Are you looking to get into website design for the first time? This overview is really aimed at people who want to adopt this as a pastime or perhaps those of you who are looking to move your career in that direction. But this is a complex subject, right? Well yes it can be, but it is actually quite simple if you want to develop a straightforward website for personal use and you have no aspirations to try and sell your services in the future.

In my opinion, you shouldn’t begin to think about starting out as a web designer unless you are reasonably technical or at least you have more than a passing interest in the Internet. My own interest started out because I am passionate about the Internet as a communication medium. One important thing it is worth flagging up from the outset is that web design can be addictive and don’t even think about it if you don’t have an understanding partner! It can become an all-consuming activity very quickly as you begin to master the technologies.

So what do you need to start out in web design? Well for sure you need a computer and Internet connection - your first tick in the box! Secondly, you need some software to ‘code’ your web design. For starters, you can get all sorts of freeware and shareware off the web and you can begin by searching for ‘HTML Editors’. Don’t worry about what this stands for, as it’s irrelevant. You will need a HTML Editor to create the code for your website. As you move up the website learning curve, you will more than likely want to invest in commercial software such as Microsoft’s FrontPage or something like Dreamweaver. “So that’s all I need?” I hear you ask. Well, it would be handy to start out with a few reference books to get you started. Getting your first rung on the web design ladder is probably the hardest part and it can be quite frustrating in the early stages as you try and figure out the technicalities. However, there are masses of help on the Web, but I cannot recommend highly enough that you at least get a reference book like “Website Design for Dummies” to make things a little easier.

Most of the HTML Editors are WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), so this will make life so much easier for you. As your skills progress you will inevitably start to look at other people’s web design techniques and study the code they have used to develop certain things that catch your eye as you browse the Web. At this point you will need to begin to understand how the code works and things will begin to get more complicated. In a matter of weeks you will be talking knowledgably about Tables, CSS, Java Script etc. You will become the ‘office bore’ before you know it!

Finally, you will need to think about how you will get your fledgling website out in front of the unsuspecting public i.e. on the Internet. You’re unlikely to want to go and buy a domain name and a hosting package from day one, so it’s probably best if you check out what your Internet Service Provider offers you for free. Most of the larger companies offer limited facilities to publish your web pages at no cost and this is a great starting point. One thing is for sure. If and when you actually get to the point of publishing your work of art so you can access it via the Web, you will be glowing with pride and fascination. I certainly did and it’s quite an addictive feeling. Then the fun begins trying to attract visitors to your website, but that can wait for another day. Good luck!

About the Author

Nigel Robinson is a Marketing Manager with www.fetcher.co.uk the UK’s Products and Services Directory. He is also a part time web designer. -

Shannon Kietzman is an expert in SEO strategies and marketing techniques. She is a regular contributor to Custom Website Design, and SEO Tools Visit the site to read more of her articles.

Selecting the SEO Consultant That is Best for Your BusinessAs a business owner, it is impossible to ignore the power of the Internet. With a worldwide audience only a mouse click away, most business owners are jumping at the opportunity to create a website for their business. In addition, many businesses exist entirely online, which means an attractive and easy to use website is imperative for success. But, it doesn t matter how great a website looks if no one ever finds it. For these reasons, it is necessary to take steps to optimize your websites for search engines. This process is known as Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.

Taking Steps to Optimize Your WebsiteWhen it comes to optimizing your website, there are a number of steps you can take. Some business owners attempt to optimize their websites on their own, but this is usually a bad idea because it takes a high level of specialized knowledge in order to optimize a site effectively. In addition, search engine optimization is a timely endeavor. Since most business owners are already multi-tasking, they rarely have the time necessary to properly implement search engine optimization strategies. For these reasons, it is usually best to hire a professional that can optimize the site to its fullest potential or that can provide you with the proper training to guarantee you get the job done right.

Selecting an SEO ConsultantSince SEO is becoming an ever-increasingly popular form of marketing, more and more SEO experts are appearing on the Internet every day. So, how are you supposed to separate the quality consultants from those that cannot truly get the job done?When searching for an SEO expert, there are a number of things to watch for:

The SEO expert should offer link building campaigns as one of the many services provided. Link building campaigns are highly effective when it comes to getting high listings with search engines because they help add credibility to your website.

The SEO expert should provide directory submission services that will ensure your website is frequently crawled by search engine spiders. The expert should also provide you with a spreadsheet that shows the directories your site has been submitted to. This way, you can stay fully aware of what is taking place with your site.

A variety of different SEO packages should be offered, making it possible for you to find the one that is best for your business needs.

The SEO expert should be willing to train you in search engine optimization if you do wish to do the work yourself. At the same time, he or she should be capable of doing the work for you if you don t have the time or interest in doing it yourself.

All aspects of website design should be made available to you, ranging from creating the layout of your website to creating the content. All of these components play an important role in a website marketing campaign.

The SEO Consultant expert should provide you with seo tools to ensure you reach the broadest market possible and allow you to effectively monitor the success of your site.

Finding an SEO expert that offers all of these services is a rarity. One expert that does provide all of these services and more, however, is Tyler Dewitt. Learn more at Custom Website Design, and SEO Tools

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tags

Uncategorized