Getting started in website building means determining what you want to do for websites first. You can work on programming, layout, graphics, or content. Many people work on more than one of those areas to be able to serve more of their customers’ needs. Once you have decided which of the parts of website building are most appealing to you, the time comes for you to make a clear assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.
What do You Know about Website Building?
Determine what you know about website building. Are you aware of how sites are put together? Can you read the code of a site and determine what makes the site look the way it does? Are popular website terms, such as “search engine optimization” and “social networking” popular to you? Figuring out what you know – and what you still need to learn – will get you started on the road to working in website design.
How Will You Hone Your Skills?
Once you know where you are lacking in knowledge, plot a way to get caught up in that area. In the easiest circumstances, taking a course may be the answer. Perhaps you want to be able to design Flash sites or you are interested in using editors to design sites. Purchasing a book or taking a weekend seminar may be the first step to getting started.
Most people will need to hone their skills by doing what they want to learn, however. Think of creative ways to begin learning the skills you need. Perhaps you want to design graphics for sites, but you have limited experience. Offer to design a logo for a friend’s website or begin playing with photo collages you can turn into examples to show clients.
If you are a writer but do not understand what Web 2.0 means for you, then research social networking. Sign up for accounts with the major social networking sites and begin to use them. Find a local business and offer to help them start a corporate blog, using the experience to learn about how blogging works.
When Will You Get Started?
Once you have a firm grasp on how you will fill in the gaps between what you know and what you need to know, begin working on learning. Contact companies who hire out contractors for web design and answer ads. There is no need to become an expert before you begin to find work. Be honest if you are just starting out and offer good deals to people in exchange for the chance to work on a site.
Unlike other industries, website building is still in its infancy. There are some formalized training programs, but many people working in all phases of web development got where they are through learning on their own. There are no barriers to entry in this field the way there are in others, and you can use that to your advantage. With hard work and a thirst for knowledge, you can make a go of building websites without the expense and time needed for a formal educational program.
