Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 4: Design your website
• Part 2 of 4: Building your website
• Part 3 of 4: Test and launch your website
• Part 4 of 4: Other considerations when building a website
• Tips
• Warnings

Building a website is an excellent way to share your ideas and thoughts with the world. However, if you've never created a website before, it can seem overwhelming. You've got all that http dot more and tag this = ""> and tag that = "">, and how do you get images and text on it? Don't worry, because with the help of this article, you will quickly get the hang of building a website.

To step

Part 1 of 4: Design your website

1. Get inspired. Look at websites with a good design and think about why the design is so good. Usually this means that the information, resources, links and pages are organized in such a way that it is easy to find and use. To get inspiration for the design of your own website, you should look at websites that offer about the same. This will give you ideas where you can place the different types of content.
   • Be realistic about what you can do.
   • The most important thing is that your website is easily accessible. If certain information is not clearly visible on your website, make sure that visitors can get to that page in a logical way.
   • In general, it is better if you keep the design as simple as possible and give your website as few pages as possible.
2. Choose a topic and a goal. Skip this step if you already have a pretty good idea what your website will be about. If not, here are some tips to help you find out. First, you have to understand that there are billions of internet users and a large part of them have a website. If you limit yourself to something that has not been done before, you will never be able to start.
   • When you hear the word "Internet" what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Webshops? Music? News? Social media? Blogging? Those are all good ideas to start with.
   • You could create a website about your favorite band and add a chat room for people to talk to each other about it.
   • You can also create a website about your family, but be very careful when doing this. The internet is full of unsavory characters and the information you put on your website about your family can be used against you. Consider making your family website private by protecting it with a password.
   • If you read the news a lot or want something less restricted than the traditional media, build a website and add public feeds from news services like Reuters, BBC, AP and others. Create your own custom collection of news stories (what was once strangely called "newspaper") and add any news articles you can find on the internet.
   • If you are creative and like to write, you could start a blog where you can write about anything you want. You can then build a circle of regular monthly readers.
3. Make a plan. Building your website will take you time and possibly money, so set a limit for both and get started. Your plan doesn't have to be a big, complicated spreadsheet or a beautiful graphical presentation, but you should at least think about what your website means to you and your visitors, what you put on your website and how you organize the different pages.
4. Collect the content. There are a lot of different types of content, and with each type of content there are different aspects to consider. You will have to find out what best suits your website and your needs. Consider, among other things, the following:
   • A webshop. If you want to sell stuff, you have to think about how to make the stuff accessible to the customer. If you have relatively little to sell, you could place your webshop with a special hosting service. Society6, Bol.com and CafePress are well-known and reliable web shop hosts where you can sell various items and set your own prices.
   • Media. Do you want to put videos on your website? Music? Do you want to host your files yourself or do this elsewhere? YouTube and SoundCloud are good websites to host your files, but you should make sure that these types of media files are displayed properly when building your website.
   • Pictures. Are you a photographer? Artist? If you plan to put your own work on your website, you may want to choose a format that will prevent them from being copied by others. Make sure the images are relatively small or hidden behind a piece of Flashcode. Thus, they cannot be easily stored.
   • Widgets. These are small applications that perform certain tasks on your website. Usually they are used to keep track of who visits your website, what visitors are looking for and where they come from. There are also widgets to schedule appointments, display a calendar, and so on. See which widgets might be useful for you and make sure to only use widgets from trusted websites.
   • Contact details. Would you like to include your contact details on your website? For your own safety, it is better to be careful with the information you put on your website. Never put your home address or home phone number on your website, as this information can be used to steal your identity. You could request a PO box or create a special email address where people can reach you. This is useful if you do not have a business address.
5. Draw a flow chart. For most people, a website starts on the homepage. This is the page that every visitor sees first when he or she goes to www.youwwebsite.nl. But where do they go after that? If you take the time to think about how people are using your website and what they are clicking on, it will be much easier when you add buttons and links for navigation.
6. Consider different devices and browsers. Smartphones and tablets are very popular nowadays for surfing the internet. Websites must therefore also be built in such a way that they can be viewed with these devices. If you really want to create a website that will last and be accessible to as many users as possible, create different versions of your website for different devices and browsers. You can also create an interactive website that adapts itself to the user's situation.

Part 2 of 4: Building your website

1. Determine which method or tool you will use to build your website. When you have an idea for your website and have a plan for setting it up, you should then start thinking about how you are going to build your website. The possibilities seem endless, and people will try to sell you a "great" software program or all kinds of things you "absolutely need" on your site. In reality, there are only a few good tools to build a website. One of them will best suit your situation and needs.
2. Build your website yourself. This is the first possibility. If you have website building software, such as Adobe Dreamweaver, creating a website from scratch isn't very difficult. You will probably have to use some code yourself, but don't worry about that. HTML looks complicated, but it's like listening to Shakespeare - it's hard at first, but once you get a feel for it it's not that hard anymore.
   • Advantages: with special software building a website becomes easier because you can drag and drop images, text, buttons, videos and other things in the right place. You usually do not need to have knowledge of HTML for this. Many of these software programs even allow you to create mobile websites intended for smartphones and tablets. This is really an excellent method if you are creating a simple personal website.
   • Cons: You will have to learn a few things before you can get started. Even though you don't need to know HTML, you still need to know some aspects of building a website, such as the design. This probably isn't the best option if you don't have a lot of time. The biggest drawback is that if you are not a web designer you would have a website can that hurts your eyes. Fortunately, most website building software programs have a number of free templates you can use, and you can also find templates on the Internet. However, do know your limitations - if you have them.
3. Use a content management system (CMS). This is the second possibility. WordPress, for example, is an excellent option for building a website. You can quickly and easily create web pages and blog posts, set up menus, allow and manage comments from visitors. Plus, there are thousands of themes and plugins to choose from and use for free. Drupal and Joomla are also good content management systems. When you have your CMS hosted somewhere, you can edit and manage your website from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection.
   • Advantages: very easy to use and you can install it with one click and start quickly. There are many options for beginners as well as for advanced users.
   • Cons: Some themes have limitations, and not all are free.
4. Build your website from scratch. This is the third possibility. If you choose this, you will have to start using HTML and CSS. There are ways to further develop your HTML skills and add more features and depth to your website. If you're building a business website, these tools will help you give your website the professional, business look you need.
   • Learn CSS. CSS stands for "Cascading Style Sheets" or separate style sheets to record the design of a web page. With CSS you can capture the design of a page in a more flexible way and add it to the HMTL code. It is easier to make simple design changes, such as fonts, headings, and color combinations, all in one place so that the entire website changes at once.
   • XHTML is a markup language based on W3C standards. It is almost identical to HTML, but uses stricter language rules for the written code. This means there are minor changes in the way you write the code.
   • Take a look at HTML5. This is the fifth revision of the HTML standard, which will eventually replace the current HTML version (HTML4) and XHTML.
   • Learn a client-side scripting language such as JavaScript. You then have more options to add interactive elements to your website, such as graphs, maps, and so on.
   • Learn a server-side scripting language. PHP, ASP and JavaScript or VB Script or Python can be used to make web pages look different for different visitors. You can also create and edit forums with it. These scripting languages ​​can also help you store information about people who visit your site, such as username, settings, and even temporary "shopping carts" for web shops.
   • AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a technique that uses a browser side language and a server side language to make a web page fetch new information from the server without having to refresh the page. The user experience is therefore greatly improved because users do not have to wait as long. However, more bandwidth is used. For a website that receives a lot of visitors, such as a webshop, this is an excellent solution.
5. Hire a professional. This is the fourth and last possibility. If you don't like designing and building your own website or learning new formatting and programming languages ​​- especially when it comes to a more complex website - hiring a professional is probably your best option. Before hiring someone, ask to see a portfolio of their work and check references carefully.

Part 3 of 4: Test and launch your website

1. Register your domain name. Know that there are strategies for buying a domain name if you don't have a lot to spend. Think of a domain name that is easy to remember and easy to spell. If you choose a domain name ending in .com or .nl you will get more visitors, but most of the good names are already taken. So be creative.
   • If you want to register a domain name that ends in .nl, make sure you choose a company that is affiliated with the Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland (SIDN).Here you will find a list of all registrars affiliated with SIDN. GoDaddy is a reliable service for registering domain names ending in .com. Do your research and determine the ideal name for your website. Wordpress also has a feature that allows you to use a name attached to their site, for example mywebsite.wordpress.com. If the name you have chosen is also available as a .com variant, you will be informed when you register.
   • You can also buy domain names that are "parked" or that are offered for sale online. It's a good idea to get legal and financial advice before buying an expensive domain name.
2. Check your website. It is wise to test your website thoroughly before launching it. Most website building software programs allow you to test your website without putting it online. Look for missing tags, broken links, search engine optimization (SEO), and design errors. These are all aspects that can influence the number of visitors and the income you generate with your website. You can also have a free, fully functioning sitemap created that you can submit to search engines like Google in minutes.
3. Test your website. When your website is finished, you have to test its usability. You can do this by asking some friends or family members to try out your website. Give the tester a specific command such as "customize your profile" or "buy a wool sweater on the bargain page". Sit behind the tester and watch it navigate your website. Don't help the tester. Chances are there are areas where you need to improve navigation or make instructions clearer. You can also use a service like zurb.com to have your website tested by different demographic groups, paying attention to the different ways in which your website can be used. Nowadays, when testing a website, it is very important which device or browser a visitor uses. You must ensure that your website is easily accessible with a desktop as well as a smartphone or tablet.
   • List things that the user seems to find difficult or illogical.
4. Launch your website. Choose a web host and upload your website. Your web host may have an FTP function or you can download your own FTP program, such as FileZilla or CyberDuck. If you've hired a professional to build your website for you, he should be able to do this for you (but it's still a good idea to ask questions so you understand what's going on).
   • Know that there are ways to host your own website for free.

Part 4 of 4: Other considerations when building a website

1. Define your concept. If you do this to make money, what ideas could make the most profit? What ideas should you spend the most time on? What ideas would you like to implement? You will spend a lot of time working on your website, so choose the idea that you are most excited about (while also being profitable and practical for you).
2. Define your goals and work towards achieving them. You can create a website for fun, to make money or a combination of the two. If you know what your expectations are, it will be a lot easier to design your website and list the results achieved.
3. Consider competition. You need to spend less time on an informative website, but you have to deal with more competition because anyone can start such a website. To make money with such a website you offer your visitors certain information and you generate income from the visitors you get by advertising, for example with Google AdSense. To use AdSense optimally, you need to write targeted texts that are interesting enough for people to visit your website. Also consider which keywords people use to search for the information you provide, and incorporate these keywords into your texts. However, don't overdo it, or your texts will suffer and your readers won't find them interesting anymore.
4. Take responsibility seriously. A commercial website that sells products needs more attention and maintenance. You will need to think about shipping options, sales, taxes, SSL (secure data transfer), inventory tracking, and anything else that someone with a brick-and-mortar store will also have to deal with. When you have a webshop, it is important to have a system to properly answer customer questions and to handle complaints quickly. Many companies have telephone customer service, which you can outsource to a foreign company if necessary.
   • If your goal is to have only one additional source of income, you can also sell other people's products through affiliate programs. You can make money without having to invest in products or worry about shipping.
5. Know the target group or market you want to reach. For which target group is your website intended? For market research to learn more about your target audience. A few things to know or research: What are they doing? What is their age? What are their other interests? All this information can help make your website a lot more useful to visitors. However, don't assume that your website is targeting just one group –– always keep an eye out for trends that indicate that other types of people are also becoming interested, so you can also respond to their interests and take full advantage of new opportunities.
6. Do keyword research. This is necessary to find out if people are searching for topics related to your website, and can also be useful for learning more about your potential customers. By taking the trouble to use commonly used keywords on your website, you can rank higher in search engine results. To make keyword research easier, you can use certain Google tools (for example google.nl/trends/ and google.com/insights/search/#), Overture and other software developers.
   • Use the chosen keywords in your texts, but don't use too many. This is at the expense of the quality of your content.
   • Creating web pages that are optimized for search engines ensures that your website is found, which is actually even more important than the design. What good is a website that has no visitors?
7. Promote your website. Now that you have a website, you naturally want to attract visitors. So let them know that your website exists.
   • Submit your website to the major search engines. There are websites that do this for you, but you can also do it yourself.
   • Tell your friends about it. Keep tweeting about it, add it to your Facebook status updates, post images of it on Flickr, or add it to your LinkedIn account. Promote your website in all places you can think of. The more visitors your website has, the better.
   • Use an email address with your own domain name. Visit other websites that complement your website in some way (not compete with it) and offer to exchange links or write a guest blog. Post useful posts on blogs and forums, and sign your website address.
   • Take advantage of article marketing. Sometimes writing good SEO texts and placing them on other websites is a useful way to generate backlinks for your website. This can help you rank higher in search engine results. However, always keep an eye out for search engine updates as these can often affect the search engine strategies you use. As a result, they can work less well or cause your website to appear lower in the search results of search engines.
8. Offer your visitors good content and services. It is especially important to listen to your readers and customers and learn from their experiences with your website.
   • Take constructive feedback seriously. Other band members, fans, and friends may have ideas for making navigation easier.
   • Think about your target audience or market: their needs, their frustrations and their circumstances. Make it a goal for yourself to make their lives easier or to inform them as best you can.

Tips

• People are often in a hurry. You have an average of 3 to 7 seconds to get people's attention, so be smart and think carefully about what people see first when they come to your website. Do not use too many large images so that your website loads quickly. Compress them if possible. Only use techniques such as JavaScript, Flash and streaming media sparingly, and only do this if it is important for the design of your website.
• If you're selling a product that visitors will find through a search engine, make sure that product is the first thing they see when they come to your page. The more often a visitor has to click on something, the greater the chance that your visitor will go elsewhere.
• If you're hiring a professional to build a complex website for you, remember that programmers aren't necessarily graphic designers. Most notable websites are made by or with the help of someone who knows graphic design. The best advice, especially for a professional website, is to hire the right team of people to get the job done. Web designers design the design, web programmers are concerned with the functionality of the website, marketers promote the site and ensure that it can be found with search engines, and copywriters provide the web texts.
• Visit popular websites, even if they have a completely different topic from yours, and use them as an example. What are they doing well? What is interesting about their layout, their content and the navigation options on the website? Take on relevant aspects of what you learn while browsing these sites and use this on your own website. Adjust it to your own requirements.
• Start with simple things, practice with them, and then find ways to further develop your skills - even if what you're creating isn't very impressive at first. Don't rush through the process.
• If you plan to sell a product on your website, you need to make sure people can pay securely. For example, you can have iDEAL integrated into your website or use a free payment service such as PayPal. Always read the fine print carefully. If you choose to pay by credit card, be aware that many credit card companies require you to provide warranties for lost or damaged items that have been shipped (so also check insurance).

Warnings

• Never betray the trust of your visitors. Respect their privacy. Spam, annoying pop-ups and irrelevant commercials will damage your credibility. One way to appear credible is to have a clear privacy statement. Include a clearly visible link to your privacy statement on every page of your website, as well as anywhere you ask your visitors for their personal information. Put your real contact details on your website. If you do need to use advertising on your website, explain to your visitors why that is and show them you're doing your best to make their visit as enjoyable as possible. Make sure you mean it!
• If you're using content from another website, be it an image, some JavaScript code, or anything else, get your permission in advance and include the person's name. If you don't, they can claim damages and ask if you want to take the content in question offline.
• Remember never to delete your account username and password. If you forget your information and can't find it, you may not be able to work on your website at all. More importantly, it is never to give your details to anyone else (except the address of your website).
• Don't worry too much about all the advice that is given today about promoting websites. There is useful and reliable advice, but much of it is not. Marketing is not a science – it is an endless experiment that is constantly changing. You know best whether the promotional strategies you have deployed work or not. The best approach is to listen to your visitors and learn from their experiences.