People with all levels of technical skill start working with websites, and those people are able to use whatever knowledge they bring with them to put together quality websites. There are some pieces of information it is helpful to know before getting started, however. These are the basics for website building.
Websites Use Languages or Editors
Some people manually code their websites using either code they have written themselves or by snagging open-source code from the Internet. Open-source code means that it is available and free to all. People who are interested in programming write scripts, or small snippets of code, to do various things on websites and then make that code available. By searching directories of open-source code, it is possible to find code that does what you want.
Others practice website building by using editors. These editors, or software programs, allow the user to move around the various elements on a website. You may move the menu from the top to the left side, for example, and the editor will write the code in the background. Then you will just need to plug the code into your web editor or file transfer site to complete your website building project.
Search Engine Optimization Drives Website Success
Search engine optimization, or SEO, refers to how well a website is coded for visitors to be able to find the site. Certain elements of the code are written in such a way that search engine spiders, the programs search engines use to review website content, are able to determine the important content on the page.
One of the basic SEO tools is the meta tag, which users never see. The meta tag goes in the top of the code and includes the keyword or phrases on the website. Though meta tags do not have the importance they once did in website building, they still are vitally important to the process. Other elements of SEO include using CSS to reduce the “background” code on a site to allow the spiders to focus on the good code. While beginners can get overwhelmed with SEO jargon and tips, learning the basics should be a priority for anyone taking on website building.
Getting Traffic Is Constant Work
One of the mistakes many people make with website building is that they believe if they simply design a site and throw up some content that visitors will come to the site. Instead, embarking on a website building project means understanding that getting traffic to your website means working daily on marketing campaigns, content creation, and networking. Just as with an offline business, running a successful website means spending significant time on marketing activities.
The most successful web entrepreneurs are the people who have a marketing strategy and stick to a calendar that allows them to get their marketing work done in a timely manner. Good website marketing also requires paying close attention to who is coming to the site and how long those visitors are staying. Then this information should drive all future efforts.
Have you ever been to a website and been unable to find your way around? Perhaps you felt the information you wanted was there, but you didn’t know how to find it. That problem results from a lack of planning in website building. Navigation of your site cannot be overlooked, or people may find your site but be unable to find the information you have.
Create Menu from the Bottom Up
Many people start their website building backwards. They begin with major categories and then write out sub-topics for each of those larger subject areas. This type of website building often results in articles without good categories or oddly-named categories.
Instead, you should begin planning your website at the bottom. Write down the types of articles you want to include. Your initial brainstorming list may include article titles you would like to pursue or small topics you want covered. Once you have a comprehensive list to work with, you can begin to move your website building plan up a step.
Divide Into Categories
Take some time to consider what you have covered in the list you have written down. As you have a clearer idea of what you want to include, use index cards to jot down ideas in groupings. Use your intuition on most of them and jot down article topics or ideas that seem to work together.
You should begin to see a natural form taking shape as you work on your ideas. For a site on books, you may see that natural categories include book reviews, author profiles, and gift ideas. Try to get all of the article ideas and topics you have to fit into the list. If you find a few articles that do not fit, consider whether these articles actually belong on your site. Perhaps your website building plan needs to be tweaked a bit, or you may need to add other articles or exclude some. While it may be frustrating, you are better off finding out now that there are potential navigation problems with your site.
Name the Categories
Knowing how to identify the categories for your website building project is crucial. Many web entrepreneurs make some simple mistakes you can avoid. First do not use jargon on a site meant for beginners. Though veteran writers may understand terms like “clips” and “CV,” newer writers may not know those terms. Instead use more general terms, such as “finding work” or “portfolio” that represent the content and that are clear to newer visitors.
Avoid menu buttons or category titles that are too long. More than two words typically is more than is needed. Instead, try to condense what you are calling a topic to make the navigation easier to follow for new visitors to the site. If you have trouble, ask someone else to help you with topic titles. Sometimes, people not as entrenched in the content will have a clearer idea about what to call the category topics. Work through various category topics until you find something usable for each category you are considering.
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