Where to begin when creating a website
Websites are collections of web pages that are hosted on a server and accessed through the internet. Websites can have different purposes, such as providing information, entertainment, education, or commerce. Websites can also have different features, such as blogs, forums, videos, podcasts, or social media. Websites can be created by individuals, organizations, or businesses using various tools and platforms.
There are many ways to create a website, but some of the easiest ones are using a website builder or using WordPress. A website builder is a tool that lets you design and customize your website without coding, while WordPress is a software that you can install on your own web hosting and use to create any kind of website you want.
Examples of popular website builders are HostGator, GoDaddy, Wix, Squarespace and Canva. They all offer free plans or trials, and they have drag-and-drop features that let you add text, images, videos and more to your website. You can also choose from hundreds of templates and themes that suit your style and purpose.
Advantages of website builder
- Don’t need any technical skills or experience to create a website.
- Update and manage your website from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Get support and help from the website builder’s team or community.
Disadvantages of website builder
- May have limited control over your website’s functionality and customization.
- May have to pay extra fees for some features or services, such as domain name, email, ecommerce.
- May have to follow the website builder’s terms and conditions, which may restrict some aspects of your website.
If you want more flexibility and control over your website, you may want to use WordPress instead. WordPress is an open-source software that powers more than 40% of all websites on the internet. You can download it for free from wordpress.org and install it on your own web hosting service. You can then use WordPress to create any kind of website you want, such as a blog, a portfolio, an online store.
Advantages of WordPress
- Have full control over your website’s design and functionality.
- Choose from thousands of plugins and themes that add features and styles to your website.
- Benefit from the large and active WordPress community that offers support and resources.
- Own your website’s content and data without any restrictions.
Disadvantages of WordPress
- Need some technical skills or assistance to set up and maintain your website.
- Need to pay for your own web hosting service and domain name.
- Need to update and secure your website regularly to prevent hackers and malware.
In general, a website builder may be easier and faster for beginners who want to create a simple and professional looking website without coding. WordPress may be better for beginners who want more customization and flexibility, and who are willing to learn some technical skills or get some help.
It depends on your goals, budget and time. You may want to try out a few options and see which one you like best. You can also read some reviews and comparisons online to get more insights and opinions.
Cost of making a website
The cost of creating a website can vary depending on many factors, such as the platform you use, the features you need, the design you want, and the domain name you choose. You can expect to pay an average close to below:
- $200 for an upfront cost to build a website using a website builder or WordPress
- $50 per month for an ongoing cost to maintain a website using a website builder or WordPress
- $6,000 for an upfront cost to hire a designer or developer to build a custom website
- $1,000 per year for an ongoing cost to maintain a custom website
- $10-$15 per year for a domain name
- $3.75/mo website
Time it takes to create a website can vary depending on many factors, such as the complexity of the website, the amount of content, the design preferences, and the skills and tools used.
- 2-4 weeks to design a website, which includes creating the initial design concepts, wireframing the website, producing UI designs for different devices and browsers, and adding content
- 1-2 months to build a website, which includes gathering all of the necessary resources, building out the structure of the website, writing code, testing and debugging, and finally launching it
- 1 day to 3 months to create a simple website using a website builder or WordPress, depending on the scale of the website and what approach you take to build it
- A few hours to a year to create a custom website with hundreds of pages and custom functionality
Online courses & tutorials on how to create a website
LinkedIn Learning platform that offers thousands of lectures and instructors that can help you learn how to build websites using different tools and languages. You can access some courses for free or subscribe to a monthly plan for unlimited access.
Udemy marketplace that offers over 150,000 courses on various topics, including web design and development. You can browse through different categories and ratings and enroll in courses that suit your level and budget. Some courses are free while others require a one time payment.
Code Academy website that lets you learn with its inbuilt console and simple web designing tutorials in HTML, JavaScript, PHP, and Python. The lessons usually follow a predefined path that guides you through different topics. This resource is completely free after you sign up with an account.
Coursera online learning platform that partners with top universities and organizations to offer courses and certifications on various subjects, including web design. You can enroll in individual courses or specializations that cover topics such as HTML and CSS, responsive web design, web development, and marketing.
Online tools & guides to help you create a fast website
Pingdom Solarwind’s Pingdom website that scans your website to check for performance issues that could be slowing down its load time. It also provides suggestions on how to fix them.
Google PageSpeed developer tool that analyzes your website and gives you a PageSpeed score and recommendations on how to make your website faster. You can also use the open source PageSpeed Modules on your Apache or Nginx server to automatically rewrite and optimize resources on your website.
GTmetrix website that provides a full report on how fast your website loads, PageSpeed and YSlow score, and other page details. It also allows you to compare other website performances with your own, set up alerts, and monitor them.
HubSpot’s Website Speed Optimization Strategies blog post that offers 19 strategies and best practices for making your website as fast as possible. It also explains how website speed interrelates with other key metrics such as conversion rate, bounce rate, and user experience.
To create a simple webpage with HTML
Create a new HTML file using Notepad or TextEdit. You can name it anything you want, but make sure it has the .html extension. Create a basic HTML document by copying the following code in your text editor.
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en-US">
<meta charset="utf-8">
<head>
<title>denwhas simple website</title>
<meta name="description" content="denwhas simple website">
<meta name="keywords" content="simple website, denwha">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link rel="shortcut icon" content="favicon.ico">
<link rel="canonical" content="https://denwha.com/">
<meta name="author" content="denwha.com">
</head>
<body>
<h1>denwhas simple website HTML</h1>
<p1>You can edit this to display anything you like, text, images, links...</p>
<h3>Lorem pisum dolor sit amet</h3>
<p>Lorem pisum dolor sit amet, consectetur adpisci elit, sed eiusmod tempor incidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscpit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur. Quis aute iure reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint obcaecat cupiditat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.</p>
<div><img src="https://denwha.com/favicon.ico" width="20" height="20" alt="denwha" align="left"></div>
</body>
</html>
Save your file as .html and open it in your browser to view.
You can download a .zip file of the example simple website and try it yourself.
You can add more content and elements to your web page by using different HTML tags and attributes. Example, you can create headings, paragraphs, lists, links, images, tables, forms and so on. You can also style your website using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to change the appearance of your website.
HTML and how to create websites
- How To Make a Website - W3Schools
- HTML Basic - W3Schools
- Create a Websage with HTML - CodeProject
- Create a Simple Website with HTML - wikiHow
- HTML basics - Learn web development - Mozilla
What should a website consist of
A website is a collection of web pages that provide information, entertainment, or services to users. A website should consist of various elements that make it attractive, useful, and easy to navigate. Most common elements of a website
Content, is the text, images, sounds, videos, and animations that users experience on a website. Content should be relevant, engaging, and informative for the target audience. Content should also be well-organized and updated regularly.
Design, is the visual appearance and layout of a website. Design should be consistent, appealing, and user-friendly. Design should also reflect the brand identity and purpose of the website.
Navigation, is the way users move around a website. Navigation should be simple, intuitive, and accessible. Navigation should also help users find what they are looking for quickly and easily.
Functionality, is the way a website works and performs. Functionality should be reliable, fast, and secure. Functionality should also meet the needs and expectations of the users.
SEO, is the process of optimizing a website for search engines. SEO helps a website rank higher on search results and attract more organic traffic. SEO involves using keywords, meta tags, links, content quality & many other factors.
Examples of excellent websites
- Boosted website is a stunning example of a product focused and user friendly design that showcases the features and benefits of electric skateboards. The website uses videos, parallax scrolling, and testimonials to create a compelling and persuasive presentation.
- Wozber website is an elegant example of a minimalist and functional design that helps users create professional resumes. The website uses a clean and simple layout, subtle animations, and intuitive navigation to provide a smooth and easy user experience.
- ESPN Sports Programming website features a dynamic and interactive layout that showcases the latest sports news, videos, and scores. The website uses animations, transitions, and hover effects to create a captivating user experience.
- Nike website is a great example of modern and minimalist design that focuses on the brand identity and products. The website uses a simple color scheme, large images, and clear typography to convey its message and values.
- FullyRaw website is a beautiful example of a responsive and colorful design that promotes healthy eating and lifestyle. The website uses vibrant colors, illustrations, and animations to create a lively and engaging atmosphere.
Making a website can be a challenging and rewarding process, but it can also involve some common mistakes that can affect the quality and performance of your website. Common mistakes to avoid when making a website
Not having a clear goal for each page, it’s important to have a specific purpose for every page on your website. You should know what you want your visitors to do, learn, or feel on each page, and design accordingly. Having a clear goal can help you create relevant and engaging content, as well as effective calls to action.
Failing to optimize for mobile, more and more people are using mobile devices to access the web, so you need to make sure your website is responsive and adaptable to different screen sizes and orientations. Failing to optimize for mobile can result in poor user experience, lower rankings on search engines, and higher bounce rates.
Trying to build the website yourself, unless you have the skills and experience of a professional web designer or developer, trying to build the website yourself can be a costly and time consuming mistake. You may end up with a website that is poorly designed, buggy, insecure, or outdated. Hiring a professional web designer or developer can save you time, money, and headaches in the long run.
Not optimizing site structure, website should have a clear and logical structure that helps users find what they are looking for easily and quickly. You should use headings, subheadings, menus, breadcrumbs, sitemaps, and other navigation tools to organize your content and guide your users. Not optimizing site structure can result in confusion, frustration, and loss of interest among your visitors.
Not building responsive pages, responsive pages are web pages that adjust their layout and content according to the device and browser that they are viewed on. Responsive pages ensure that your website looks good and works well on any device or browser. Not building responsive pages can lead to inconsistent and broken design elements, compatibility issues, and poor user experience.
Common mistakes to avoid when making a website, avoiding these mistakes, you can create a website that is attractive, useful, and easy to navigate for your website visitors.
Website design trends
Website design is a dynamic and evolving field that constantly adapts to new technologies, user preferences, and best practices.
Minimalism and simplicity, minimalism is a website design style that focuses on using only the essential elements and content to create a clean, elegant, and easy-to-use website. Minimalist websites use white space, simple fonts, clear navigation, and high-quality images to convey their message and purpose. Minimalism can help improve user experience, load speed, and SEO.
Responsive design, responsive design is a website design technique that allows a website to adapt its layout and content to different screen sizes and devices. Responsive websites use flexible grids, images, and media queries to ensure that the website looks good and works well on any device or browser. Responsive design can help enhance user experience, accessibility, and SEO.
Personalization and customization, personalization and customization are website design strategies that aim to tailor a website’s content and features to each user’s preferences, behavior, or needs. Personalized websites use cookies, data analysis, AI, or user input to deliver relevant and engaging content, offers, recommendations, or interactions to each user. Personalization and customization can help increase user satisfaction, loyalty, and conversion.
Dark mode, dark mode is a website design option that allows users to switch the website’s color scheme from light to dark. Dark mode websites use dark backgrounds with light text and elements to create a contrast that reduces eye strain, saves battery life, and enhances aesthetics. Dark mode can help improve user comfort, accessibility, and retention.
Micro interactions, micro interactions are small animations or feedbacks that occur when a user interacts with a website’s element or feature. Micro interactions can include hover effects, loading indicators, scroll animations, sound effects, or pop ups. Micro interactions can help make a website more interactive.
How can I make money from a website
There are many ways to make money from a website, depending on your niche, audience, and goals.
Selling products or services - You can use your website to sell physical or digital products, such as ebooks, courses, merchandise, software, or consulting. You can create your own products or services, or resell products from other sources. You can also use platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Gumroad to set up your online store and handle payments and shipping.
Displaying ads - You can use your website to display ads from various networks, such as Google Adsense, Media.net, or Ezoic. You can earn money every time a visitor clicks on an ad or views an impression. The amount of money you can make depends on factors like your traffic, niche, ad quality, and placement.
Affiliate marketing - Affiliate marketing is a way of earning commissions by promoting other people’s products or services on your website. You can join affiliate programs from various platforms, such as Amazon Associates, Awin, ShareASale, or ClickBank. You can earn money every time a visitor clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase or performs an action.
Recurring subscriptions - You can use your website to offer recurring subscriptions to your content or service. You can charge a monthly or yearly fee for access to exclusive content, features, tools, or community. You can use platforms like Patreon.