My first website....
Discussion
Well, I wondered if I might be able to pick some brains and get everyones advice on starting up a basic website. Wanted to offer details of a business I'm setting up, so probably just a couple of pages in total.
But...
I dunno where to start! Don't have Frontpage, so is there a particular web-based solution I should be looking at? Or am I better off buying a program (such as Frontpage) so that it can grow as I learn the ropes?
Any help much appreciated!
But...
I dunno where to start! Don't have Frontpage, so is there a particular web-based solution I should be looking at? Or am I better off buying a program (such as Frontpage) so that it can grow as I learn the ropes?
Any help much appreciated!
Avoid frontpage like the plague!
Theres a good site at www.w3schools.com which has loads of tutorials to learn HTML. Its not difficult.
Then get yourself a copy of .net magazine or similar and they'll be loads of free programs on the cover CD.
Theres a good site at www.w3schools.com which has loads of tutorials to learn HTML. Its not difficult.
Then get yourself a copy of .net magazine or similar and they'll be loads of free programs on the cover CD.
Goto somewhere like www.download.com and look for WYSIWYG editors.
You'll probably work it out pretty quick with out the HTML but I always like to suggest people know a bit about the code these things generate. Incidentally this is why we do'nt reccomend Frontpage as it creates some very "interesting" code of its own...
Good Luck
Mail me through my profile if you need any help with the pages.
You'll probably work it out pretty quick with out the HTML but I always like to suggest people know a bit about the code these things generate. Incidentally this is why we do'nt reccomend Frontpage as it creates some very "interesting" code of its own...
Good Luck
Mail me through my profile if you need any help with the pages.
A lot of providers of webspace have web page creators, most of them aren't that good but some are but what it will do is create the html that you can look at and modify yourself.
It is a start.
Alternatively find a page paragraph layout you like from another website and save it to your desktop, edit it in notepad and take out all the pictures and replace the text with your own. Play around with it. See what you can do.
It is a start.
Alternatively find a page paragraph layout you like from another website and save it to your desktop, edit it in notepad and take out all the pictures and replace the text with your own. Play around with it. See what you can do.
Been said many many times, your best friend for getting going with HTML if you are serious about learning it is Notepad.
www.notepad.org/product.htm if you're not convinved
and
www.pagetutor.com/pagetutor/makapage/
is a good tutorial to get you started.
Enjoy
best
Ex
www.notepad.org/product.htm if you're not convinved
and
www.pagetutor.com/pagetutor/makapage/
is a good tutorial to get you started.
Enjoy
best
Ex
The trouble with asking computer people about websites is that they will tell you to junk FrontPage and learn html. To me html may as well be Chinese, but I can make FrontPage work and even charge a modest amount for making simple sites for clients. I made a website for my own business and it pulls in a few K a year for no outlay. Plus, if you're looking for 'plasma hire' it gets to about number 5 in Google, so I must be doing something right
IMHO FP is just right for non-webby people. It's part of MS Office, and of you can use Word fairly well then FP is quite intuitive. Far more so, to my brain at least, than GoLive which is completely incomprehensible. I guess it depends how your brain is wired up. But if you want to concentrate on your business and not have to take evening classes learning something else, FP does the job.
All IMO of course!
simpo two said:
To me html may as well be Chinese, but I can make FrontPage work and even charge a modest amount for making simple sites for clients. I made a website for my own business and it pulls in a few K a year for no outlay. Plus, if you're looking for 'plasma hire' it gets to about number 5 in Google, so I must be doing something right
IMHO FP is just right for non-webby people. It's part of MS Office, and of you can use Word fairly well then FP is quite intuitive. Far more so, to my brain at least, than GoLive which is completely incomprehensible. I guess it depends how your brain is wired up. But if you want to concentrate on your business and not have to take evening classes learning something else, FP does the job.
All IMO of course!
The problem with frontpage is all the junk it generates and I've also known it to get into a tizz and wreck an entire site! While FP might be an easy way to get into these things most WYSIWYG editors are just as easy to use and produce better results.
alunr said:
The problem with frontpage is all the junk it generates and I've also known it to get into a tizz and wreck an entire site! While FP might be an easy way to get into these things most WYSIWYG editors are just as easy to use and produce better results.
I've heard that too, but I keep things pretty simple and it doesn't seem to be a problem. I'd also say that FP is WYSIWYG - the preview mode is usually spot on, and I like the way you can scale things to 100% so it fits whatever monitor it's being viewed on. Or not, if you want to fix it.
I guess everyone's got their favourite software, but as the poster is new to the art of webmaking, I think he's got a more fighting chance of success using FP than one of the more advanced packages favoured by you clever html folk
MDelaney said:
Simpo, would it be rude to ask what the url is? Just interested...
Oo-er... well, OK then...
www.autograph.uk.com
Modest but it works well enough and costs nowt
Plus www.blokewithacamera.co.uk for fun.
Mail me if you have any Qs.
Before you go and design a site, by whatever means, you really ought to think about optimization. That is the art of getting the number one search result for your site.
The design of the site should have this one criteria as the overiding factor!
You could have the prettiest site in the world but unless it gets seen, what's the point?
Try <a href="www.webpronews.com">www.webpronews.com</a> they will guide you through the optimization maze for free.
I blindly followed their advice as a newbee and ended up as No1 search result in Google, for search term TVR Chimaera with my site:
http://users.firenet.uk.com/martinjones/tvr.htm
Albeit some time after selling the car.
>> Edited by wildego1 on Saturday 26th June 23:00
>> Edited by wildego1 on Saturday 28th January 21:14
The design of the site should have this one criteria as the overiding factor!
You could have the prettiest site in the world but unless it gets seen, what's the point?
Try <a href="www.webpronews.com">www.webpronews.com</a> they will guide you through the optimization maze for free.
I blindly followed their advice as a newbee and ended up as No1 search result in Google, for search term TVR Chimaera with my site:
http://users.firenet.uk.com/martinjones/tvr.htm
Albeit some time after selling the car.
>> Edited by wildego1 on Saturday 26th June 23:00
>> Edited by wildego1 on Saturday 28th January 21:14
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