Create Your Own Web Page: A Quick Guide for Beginners

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Tips to Create Your Own Website Pages

Even if you are a beginner you'll find some interesting advice with these free web page design tips. Learn the basics of how to build a website using HTML and other info on programs, hosting and domain names.

If you want to create your own web page but are not sure where to begin, the steps below will help. It's easy to design your own website even if you are a beginner once you understand the basics. You might not become a "master-mind" web programmer, but you can still create a website on your own that functions properly. You can even sell products or services from your web page. It's easier than you think!

Step 1: Basic HTML

Take a few beginner courses about basic HTML before you begin to create your own web page. Even if you use a free "What You See is What You Get" program such as Netscape Composer or NVU, you will still benefit tremendously from knowing a little about HTML. The WYSIWYG program will convert your design into HTML for you, but there will come a time when you will need a working knowledge of HTML to add codes or forms, or to make minor changes to your web page.

Step 2: WYSIWYG Course

Once you get a foundational knowledge of HTML, take a beginner's webmaster course designed specifically for the web design software you choose. This will help you learn how to put it all together on a web page so it will flow. You'll be able to create your own web page to get the look and feel you want for your website.

Step 3: Understand the Main Features of a Web Page

When you create your own web page, you'll realize quickly that what you see online when you visit a company's web page is not what it looks like behind the scenes. The outline of how all the sections fit together is often hidden.

Below is a brief list and description of the main features of a web page so you'll know what to expect when you begin designing.

a. Tables: Tables help you to organize as you create your own web page. They are divided into rows,columns and cells, and each section can be sized all different sizes to get the look and feel you want.

b. Logo and Images: The website logo is usually placed at the top of the web page on every page of the website. It brands the company and helps users to recognize the company name. Other images called clipart, banners, buttons, or graphics, are placed strategically throughout the web pages to enhance the site's design. As you create your own web page, you'll want to use images wisely as they can either help or hurt your overall design. If you are the adventurous type, you can even create your own business logo or a personal logo for your website.

c. Text: Text is the writing you see on a web page, or the site's main copy. Most website owners place their text in or near the middle of the web page on a white background to make it easier to read. When you create your own web page, always use white or a light color such as pale yellow in areas where much reading is required.

d. Hyperlinks or Links: Links are the images or underlined text you click on to visit another web page. Some links are not underlined, but most designers use the underline feature to make the links noticeable. Also, graphics can be linked to other pages as well. Think ahead of where you would like to place your links before you create your own web page. You'll want to be organized from the start!

e. Image Maps: Image maps are navigational menus that are embedded within an image. It's an interactive image with several components within that are interactive as well.

f. Navigation Menus: A navigation menu is a group of stand-alone links that visitors use to navigate your website. A good layout and flow here is a good step toward traffic generation as visitors will come back to informative pages that are easy to navigate. When creating your own website, you may put a menu at the top (below the logo) or bottom (above the footer), left column or right column of your web page.

g. Forms: Forms are useful in many ways. You can use forms for allowing your customers to log-in to a private area of your site or sign up subscribers for your e-zine. You can also use forms for gathering information and taking orders. When you're ready to start designing websites, you can build the site generically at first, and then find the codes and instructions for certain types of forms online as you need them. Many are available free or at low cost.

**NOTE: If your website will be totally interactive or include many forms and a private log-in user section, you might consider learning the PHP programming design so you can add all these features and update them easily.

h. Search: A search feature is useful on websites with lots of products or information. It makes it easier for your site users to find certain subjects within your site pages.

i. Footers: Footers are simply company information you want to include at the very bottom of your web pages. You may include a contact email, your company name, your own name, your company address, and a phone number. It depends on how much information you wish to make known to your visitors. Another good idea is to place a "Copyright" statement at the bottom of every page when you create your own web pages.

It is also a plus to put up and link to pages such as a sitemap, privacy policy, about us and a resource webpage to give you a little more ranking power in the search engines. At the time of this writing, Google expects you to at least have a privacy policy on your website.

If you are a beginner you probably will not learn how to design all of the above features from the start. It will take practice with the basics before you're ready to move on to more complicated features. But remember, you can create your own web page using just a few of the features above and still have a great website within only a few weeks!

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