How to make a website - PART TWO - Building Your Website

How to Make a Website

Building a website is a great way to share your ideas and thoughts with the world. But if you've never done one, it can seem daunting.

PART TWO

Building Your Website

1 Decide what method or tool you'll use to build it

Decide what method or tool you'll use to build it. When you have the basic idea down and have a plan for how it will be laid out, the next to think about is how you're going to build it. The options seem endless, and people will try to sell you this or that 'fantastic' application, and every other thing that you "absolutely must have" on your site, however the reality is that there are a few great tools for building websites, and one of them will be best-suited to your situation and needs. 

2 Build it yourself

Build it yourself. This is the first option. If you have a website-building application like Adobe Dreamweaver, it is not very difficult to create a website from scratch. You might need to do some coding but don't panic! HTML looks complicated, but it's like listening to Shakespeare—it's hard at first, but once you get the feel of it, it's not that difficult.

·        Pros: website design software simplifies the process of building sites by letting you drag-and-drop images, text, buttons, movies, and anything else you can think of, usually without ever having to dig into HTML. Many web design applications will even let you create sites specifically for your smart phone or pad. If you are building a basic, personal website, this is really a great way to go.

·        Cons: there is a learning curve, and though you don't have to dig into HTML, it's not totally geek-free. If you are in a hurry, this might not be the best solution. Perhaps the biggest con, though, is that if you are not a graphic designer, you could end up with a page that hurts the eyes. To mollify this somewhat, there are a number of free templates in the applications, and on the internet, but be aware of your limitations—if you have any!

3 Use a content management system (CMS)

Use a content management system (CMS). This is the second option. WordPress is an example of a great option for building websites. It helps you create web pages and blog posts quickly and easily, set up the menus, allow and manage user comments, and has thousands of themes and plugins that you can choose from and use for free. Drupal and Joomla are other great CMS options. Once the CMS is hosted, you can manage your site from anywhere (in the world) that has an Internet connection.

·        Pros: Very easy to use, quick to get started with one click install, and lots of options for the beginner (with enough depth for more experienced users).

Cons: Some themes are limiting, and not all are free.

4 Build the website from scratch

Build the website from scratch. This is the third option. If you decide to build your website from scratch, you'll need to start using HTML and CSS. There are ways to extend your HTML skills and add more features and more depth to your website. If you are developing a professional website, these tools will help you get that edge that is needed in any business venture.

·        CSS, which stands for "Cascading Style Sheets". CSS gives more flexibility for styling the HTML, and makes it much easier to make basic changes—fonts, headers, color schemes—in one place, and have those changes ripple through the site.

·        XHTML is a web language set by W3C's standards. Almost identical to HTML, it follows a stricter set of rules for marking up information. What this means, for the most part, is minor changes to the way you write code.

·        Look into HTML5. It's the fifth revision of the core HTML standard, and will eventually subsume the current version of HTML (HTML4), and XHTML as well.

·        Learn a client-side scripting language, such as JavaScript. This will increase your ability to add interactive elements to your site, such as charts, maps, etc.

·        Learn a server-side scripting language. PHP, ASP with JavaScript or VB Script or Python can be used to change the way web pages appear to different people, and lets you edit or create forums. They can also help store information about people who visit your site, like their username, settings, and even temporary "shopping carts" for commercial sites.

·        AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a technique of using a browser sided language and a server sided language to make the page get new information from the server without refreshing the page, often greatly reducing user wait time and vastly improving the user's experience but increasing bandwidth usage. For a website that will see a lot of traffic, or an eCommerce site, this is an excellent solution.

5 Web designers

Web designers. This is the fourth and final option. If you are not up to designing your own website, or learning new coding languages—especially for more advanced sites—hiring a professional may be your best option. Before you hire, ask to see a portfolio of their work, and check their references carefully.