August 18, 2008

How To Make A Website For Fun

Building a website will be a lot easier if you keep a few simple tips in mind, and it will also make for a much more coherent and worthwhile site for your visitors. The real measure of the worth of a website is the amount of traffic and the satisfaction of visitors. That's the only way you can really measure whether your site was worth the time and effort you took to create it.

There are various resources available to help you learn how to make a website, and many of them can be found for free. Numerous books, available at your public library, have been written on the subject, and there are an uncountable number of online tutorials on how to make a website. Any resource that is worth your time will stress that although bells and whistles can be great, the most important aspect of any site is its content.

Figure out what the purpose of your website is. Whether it is a personal site just for pictures and videos to your family or a site to share your expertise on a certain subject with the public, your intended purpose will have a lot of bearing on how to make a website. Once you have a clear idea of what you want, start gathering information and putting it together. For example, a family photo sharing site could either group photos chronologically or by event - it's all up to you.

Once you know how to build a website, you must decide where to locate it. If the web space that your internet provider offers isn't enough, you may wish to search the internet for free web hosting options. When selecting a host, it is smart to compare the options. Some offer more space, some less, and they all differ in their templates and scripting.

Once you've completed these steps, it's time to start putting it together. Again, there are many options. You can learn how to write HTML and CSS by hand. Not simple, but fun if you have the interest. An easier alternative is to use a WYSIWYG editor. This stands for What You See Is What You Get, and is a visual way to put together and edit your pages, rather than having to write the HTML yourself.

A third option is to use the tools that may be provided with your hosting account. They often include a variety of templates, colors, styles and clipart that can be selected or changed with a click of the mouse. This is the way many people put together their first site, and then move on to WYSIWYG editors and eventually a combination of WYSIWYG and writing the HTML themselves.

Whichever option you choose when learning how to make a website, always remember that content is what counts. Photos, clipart, animation and other additions can add interest, but don't let them overshadow the content. Too many extras can make the site difficult to read and slow to load, sending your visitors away quickly. Remember: less is more.

If you wish to make your site both more interesting and more effective, it is important to know several things before you start building your web site. Keep this in mind, you can create an interesting and welcoming web environment without too much work for your visitors or for yourself. There are various resources available to help you learn how to make a website, and many of them can be found for free. Numerous books, available at your public library, have been written on the subject, and there are an uncountable number of online tutorials on how to build a website.

- Tem Balanco


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