How to make a web site from scratch
Introducing HTML
To make a web site you need to know a language called HTML (hyper text markup language). Sounds hard? Lets make it easier for you– there is software available that can translate your great ideas into html and help you make a website. These are called html editor software. Most people that use Microsoft will know about FrontPage. It’s a fine software, but Microsoft, as usual, has some monopolistic tricks up its sleeves which makes using FrontPage a headache, especially if you - like me - don’t like Internet explorer. If you want to design a website that works well across all browsers etc, go for Dreamweaver from Adobe (formally from Macromedia). It is an extremely versatile software that can be used to create really sophisticated websites. Best thing about it is its WYSIWYG feature – what you see is what you get – or almost. This makes designing sites a breeze – once you get the hang of it.
Plan The Layout
Once you are determined you want to make a website yourself, take out pencil and paper and plan the layout of your site. How do you want it to look? What kind of text do you think will best give shape to your ideas? What graphics do you want to add to illustrate your points? Sketch the layout of your pages, showing the approximate placement of text and graphics. As you go on to create a website, your design ideas will automatically improve. But always remember, your design is only as good as your technology know-how; if you have a great design idea but don’t know how to code it, you will need help from a professional like IndoGenic.
Graphics For Your Web Site
The next step to make a Website is to get graphics for your site. You can either scan pictures and photographs that you own, or you can be original and create your own graphics in photo editor software like Photoshop. Alternatively, you can download them from other sites, if your site is not a commercial one. However, be careful not to violate copyright laws.
Browsers support only three graphic format:
Jpg, which is good for photographs. These accommodate colors of all types and all shades of them.
Gif, which is meant for simple drawings, in which the boundaries between colors are sharp. This accommodates only 256 colors.
Png, is a new substitute of gif files, supports millions of colors. The advantage in using png is that it allows what is called “lossless” compression, which retains picture quality after resizing.
Pages In Your Site
Consider the pages your site should have when you design a Website. The home page serves as an introduction and is therefore brief and general. It contains links to other pages that deal with your ideas in more detail. Thus what you need to do is to categorize your theme and allot separate pages for each category. These pages are HTML files with .htm or .html extensions. The home page should be called index.html. This type of organization is characteristic of second-generation site.
Browser Compatibility
Insert text and graphics into your pages using an editor program you are comfortable with. When you make a website you have to keep in mind browser compatibility issues. Web pages may look different on different browsers as HTML tags are not interpreted the same by them. What’s more some older versions may not correctly display everything the new versions can. The way they handle web pages also depend on the settings made by users. You have to consider if you want your web pages to contain the latest technical advances in animation, video and sound that all browsers or all versions of a browser may not be able to handle.
Hosting Servers
Locate a server that will host your site. Most Internet Service Providers will host small, non-commercial sites for their clients. In addition, there are companies that give free web sites in return for being able to place advertising on those sites (there are also some that don’t place advertisements). You should do your hosting service homework carefully when you make a website.