Web Design Basics For The Beginner

Websites have become as common as listings in the yellow pages. People create websites for businesses as well as for personal use. If you have interest in designing websites, this overview will provide some basic information that you need to know.

Every website has a unique domain. This is a unique address on the Internet for a specific website. The domain is attached to a permanent IP address that is assigned to the domain by the web host.

The domain name needs to be purchased and registered at the domain registrar. There are a number of organizations that handle domain registration. If there is a domain name that you like, come up with some variations of that name as well. If the domain that you want is already taken, you can use one of the other variations.

Make your domain name easy to remember. This is similar to your brand name. You want your web visitors to recall it easily so they can return to visit more often. Avoid a domain name that is too long. Simplicity is always the best approach.

You should learn some basic HTML, which is the coding language that is the foundation of building web pages. Although many website designs are driven by templates that you can just fill out, knowing how the code works will give you greater flexibility in customizing your website from a template.

There are many website design tools that you can use in building your website. These tools range from the very simple for the basic website, to the complex for the higher-end websites. It really depends on what type of website you want to build. Many simple website design tools are free to download from the web. The more advanced design tools usually require a purchase.

You can build your website on any computer. Just be sure it has the storage capacity and the right applications installed on it. It does not matter if you are using a PC or a Mac.

Another part to building websites is learning all about cascading stylesheets, or CSS. Where HTML is the code that controls how your content is divided, CSS is the coding that controls the style of a page. You should learn as much as you can about CSS to give yourself the most flexibility in designing the exact look that you want.

Once you have built up your skills in web design and are fairly confident about your abilities, you can consider doing this for other people and businesses who need to hire someone to design their websites. Do a little marketing in your community by leaving your business card with local merchants. Advertise your skills on Craigslist. Tell your friends and family about your new web design business, and encourage them to spread the word around.

With any new business, you may only attract a few clients initially. However, if your service is exemplary, you can build a reputation that will help you attract more business. Build up your portfolio of projects that you can showcase.

The more experience you gain, the better you will become. Continue to hone your skills, and you can build your web design business into something lucrative.