get online - the easy way!

Although the online world is far less mysterious than it might at first seem, the truth is that it's often hard to avoid the odd bit of tecchy stuff. But hang on - don't panic! We said we'd make this simple and that's what we're here to do.

For anyone scared stiff by the thought of website creation, there are a few easy-as-pie ways to create your very own site. Not as many as we'd like, it's true, but certainly enough to get ANYONE up and running.

(simplersteps is in no way connected to any products mentioned).

Option 1: weebly.com

Take a look, of course - but make sure you head back to simplersteps for further info on domains, placing ads, and other money earning tips!

Wonderful weebly really is as easy as it gets, with not even a sniff of anything scary. This site uses the latest web technology to allow anyone to create a website in the easiest possible way, and all completely free!

Just sign up, choose a template, then breeze through the process of designing your own pages using text and image 'elements'.

left: weebly offers a wide range of elements to add to pages, including Google maps, RSS feeds and video

Elements are dragged into position, then filled with your own typed text or uploaded content. Jazz things up with interactive contact forms, Google maps, video and sound - and you'll probably want to leave space for your own money-making ads, too!

above: dragging an element

It really is difficult to go wrong with Weebly. Template designs are slick and professional-looking, and although you don't have very much flexibility regarding color schemes, that's more than made up for by the sheer simplicity of the page making process.

When you're done, just click a button to 'publish' your site online. Seriously, it's that easy!

Once you've made your site:

Add your own domain name

If you're not sure what this is, all is revealed in our section on domains. And don't worry, weebly again makes makes this process child's play!

Option 2: 350.com

Take a look, of course - but make sure you head back to simplersteps for further info on domains, placing ads, and other cash earning tips!

Admittedly, 350 is less straightforward than oh-so-simple weebly, but that's partly because its clusters of editing panels provide extra control over finer points of layout.

above: a selection of 350's templates

And while the lack of drag and drop functionality can seem a little awkward at first (350 uses buttons to create new areas within a page) it's still a great choice for beginners looking for a quick and simple way to get online - especially if you're looking to create pages with a certain degree of flexibility.

Like weebly, you start with a template then add your own text and images. Filling the template sections is fairly easy, so if you want to keep things simple, that's the way to go.

But since you can edit in dozens of different ways, we're pretty sure you'll want to experiment at least a little - it'll take you beyond the slightly awkward initial learning curve, and there's nothing to lose because it's easy to delete pages and start over.

Image editing options are particularly smart - add special effects such as shadows to imported images, or transform text and buttons in a 'live' preview before going ahead with changes. There's a lot to discover in 350 pages!

it's simple to apply effects with 350's image editor

left: apply shadows and other effects with 350's image editor

When you're done, just click a button and - hey presto! - your site's online.

There's absolutely no cost involved, although free sites feature 350's own ad banners. You can opt to remove for a very reasonable annual fee, but since the no-cost option doesn't restrict you showing ads too, if you're happy to share your money-making space, go ahead!

Once you've made your site:

Add your own domain name

You'll almost certainly want to do this. We explain what a domain name is here, and don't worry, 350 again makes this process as simple as possible.

Option 3: Mac iWeb08

From a total beginner's point of view, Mac's iWeb08 is pretty straightforward until it comes to getting online (unless you're happy to work with the easy but limited inbuilt settings - more about that later). The software won't work on PCs, although anyone with Mac access can use it to create website files which, when complete, should work perfectly well on any computer.

So yes - we hummed and ha-ed about this one, but were finally persuaded by the sheer simplicity of the site-building process - which, if you're looking to create pages with the kind of control found in more complex web design software, is perfectly possible without any real technical know-how.

above: iWeb's clean and simple layout area

As with most things Mac, the working area is clean, uncluttered and intuitive; simply drag and drop content into a choice of beautifully designed templates. If you feel the need to customize, further editing is easy.

Once you've finished, however, things take a pretty major downturn. Getting your iWeb site online in the way we recommend shouldn't prove too much of a battle - though certainly FAR less simple than our top two choices. So spend some time considering your options.

iWeb forms part of iLife, a suite of media programs that comes with all Macs, and anyone are already accustomed to iPhoto, iMovie etc, will find using iWeb especially easy. You'll need the very latest version, however, as anything older won't give you the option to put ads on your site - which is one reason why many of you are here, right? If you need to update, the entire iLife 08 bundle can be purchased for an extremely reasonable price.

Once you've made your site:

Add your own domain name

If you're not sure what this is, all is revealed in our section on domains along with info relating specifically to iWeb. Please read this carefully before you make your final site-building choice - again, the process is far less simple than using our first two options.

Domain names - what they are, why you want one

Adding those money-making ads