Step 2. Web Design: The Three Methods of It
Now that you have your hosting and your domain name, you are ready to begin the biggest step of the web site development process: the design for your site. Right now, your site is a blank slate, with no content, no web site logos, nothing at all. Obviously, a web site with nothing on it and with no design will attract no one, and if you're not attracting anyone, having the site is pointless. Thus, it is now time to work on your web site's look.
In the first chapter of this guide, you discovered that you should look for other web sites to “model”. This will help you to choose what sort of look and functionality (what features) you want your web site to have. However, it is important to note that you won't want your site to have the exact same design as the site you're modeling, as this makes your site look like a copycat and also makes it look quite unprofessional. What you will want to do is find a look that seems to fit your web site. Look to similar sites for some inspiration, but also come up with some ideas on your own.
Some people are intimidated by the web design process, and understandably so: it can be confusing for some beginners and does take a lot of work. The good thing is, it doesn't have to take a lot of work, especially now with all of the tools that exist. You will be learning about the three methods of web design here. These are web site builders, WYISWYG and free templates, and hiring a web designer to perform the job for you.
When we went over hosting, we discussed website builders. These are basically tools which allow you to quickly put together and publish (upload to the hosting) a web site. Many hosting providers offer website builders, including Yahoo, GoDaddy, and HostMonster, among many others.
It can be a little bit tricky for a beginner to decide whether or not to use a website builder to build their website, so it's a good idea to become educated about them. To this end, we'll be reviewing the different site builders that are available.
GoDaddy: Web Site Tonight
One of the most popular website builders is GoDaddy's Web Site Tonight builder. For those that are intimidated by the thought of building a web site all on their own, it is a great choice. Featuring a point and click interface where the user is presented with visual choices for the web site and then picks what they want, Web Site Tonight is a very straight-forward website builder.
Yahoo Sitebuilder
When you sign up for Yahoo's domain name/hosting package, you are automatically entitled to use a free web site builder. This builder is very simple to use. As Yahoo's site describes it, you simple pick the look of the site from a series of templates that Yahoo shows you, then customize the site by adding in your own text and then you are able to publish it to the internet.
Homestead Site Builder
If you've ever wanted a site builder that has tons of professional templates and allows you to customize the site to make it look the way you want it to, this is the one to use. The Homestead Site Builder is a part of Homestead's hosting plan and allows you to get your own web site up within minutes with minimal effort. It is completely free to use if you are using Homestead for your hosting.
SiteBuildIt
SiteBuildIt is unlike the other site builders on this list for one reason: it's a product. You can buy it for a fee and then install it on your computer. From there, you use it much like any other site builder mentioned above. The main difference between SiteBuildIt and other website builders is that the sites it creates are much more professional and unique looking. There are hundreds of different designs to use. It is very user friendly, much like other builders, making it a great choice for those who want an easy, yet professional builder.
Another method of web design is the What You See is What You Get method (WYSIWYG). Basically, a WYSIWYG is a program which users can use to build a web site. Whatever you see when building the web site is what you actually get, hence the name. A WYSIWYG is a lot like a site builder, in that you can point and click things, but it's also much more flexible. You are able to do a lot more with WYSIWYG than a traditional site builder.
A good WYSIWYG program is something you'll never outgrow as a web designer. It is a tool for you even when you become very advanced at what you do. As a beginner, you probably won't want to take full advantage of the power of a WYSIWYG, so you'll probably want to use it with a free template. Before we go over sources for free templates, let's first talk about the WYSIWYG programs.
WYSIWYG Programs
Like builders, there are many different WYSIWYG programs around. All of them have different features. The ones most commonly used are Dreamweaver and FrontPage.
Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver is a paid program with a vast amount of tools and a nice interface. It is the top choice among web designers around the world. However, it costs a lot of money--$400+, in fact. If you can spare the money, it is a great buy and will suit all of your needs.
FrontPage
Made by Microsoft, FrontPage is a simple WYSIWYG program that comes with your operating system. It doesn't have all the features of Dreamweaver, but it is free to use and a great choice for beginners. You'll be able to do everything you need with it.
Free Templates
Free templates are essentially pre-built web sites that you can customize and use. Most sites have them available in .zip format, which is just the whole site and its files compressed. To access the files, all you need to do is extract the .zip using something like Winzip.
Using the Templates
To use the templates you have downloaded, all you need to do is open up your WYSIWYG program and then open the index.html (or index.php) file in the folder for the template. This will pull up the whole site and you can make changes to it using the WYSIWYG editor. When you are done, save the file.