Once you have decided the structure of a web page, next step is to actually create one. There was a time when you had only two choices to create a website- either outsource it or learn the complete HTML.But the things are quite different now. Today’s internet marketer has many more choices available which help you build your site faster.
Apart from HTML, PHP is another language that is commonly used to build the websites. Your web site may just be a one page HTML site or interactive site with lots of content in it. While HTML perfectly suits the former, PHP comes handy in building the latter. You may also like to use databases in case of large websites.
However, for the beginners, HTML is the easiest and quickest option. As I said above now a days you do not need to learn HTML completely. (But it would always be a great help in tweaking your web pages and would save you a lot of headaches if you know the basics.)
These resources would be a great help if you wish to learn HTML basics and advanced.
Sizzling HTML Jalfrezi
http://www.jalfrezi.com/
HTML – An Interactive Tutorial For Beginners
http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/
You can find more resources by searching on Google.
But you can create a web page without knowing HTML. This has been made possible with arrival of WYSIWYG editors. Pronounced “whizzy whig”, these programs allow beginners to build complex pages by simply “dragging and dropping” onto the work area. WYSIWYG stands for “What you see is what you get”. These editors allow you to work on an interface that is simple and almost represents the final appearance of your website. All the HTML and other coding go behind the scenes.
There are many WYSIWYG editors available but most common are
- Dreamweavor- http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/
- FrontPage- http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/
- Adobe GoLive- http://www.adobe.com/
All of these come at a good price. Arachnophilia is a free software and you might like to test your skills on it.
- Arachnophilia- http://www.arachnoid.com/
- Nvu (pronounced N-view)is another WYSIWYG editor which is open source and does not charge anything. It is good and you can download it here-http://nvu.com
PHP is more complex than HTML and if you wish to make a website in PHP it is better to find an expert.
Website builders are WYSIWYG editors which are web based rather than running on you computers. Most of the hosts are now offering website builder access in their packages. Check if your host has got one.
Host Gator, my recommended host does. You can check them here.
Another option is to use Content Management System. If you do not wish to go through the hassles of building webpages and uploading them, you can use content management systems. They are mostly free, also come with the package of web hosting and mostly can be installed with one click. All you need after that is to choose a suitable theme and add pages. Layout and categorization is handled by CMS itself. Mambo, Joomla and Drupal are commonly used CMSs.
Similarly, you can also choose to use blogs for this purpose. Most recommended blog platform is WordPress.
However you would have to play a little with CMS and blogs before you can fully master them.
Most of beginning websites are of few pages at the most. It is better to build them in WYSIWYG editors. Simultaneously you can learn other things and finally improve upon your site.
Apart from content, you would also need to use graphics for your website. We would discuss that in our next article.
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