Knowing how to design websites can always be helpful, especially in today’s world where everything revolves around this technology. If you are really good, you might even make some money by finding clients, launching subscription sites, and pursuing certain projects that can make money. It won’t take you long to launch your first site!
Know the differences
Website design is a field in its own right, you are not going to design images or illustrations, that is not the purpose of this discipline. While websites can host games and videos, and even though they can be beautiful to look at, they are exemplary of game and video design, not site design.
Determine what resources are needed. Among these, you will be using websites, videos and books. Among the most popular sites, you might check out Codecademy and W3Schools. However, there are many more, feel free to try them out.
Calculate the time needed. You need to know how long a day you can indulge in your new activity if you are a busy person.
Download a site design program. Even if you can do it with Notepad, it would be better if you have a program like Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft Expression Web, or KompoZer. There are many more out there, so you can do a search to find something you like.
Start with HTML. It is a necessity for anyone who wants to do web development. You must master the basic tags, classes, id’s, entries, etc.
HTML5 is the most recent version of HTML. It incorporates a lot of new technologies, which is why it would be better if you start right there. XHTML is also an option but the rules are a bit stricter.
Learn CSS “CSS” stands for “Cascading Style Sheet”. Without CSS, you wouldn’t be able to get those cute designs that you have seen on many sites. HTML is the backbone of the page, and it’s the CSS that makes it more colorful and more pleasing to the eye.
CSS has stricter rules. For example, if you forget to put a semicolon at the end of each line, you will spend a lot of time figuring out where the problem is.
Learn JavaScript and jQuery. It doesn’t have to be to make a simple website, but it’s essential if you want to design something interactive.
If you want to use jQuery, you will need to have some JavaScript basics, which makes it easier to use.
Using jQuery, you can insert elements on the page, for example accordions, calendar, etc. There are several styles available, so you can choose the one that best suits your website.
Switch to more advanced languages. You can learn PHP and MySQL, Perl, Ruby, etc. Again, this is not required for a simple site, but they are very useful tools for building larger interactive sites.
Some of these languages, for example PHP, require to be run on a test server, which is why you should have an account with a web host or install a virtual server on your computer.
Set up small projects. Do your own thing by creating sites from scratch. This will help you put your knowledge into practice instead of letting it disappear in the twists and turns of your brain. Start your own site. You can choose the topic of your choice, it gives you the opportunity to show your work to the public.
