Website building involves four main areas: programming, layout, graphics, and writing. Though people working in each area believe they are the most important, all four areas are necessary for a quality site that will bring visitors back. Though you can start a website building project from anywhere, starting with the content makes the most sense because the other areas rely on the type of content being included.
Content For Your Website
When you are considering a new website, first find out what you want to talk about on the site. Knowing not just the big topic but the types of articles or blog posts you will have on the site is important. You can begin by making a list using basic keyword research methods. Know what people are searching for related to the broader topic you want to cover and then begin to jot down some ideas for articles. You may have a chaotic grouping of article titles at first, and that is okay.
Take a day’s break from the article list. When you come back to it, begin to put the article titles into topical headings. Let’s say you wanted to design a site geared to interracial couples with children. As you begin to assign titles to topics, you may have “dealing with family,” “dealing with strangers,” “teaching cultural differences,” and other topics. Use this basic content organization to move to the layout of the site.
Layout For Your Website
The easiest way for a beginner in website building to work on site layout is to sketch it on a piece of paper. Draw out what you envision when you see the site you are planning. Don’t focus on how to make the site; instead consider only what you want the site to look like. Think through the layout and navigation. If visitors cannot find their way around your site, then they will not want to return. Be sure you consider how people will get from one topic to the next, back to the homepage, to your newsletter sign-up area, and through the whole site.
Graphics for Your Website
When you are working on website building, graphics are important to make the site look right. Once you know the layout, you can begin to see what you will need for graphics. You probably will need a header logo, but you also may need cute graphics, such as a “new” button for recently-added content, or buttons for a menu bar. Work on graphics using the layout menu as your guide.
Programming for Your Website
Now that you know what you want on the site, you can plan the programming. Some sites will work better as blog-style, which means you can find all types of blogging platforms that allow simple programming customization. Other website building projects will require heavier programming skills as you may want a customized navigation and design. Put together the content, layout, and graphics plans to help you get a sense of how to begin programming your site. Following this process in order will lead you to a logical layout that allows you to build your site from the ground up.
