Web Site Building for Beginners

If you're interested in Web site building, there's good news: a ton of helpful programs, utilities and Web sites exist to make the process easier for you. For businesses, Web site building is essential, as many customers now do a Web search before deciding what to buy. School and church Web sites provide an easy way to share information and promote upcoming events. For families, a Web site is a way to stay in touch across the miles, plan weddings, send birthday greetings and share the news of a birth. You don't need a professional Web site designer to get started, just a little creativity and a computer.

Web Site Hosting
Choosing a Web site hosting provider is the first thing you'll need to do. A Web host stores your files on a server that's always connected, so that users can access them on the Web at any time. There are a few things you'll want to compare:

1. Monthly charges. Free web site hosting is available, but it tends to provide limited space and a lot of advertising. You'll find cheap web hosting for around $10 a month, which is a good place to start.
2. Bandwidth and storage. Find out how much storage space you'll get, which is measured in GB. You'll also want to know how much data can be transferred each month and what happens when you reach your limit. Some services will shut your site down, while others will charge you for the extra bandwidth.
3. Technical support. Test-drive the Web host's interface to make sure you understand how it works, and find out what sort of technical support is offered. If you're using a basic or discounted web hosting plan, you might have to pay extra for technical support. Business owners should make sure that shopping carts and secure transactions are both supported.

Many Web site hosting providers let you choose your own domain name. Think of something that's easy to remember and that reflects what your site is about. Remember, too, that you may not be limited to ".com" addresses. While these are the best choice for businesses, they're also harder to come by, as many popular names have been taken. Churches and schools can use ".org," and anyone can use ".net."

Web site hosting may also include e-mail. For freelancers and small businesses, this looks much more professional than a free e-mail address from Google or Yahoo!, but other organizations can do without this service.

Web Site Building with Templates and HTML
With hosting secured, it's time to think about Web site design. If this is your first experience with Web site building, you'll find that using a template is the fastest, easiest way to get started. Many Web site templates are designed to be ready to go; all you have to do is add text, so you won't need to understand any code.

Some Web site hosting services include basic templates in their Web site editing package, so designing a Web site is as easy as logging into your account and creating a new page. If you can't find the perfect template, do a Web search for Web site templates and you'll find a ton of template resources. These templates are usually priced anywhere from $20 to $100 and may require additional software for customization. If you're not sure whether you'll be able to customize the template, take it for a test drive first and make sure you can edit it easily.

If you want to build your own Web site with a more custom look, you can design your own graphics and build a Web site from scratch. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) aren't too difficult to learn, and you'll find a comprehensive index and tutorials at W3Schools.com. You can write the code for your Web site in any word-processing program, with NotePad in Windows or SimpleText on a Mac and preview with your Web browser as you go. If you'd rather work directly on pages as they'll appear, you can get a WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get), such as Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Web.

You'll also need to create graphics. Shareware programs are available for this or, if you've got the budget, you can use Adobe Photoshop. One thing to remember with Photoshop and WYSIWYG editors is that these programs are complicated to use. It takes time to master their interfaces and figure out how to do things. For an experienced user, they make Web site building a snap; for the novice, they can be torture. It's best to start small with a simple design that you can edit in a word-processing program and then think about design tools if you really need them later on.

The Rules of Good Web Site Building
Whether you want to build a Web site for your business, your church or your family and friends, there are some basic rules that will make it fun and easy for people to use. Ease of use is essential, because people on the Web don't want to struggle to use your site.

1. Keep the design simple. Give your words and images room to breathe on the page. A two-column design, with a wide column for text and a narrow column for navigation, works best.
2. Use descriptive links. You'll want a link labeled "Home" on every page of your Web site. Your other links should tell visitors what they can expect to find when they click. Spend some time looking at other sites that do what you want to do-if you're building a church Web site, look at other church sites. Find out what's worked for those sites and build it into your design.
3. Break up your text. Visitors get intimidated when they see tons of text on a page. Use paragraph breaks, images and subheads that let visitors find what they need quickly.
4. Use large, high-contrast text. Think about people with poor vision when you're creating your design. Tiny words and colored text on colored backgrounds may look nice to you but be impossible for some to read.
5. Keep it organized. Organization and navigation go hand in hand. Group your site into a few logical sections with descriptive navigational links.
6. Put your contact information on every page. This is a must for businesses and a good idea for any Web site. Have an e-mail or phone number prominently displayed at the top or bottom of each page so visitors can contact you with questions.