Create A Website On Your Own
Sure you could create a website by opening up a text editor and writing html code, but why would you want to when you can do that stuff so much easier. These days with the internet boom there's a variety of software you can use to typeset your pages and plenty of code examples you can borrow from all over the place and modify to suit your own needs, saving you the trouble of writing it yourself.
In the last decade or so software has evolved significantly. Originally software saved your brain from remembering how to type html code, and so a button was available that could paste in the html script. But such a program would cost a preposterous amount of money. Today free html editors are WYSIWYG, allowing you to save your money and intellect for clever and interesting web designs.
Having interesting design is only second to the importance of the site actually working. Luckily, you can leave the maintenance issue to the software to handle. You're entering a public space when you create a website, and so you can expect to attract attention. You need good design to seize this attention so that people will keep coming back to your site.
A website is just a frame for what you want to say and a way of presenting your information to the world. You need to realize that if don't have a clear presentation, people won't get past that to your content. Complicated HTML tricks won't help you present your material, but a clear and easy-to-use design will.
A big trend these days is the niche site that provides a very specific service or feature. Blogs are a wonderful example. Many of them focus on one area of politics or chronicle one specific part of person's life. True, the most widely read and linked-to sites are the ones that are all things to all people, but those sites are nearly always run by teams of individuals.
By now, I am sure you might be thinking that it's going to be hard work no matter how you create a website. Well, it really isn't. If you have something to say, a website is a way for you to say it. If you don't have anything to say, a website won't make it up for you. In the same way, having paint and a blank canvas will not make you an artist.
When you create a website much of the site creation work can be completed utilizing software. The design factor is crucial due to the very important need to keep people interested in your site. A website isn't about the site itself, it's about the information and content of the site. Without a good, clear presentation that says what you want it to, you won't get across to your audience and all the fancy tricks in the world won't make a difference. The fact that the site is actually working properly is the most important factor, but an appealing and attractive design is the next key indicator.
Published May 16th, 2008
Filed in Web Design
