The website copying feature is great for transferring files to a test server. However, it does not give you the option of recompiling your code. If you are deploying your application to a live web server and you want to keep the source code tightly locked down.
To publish your website you need to follow certain steps:
1. Select Build–>Publish Web Site from the menu. The Publish Web Site Dialog Box will appear as given bellow.
2. Enter the File Path or a URL for an FTP site or a FrontPage allowed the site in the Target Location Text box.
3. Leave the other check boxes unselected. You can choose to allow updates, in which case the code behind files are compiled but the .aspx files with the HTML and tags are not compiled. This option allows you to make only limited changes so it is not soo useful.
4. Click Ok.Your website files will be compiled with aspnet_compiler and then transferred to the target location.