What You Need To Know To Build A Good Website From Scratch?

Creating beautiful, functional websites has never been easier than it is today. With so many tools, platforms and design models to take advantage of, anyone with a little time and dedication can whip up a workable webpage. But, by the same token, the sheer amount of programs, content management systems and add-ons can be dizzying at first. It can be difficult to narrow down your options and create a clear path for building your own website. First-time website builders are often discouraged by seemingly complex code, an inundation of both free and paid resources, and conflicting design advice.

This overabundance of knowledge may contribute to non-participation, as far too many capable individuals are intimidated by the process. In fact, 60% of very small businesses do not have their own websites, despite their ever-growing necessity. There is no need to fear creating your own website, however. Making a truly top-of-the-line web presence is very possible. If you simply educate yourself on the fundamentals of coding and web design, you’ll find the Internet’s endless supply of resources easier to navigate and to use to your advantage.

Before you delve into the core elements of website design, it is best to brush up on the basics of HTML (the skeleton of your website), CSS (the styling of your website) and JavaScript (the interactivity of your website). Static webpages aren’t going to cut it, either. Your website needs to be interactive and dynamic. Whether you’re building a personal website for your blog, creating a landing page for an online resume or developing a large-scale website for your online business, you’ll want it to look great on a vast array of devices since smartphones now account for a staggering 33% of all online traffic.

Even if you ultimately decide to use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress, where you can utilize pre-built themes, you’ll want to understand the fundamentals of web programming. Knowing to program rudimentary things in HTML and CSS will allow you to customize pre-built themes, for example. There are many manuals, guides, and videos available to you, completely for free, that can help you learn the absolute basics. Open courseware platforms, such as edX, Codecademy, and Udacity, offer interactive lessons that can take you from writing a static webpage with no styling to creating custom sites built with Javascript and dynamic frameworks, like Bootstrap.

After getting acquainted with programming, you’ll want to start thinking about design. How your users navigate your site is arguably more important than many of your website’s technical aspects. This is true for small businesses as optimized UX design has been proven to increase your revenue, boost customer loyalty, strengthen brand credibility and decrease bounce rate. Ideally, websites should be easy to use and understand. In order to create a site that’s easy to navigate, you’ll have to start thinking of how a new user will experience it. You must consider where their eyes will fall and how you to direct them to the right places with effective fonts, colors, links and images.

If you’re completely lost when it comes to choosing a layout that works for you, try studying existing webpages you’d like to emulate or peruse free-to-use themes built by respected WordPress developers. Likely, you’ll find layout patterns and design trends on these websites that you can implement on your own.

Here are a few suggestions to kickstart your website’s design:

• Put your website on paper, documenting the flow of menus and links
• Create a mock-up of your design in Photoshop
• Align your mock-up to a grid. How are things centered? Can it be optimized? Where do your eyes naturally fall?
• Choose a typography that is easy to read and fits with your desired brand
• Select a color theme that complements your website’s identity
• Test your design once it’s built. Did the design come out as intended? How can it be improved?

Building a good website from scratch takes an enormous amount of patience and dedication. If you have no previous experience building websites, you’ll need to take the necessary steps to learn the fundamentals of web programming. As with everything, you’ll probably be learning as you go, perfecting how to properly write media queries and how to minimize your CSS files later down the line. After attaining the bits of coding knowledge you’ll need to go forward, you’ll need to concentrate your efforts on studying and implementing great design. That means researching what design trends are working for big companies and personal blogs alike. Retooling, reworking and rearranging your site’s design may be time-consuming, but you will be rewarded with a sleek, up-to-date website. Use these tips to get started, and keep studying other websites as well as coding and design best practices. In a few short weeks, you could have a fully functional, eye-catching website on your hands.