Creating A Website - A Beginner's Guide

With a bit of time, patience and knowledge anyone can create a website with ease.

The first step to creating a website is outlining the purpose of that site. Will the site be used for business or pleasure? Will the content include articles, blog entries, pictures or music? Whatever the general idea for the site might be, the creator should sit and make a basic list of what they hope to include on their site. The more detailed and organized the list is, the better. This will help the developer to create a starting point for their site.

After some time has been given to finding the site's purpose, storyboarding can begin. This involves sketching out the site so that it becomes visual. Storyboards are created with a computer-based program or in a notebook. They should include visuals for the homepage (where visitors will be welcomed to the site) as well as for every other page that will be included on the site (i.e.: an "about" page, content pages and a contact page).

Once the storyboard process is complete, design can take place. In basic terms, designing involves drawing the site pages on a computer in a way that is recognized by the Internet. A user might choose to design a site themselves, with any of a number of software programs, or turn to a professional who will draw the pages for them. Code, or the language understood by the Internet, needs to be incorporated into this process, but software programs or experts can help with that step.

The final step in creating a website is uploading the site to a host. A host is basically the company that will allow others to view the site on the Internet. There are many hosts available, at many price points. Choosing the right one involves reviewing the terms of each and selecting the one that best meets the objectives of the website. Once a host has been selected, there are typically instructions on their site that walk users through the process of uploading, so that the created website becomes accessible to the general public.