk server you will see httpdocs, for all other server types you will see one of the following: www, wwwroot, htdocs. Click on the Directory Name for your server type. You should now be in the root directory. The root directory is the top-level folder where your home page as well as other site files will be uploaded to.
Before going any farther we need to discuss how the files were uploaded by the developer. If you're in the root directory for you site take a look at what you see. You may see an index (index.html) file. That should be the home page of your site. You will see other files but you most likely will also see yellow folders. One of them may be an image folder. Don't be afraid to click on it. In there you'll find all the images to your site. Another folder will most likely be a css folder.
This is known as the hierarchy of the site. When your site was uploaded to the server it was uploaded exactly that way with the images inside the image folder and the css file inside the css folder. The folders mentioned above may also be inside other folders. For example, the images folder may be inside another folder labeled assets. Play around, click on the different folders to learn the hierarchy of your site files.
So uploading the files back to the server is as simple as uploading them back to where you found them. If you downloaded and made a change on the css style sheet you would upload it back into the css folder. You'll learn how to make changes in other files and what the actual purpose of the css file is, unless you're already familiar with it, on our how to avoid ridiculous website fees page. But for now you know how to find and download files from your server. By the way, you should have a copy of all your site files. If you don't ask your developer for them.
So how does one find the page in question on the server? That's a pretty simple task. Let's say you want to change something on your Contact Us page. Usually the name of the file is just that. You will most likely see a file labeled Contact.html or Contactus.html in the root directory. If you're looking for a page but don't know the name log onto your site in your browser and open that page. At the top in the URL window (window where you type website address) you will see the location & name of that particular page. You may see something like this:
https://www.mysite.com/maypage.html
mypage is the name of the file in question. How do we know this? Because of the html extension. Depending on the type of site your site may have a different extension. Like php, asp, xml. So, mypage is the file we're looking for on the server. This file was a simple one to find. However, it may not be that simple. You amy see something like this in the URL window when opening the page in question:
https://www.mysite.com/parts
Notice that parts does not have an extension like html. That's because it is not page it is a folder. Folders do not have extensions. So we now know that the file we're looking for is located inside the parts folder. Inside that folder you'll see the file with an extension. Most likely it will be an index.html file. That's what you're looking for. In html when a folder is listed as the last part of a URL address the file within that folder must be an index file in order to open in the browser unless the URL address points diectly to that file within the folder. Example:
https://www.mysite.com/parts/tires.html
Sometimes the file in question is within a folder within other folders lke this:
https://www.mysite.com/parts/speed/tires
Remember to check your site thoroughly once uploaded whether it was uploaded by the developer or you. Make sure to test the site on all devices. The elements should flow like liquid on the different screen sizes. How is that done? Simple. Log onto the site. At the very top right of the screen you will see the minimize button (button with overlapping squares). Click on it to minimize the screen. Now place the cursor on the right edge until the two sided arrow appears then hold the left mouse button while moving the window inward. If the site was done correctly, the elements on the screen should flow evenly with the different screen sizes. Looks good? You're all set.
Now that you know how to upload files to the server you want to make sure it's found in searches. Get a behind the scenes look at how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is done and how you can avoid ridiculous monthly/yearly fees by doing it yourself. Click here to go to our page on avoiding ridiculous website fees.
Need help? Our low price includes placing your site online and walikng you through it so you learn how. Call or text us at: 484-538-8958 or email us at: info@spidergraphicdesigns.com. Or use our handy form.
