Website building lessons for beginners. Creating a project design based on a ready-made layout
Start by studying html language- this is like the ABC of website building, without knowing which it is almost impossible to do it online. A very good html tutorial, with a lot of examples, is on my website.
As a second step, learn CSS technology - Cascading Style Sheets. This wonderful technology, combined with html, works wonders in website building.
When you already understand html and css, all you have to do is automate the process of writing html and css code. For this purpose, there are so-called visual editors, one of the leaders among which is Adobe Dreamweaver. The fact is that when working with such a wonderful program as Adobe Dreamweaver, website building is much easier, you save an unreal amount of time. What can be written in a notepad in an hour can be done in a minute in this program.
To get the hang of this program as quickly as possible, download the Adobe Dreamweaver video training course.
With this knowledge, you can already make yourself a static website. If you want your site to be live, i.e. with the ability to comment, with registration, etc. - then a ready-made website engine will help you here. I did it on purpose. Joomla is one of the most popular engines in the world. Therefore, you can safely study and create fully functional websites. The engine is very easy to learn! If you need to quickly make a website without really understanding what’s what, then Joomla will suit you.
Well, that’s basically all at first. Well, then, everything depends on you. As they say, “there is no limit to perfection.”
Move from the first point to the last, and you will be happy...
Almost all the authors of the books in this collection unanimously claim that there is nothing easier than creating a website on the Internet. Here you can find a lot of tips on how to create an effective, cost-effective, technically correct and simply beautiful website. Much attention is paid to the basics of HTML and CSS, and also covers all sorts of ways website analysis.
1. Jakob Nielsen, Kara Pernice “Analysis of websites by eye movements”
The authors developed and applied a rigorous website usability research methodology based on eye-tracking technology to analyze approximately 1.5 million eye fixations of users while browsing websites. In addition, the authors provide valuable advice on web page layout, navigation menus, individual elements of the site interface, selection of images and advertising placement. /2010 Buy on Ozone.
2. Dick McClelland “Adobe Mastery Lessons.” Invitation to Design"
The book attempts to shed light on the art of design through the work of seven leading practitioners in the field, selected by Adobe Systems. You will get acquainted with the individual creative techniques of artists and see how they apply their skills in practice. Great design is not about the use of tools and tools. Powerful applications can make work easier, but without deep ideas and talent, the tools are worth little. /2003 Buy on Ozone.
3. Scott Mitchell "Secrets of Web Design"
In this book you will see how easy it is to create your own Web site. Using the templates of professional Web sites offered by the author of the book and free editor Mozilla Composer Web pages, you can quickly and easily customize templates for a custom Web site. Just point to the items you want and click on them! With the editor you can easily edit, add or remove pages, images and text headings. /2007
Buy on Ozone.
4. Charles Wyke-Smith “Stylish Website with CSS”
The book is devoted to the use of CSS to create the appearance of a website. Its structure is extremely simple and logical: the first chapters are devoted to the creation individual components website using CSS. In the final chapter, all these components are brought together into a single whole - the reader is invited to detailed instructions to combine them into a ready-to-use website. The book contains examples of code for site components and markup options that can be used as templates for your own purposes, making the necessary changes to them. /2007 Buy on Ozone.
5. Paul McFedries "Creating Web Pages"
This book will help novice webmasters master not only the basics of the craft, but also teach them how to navigate new developments in this constantly evolving area information technology visual media The book presents useful tips author on creating web pages, the basics of HTML are explained very clearly, and the examples provided will help you advertise correctly and overcome the problems associated with creating your home pages. /2007
Buy on Ozone.
6. Kelly Goto, Emily Kotler “Web Redesign”
The main tenet of this book is that web design is in constant flux with time. Ace web designer Kelly Goto and her co-author Emily Kotler share their expertise, offering an effective approach to the web redesign process that takes into account both business priorities and interests good design. The authors focus on the intersection of these areas, hitting the bull's eye. Each chapter contains a visual example illustrating the key stages of the process. /2006 Buy on Ozone.
7. Carrie Bickner "Frugal Web Design"
This book is about how to create a professional-looking website on a budget, and how to apply low-budget principles to every aspect of web production: site management, interface creation, design, copywriting, hosting, and post-launch support. The book is intended for those who save not only their money, but also their time, who strive to develop a high-quality website in a short time. /2005 Buy on Ozone.
8. Kent Wertheim, Ian Fenwick “Digital Marketing”
The book is dedicated to how to increase sales using social networks, blogs, wiki resources, mobile phones and other modern technologies. The book gives full list digital channels communications that should be used in advertising your product, the nuances of using each are described and methods for planning a campaign are given. They also don’t forget how to combine new digital advertising methods with traditional ones. /2010 Buy on Ozone.
9. Ethan Watrall and Jeff Sciarto "Exploring Web Design"
It would be great if it were possible to learn real web design just by reading a smart book. After all, then all sites and pages would become much more beautiful, convenient, accessible, and functional. However, an explanatory book will greatly facilitate this process. So from this book you can learn the secrets of world design, the subtleties and tricks of usability, and get acquainted with the process of creating a website - from a sketch to implementation in HTML and CSS. /2010 Buy on Ozone.
10. Dan Cederholm “Bulletproof Web Design”
This publication is about using XHTML and CSS to create accessible websites. different browsers, devices and programs, flexibility and readiness for any situation. Each chapter of the book discusses one component of a web page. The final chapter brings all the components together and describes the creation process. ready-made template impenetrable page. On real examples you will learn how to create flexible, adaptable and accessible websites./2006. Buy on Ozone.
Hello friends!
Good deal - remote work. Profitable, useful and very convenient. Especially for those who, like me, love to travel. Recently I just realized once again that despite all the possible disadvantages, I absolutely don’t want to change all this to the walls of my offices.
Especially when early on Monday morning you are driving along an empty and straight highway on a motorcycle towards Bangalore and you realize that right now your friends and colleagues are rubbing their backs in traffic jams on the way to work.
I have already written about where you can start freelancing. Today I will touch on a topic that is closest to me (and extremely useful for readers), namely: how to learn how to create websites from scratch and make money from it.
Because it just so happens that I am often asked questions about websites and their creation, both at webinars and in private. Well, let's reveal our cards.
In general, web construction (or web mastering, as I call it) is a fairly broad niche, which includes specialists of various levels: from those who build simple one-page pages in lpgenerator to powerful front-end developers of Ruby on Rails and Python. As usual, I’ll stop in the middle and talk about what kind of sites I make and what you need to know for this.
Currently I am developing turnkey WordPress sites.
To create them you need the following:
- Basics of the web designer profession and basic knowledge typography. Combination of colors, ability to find combinations of shapes and fonts. This is probably the most necessary base for creating websites from scratch.
- Understanding of web servers, hosting and the Internet in general. Here, without the maniacal red-eyed system administration, things get along badly. But at the initial stage you don’t have to bother with this.
- Ability to work with hosting. At least to upload and correct your masterpiece via the Internet.
- Knowledge at least at the level of definitions concepts such as FTP, HTTP, IP address, CMS, Javascript, HTML, CSS. Don't be alarmed - everything is much simpler than you think. At the initial stage, it will be enough to learn what FTP is (to upload sites to hosting), CMS (to manage content) and IP (to know how to configure this FTP).
- It is advisable to be able to understand HTML and CSS and understand at least a little how to layout websites.
- and, perhaps, that’s all!
Have you noticed what one point is missing that many people talk about? That's right - “programming”! How so - you ask? But...
How do you like this beauty? Scary?
In order to learn how to make websites on your own, you don’t need to know such scary things as PHP, MySQL, Javascript and .NET. However (so that the super luminaries don’t throw tomatoes at me), I’ll emphasize: with knowledge of programming, your capabilities increase significantly, therefore the complexity of the sites being developed increases enormously, and along with it, possible remuneration.
The concept of “writing websites” remains relevant only for systems in which development from scratch is extremely important and where the strictest requirements for security, speed and cleanliness of code are imposed. Although, there are some fans who prefer to write even simple business card sites with pens.
A little later in the article I will tell you where you can learn how to create good websites without deep knowledge of programming.
In the meantime, about the structure of the work.
How is a website created?
Creation is always a creative process, however, it (for convenience) is subject to a fairly rigid structuring. Previously, this stage seemed unnecessary to me. Like, why waste time?
Now I understand that more scrupulous attention to the site development process at each stage dramatically reduces the time it takes to complete it and correct errors.
Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether you create your website from scratch yourself or order it from freelancers - there should always be a prototyping stage in this process.
Creating a prototype of the future website.
Carefully consider the sequence of blocks and the placement of graphic and text elements on the page. Try to work with the task as much as possible. Reveal everything at this stage function blocks, which should be present on the site: where to place the form, where the bulletins are, where the product gallery is.
If you’re going to create, then only this way
If you are a freelancer, then proceed to the next stage of development only after the customer accepts the prototype! If there are texts and images, place them in the layout. If not, insert “fish text” and arbitrary pictures.
What you can use to create a prototype:
- a regular piece of A4 paper and colored pens (I love analog tools and the scratch of a pen on paper)
- Word, Excel or their equivalents
- Regular Paint
- Photoshop
- Adobe Muse
It doesn't matter which tool you choose. The main thing is that he solves the problem as efficiently as possible - creating a prototype. For example, I like to draw everything on paper. And even when traveling I carry an A4 notebook with me. It’s not entirely convenient from the point of view of carrying heavy loads, but it’s such a thrill to draw with colored pens and use your creative potential to the maximum.
Creating a project design based on a ready-made layout
After you have implemented the layout, start designing. Draw, make art, come up with colors and artistic techniques. It is at this stage that you urgently need knowledge of the basics of web design. If a bear has stepped on your imagination, give the layout to a web designer with the agreement that you will layout the finished website design layout.
A web designer's challenge looks something like this:
For example, I do not have an art or designer education. I go with the good artistic taste I developed from childhood and a bunch of literature I studied on my own. However, if my customers need a very sophisticated option, I resort to the services of super-pros in drawing and photoshop.
Design layout
Layout is the transfer of design from an image into HTML code so that the browser understands how to display this very site. The most interesting stage, which scares away most beginners, because it is here, more than anywhere else, that knowledge of html, css and jquery becomes relevant.
And if historically before a layout designer wrote all the code by hand and hated his work a little more than completely, now his hellish work has been greatly facilitated by ready-made frameworks and entire systems for visual design sites.
In the latter, you do all the layout work by arranging blocks on the screen, without writing code.
It would seem like a freebie, but knowing the principles of using block layout is highly desirable so that the work process remains meaningful and nothing goes anywhere.
CMS setup and content
After your initial layout has been created, you need to connect WordPress (or any other content management system, also known as CMS) to it. To do this, commands from the CMS itself are inserted into the ready-made template to show it that this is the site header, and this is the logo.
In fact, this stage is not always used. And it often happens that the customer requires only the html version. However, if you want to earn good money by creating websites, learn to work with a CMS. Just further I will tell you where to learn this.
Where can I learn to make websites quickly?
And now comes the fun part! The times when you needed deep programming knowledge to create websites from scratch are gone. However, I warn you right away: all further services and courses are paid. And if you are looking for something completely free, it’s better to go to Google and the website htmlbook.ru.
We are designed in such a way that we do not value free things, so I continue to urge people in every possible way not to be afraid to invest money in themselves. Because otherwise you will have to invest time, which, unlike money, is never replenished.
And in general, learning from professionals is the most direct, fastest and most effective way. Without long walks through the fields with rakes and meticulous inventions of tricycles (with a beep, yeah).
Of course, you can also learn on your own. But isn’t it easier to give some amount so that a professional can guide you past the misconceptions and obvious pitfalls along the way? The recipe is as old as time: we learn and develop.
Training to make money on website building
There is a good guy who teaches how you can make money by developing websites. In my opinion, such an approach immediately gives you two wings: the technical base of a specialist and the marketing base of the seller. Without the latter, freelancing is very sad.
Here are some suggestions from his center:
- FREE INSTRUCTIONS for making money on web construction
- FREE BOOK “Creating a Website from Start to Finish” In it, the author uses a clear example to show the entire process of developing a website, which you will do yourself.
In general, I am against shock therapy. And I seriously believe that development should not proceed in spurts, but progressively, without violating the laws of harmony.
Of course, training in website creation is not limited to all the courses described above. Now, in general, every third person on the Internet is starting to launch their own pseudo-courses, so the saturation of the market is simply terrible. And it is sometimes completely impossible to understand the variety of offers. That is why I act as a kind of orderly, trying to separate the cutlets from the flies and recommend only what I have tried myself.
How to make money by creating websites?
The next step after learning a craft is making money from it. This is a good motivation when you start getting paid for an interesting hobby. This is exactly how it happened for me.
This is done in a nutshell like this:
- You give information to your friends and acquaintances about what you are doing now
- You set the minimum price tag to gain experience and portfolio
- After that, you go to freelance exchanges
- You receive orders, acquire the necessary connections and experience
- You develop and become a top-class professional
- Buy yourself a Gelenwagen and a dacha in Bali
6 obvious steps that are sometimes very difficult.
How long does it take to learn how to make websites?
Sometimes I get asked questions: how long does it take to master website creation? It’s difficult to answer, because the “point of arrival” is not entirely clear. Those. what moment will be considered the point where you “already know how”. This process has been going on for me for 8 years now, and the further it goes, the less competent I seem to myself :)
However, in 2-3 months you can get good training in order to confidently do something simple to order. When I began to master more advanced layout, I took an order 2 weeks after the start of training. I made a bunch of mistakes, but I earned my first freelance 900 rubles. There was no limit to the joy)
Therefore, I will say this: learn and when you feel support under your feet, do something simple - take it on! And don't be afraid to make a mistake.
Note for seasoned web programmers
I foresee well-founded objections from coding and web development sharks.
“Like, why discredit the science of website creation? Because the market is already full of amateurs. There is little benefit from them, but they bring a lot of losses. To customers - because they absolutely do not know how to work either as specialists or as salespeople; colleagues in the shop, because they are openly dumping on the market"
I'll try to calm you down: The path to freelancing is long. And it may take more than one year for the green novices to reach your level. And in their segment, where customers do not require cool, sophisticated guts of sites, it is beginners who are an excellent help for solving problems.
Professionals and adequate specialists have always been and remain valuable.
Don't be afraid of competition, it doesn't really exist. Be humane towards your customers, build friendly and harmonious relationships with them, and no newcomer will ever move you.
It is a pity that few people adhere to the same principles in everyday life and at work. The majority is trying to snatch the fattest piece, and do it as quickly as possible, without caring at all about their own conscience and further interaction with customers. And freelancing is just another point of application here. I already wrote about this in the article.
It’s simple: “live and let others live,” as they say in Sri Lanka!
That's all, friends! I think I managed to satisfy your hunger for the topic “I want to learn how to make websites.” Please share in the comments: who would you like to work remotely? And they often write to me with questions specifically about professions in making money online, so I decided to slowly fill this niche.
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We wish you beautiful websites and solvent customers!