Designing a website can often become a time consuming process depending on your knowledge on the subject. Setting up a website and going through each of the steps meticulously might seem a little complicated but it isn’t an unachievable feat if you are trying to build a website from scratch. For starters, it is important to understand what a website is exactly.

A website is made up of inter related web pages that are accessible over the Internet, having a specific identity through a domain name that makes it easily identifiable. You can set up a website to sell an idea, market your own work, or use it as an effective forum for business or work development. So while designing a website you must keep in mind whether your website is meant to be personal, or profit making.

Websites that are commercial in nature cannot exactly be equated with an advertisement. When you watch an advertisement, it is over within a couple of minutes at the most, where the product is effectively highlighted. But a website is there for everyone to scrutinize carefully and even one small mistake can prove to be very problematic.

Making a website popular
For a website to appeal to people, the design of the website is crucial. When you come across a site that instantly reaches out to you, you want to find out more about it is trying to convey. The presentation is important, tacky colors or childish templates can ruin the entire image of a website. Also a whole load of information packed into one single page can become extremely boring after a point of time.

The website must be easy to cruise around; it should not be a mystery puzzle with a plethora of links but very little advice on what to do with those links. Pop up windows are extremely irritating, it distracts and does not add to the website as whole. The content of the website should be legible and not contrasted against bright backgrounds that make reading the text an impossible task. So we’ve mostly covered what exactly a website shouldn’t be. But lets also try and keep in mind what a website must be to be successful.

A good website will be easy flowing, and will attract the attention of the readers from the word go. Within the website, the pages should all be of a uniform design. The content of the site is essential in getting across the entire purpose of the site. Make sure it is crisp, with easy to follow instructions, and uses uncomplicated words to convey a point. The header, the colors, and the fonts all communicate how much thought went into the designing. If you aren’t a professional at this then avoid trying to put in complicated designs into the web page. Remember just try to keep it simple but it should look effective. Try and figure out which websites appeal to you and which you’ll avoid for life. Perhaps that will give you an insight into how most people relate to a website. For a beginner these steps are relatively easy to follow but useful if you’re just getting started up.

Before going into the precise details of website designing, lets look at the initial steps you must cover to get started. Now that you have an understanding of websites and what makes it work for people, things might just be a little easier.

Obtaining a Domain Name
First up is establishing an identity for your website. Try and comprehend whether your website’s identity is a key factor in setting it up. If yes, then getting hold of a domain name is of vital importance. There are several options you can choose from, but expect to spend a little on registering. For some specific names, the prices can be quite steep; it all depends on the availability.

Some places you can get your domain names registered-

a. http://www.godaddy.com/ – Go Daddy has been right on top for the domain name registration sites. The site offers a host of options for names that you can use. The variety is pretty incredible and they have a vast price range to suit your budget from domain names available for around $10 and prices can go up. Go Daddy also offers web hosting and other required services.

b. http://register.com/ – Register.com allows you to pick your domain name, set up and host your website along with privacy settings and email options. It is easy to navigate around the site and its user-friendly features help you decide on packages that are perfect for your pocket.

c. http://www.dynonames.com/ – At Dynonames, you are spoilt for choice. Plenty of options for domain registration, prices of all sorts. You’ll find the usual extensions like .com, .net, .org or pretty unique ones like .name, .tv, and .mobi among others.

Web Hosting
When you want to put your website on the World Wide Web for people to see, then the first thing you need is web hosting. Understanding the concept of web hosting is fairly simple. For a website to exist it needs a specific space on the web which is exactly what web hosting companies provide.
There is once again a range of options. You can opt for free web hosting but this has certain limitations obviously as compared to the paid ones. Free web hosting usually requires advertising on the site by other companies, which might be quite undesirable.

Options that you can go through if you’re looking for free web hosting-

a. http://host-ed.net – Host-ed is a good option for free web hosting because it supports PHP programming and provides disk space of around 200 MB of space. The server speed is fast and is ideal for anyone not willing to spend too much on hosting. Once you get a feel of their service you can upgrade to a paid plan.

b. http://www.hosthelpers.com – Use this site to host your websites completely free. The best part is that their hosting is absolutely advertisement free and comes loaded with plenty of features like the Fantastico script installer, PHP support, CGI/Perl and options for registering domain names as well.

c. http://www.bigfreehost.net – This website provides quite a swell deal for PHP web hosting with around 5,500 MB of space, free FTP account, along with free email accounts and file managers, not to mention a host of other stunning features. You can also go through their range of video tutorials to get a few learning tips.

d. http://www.doteasy.com/Services/WebHosting – Want to set up a personal website or starting off on your new business, then this place is right up your alley designed to meet all your web hosting needs for no cost at all. With a monthly bandwidth of 1 GB, features also include compatibility with Dreamweaver and Microsoft Frontpage. Free email and a very secure network assure you a good web hosting deal for no cost.

e. http://www.freehostking.com – If you are looking for a free web hosting service, without advertisements then give this a try. 1,000 MB of space is provided and you can use your own Domain.

The option for paid services is also in plenty. If you’re ready to dish out a sum of money then you can get your very own Web server and have full grasp over it. There are also options when the client is not provided with complete control over the Web server. This is done to allow web-hosting companies deliver good service since the user is not allowed to alter the server in any way, hence creating configuration problems.

While the Internet is swarmed with numerous companies that provide good web hosting for a sum of money, here’s a short list to get you started-

a. http://www.hostway.com – They allow a variety of hosting plans for starters to pros, prices ranging from $14 up to $90. You are promised unlimited monthly traffic and 500 GB space for the Ecommerce pro plan. Set up numerous email accounts and get phone and email support. You’re also guaranteed certain additional added services to spruce up your website and make it look smarter.

b. http://www.hostmysite.com – HostMySite is an award company that has been in the business for quite some time now and ensures top-notch work from its team of dedicated employees who are always ready to help you out. Their hundred percent money back promise is also quite interesting, so if you’re not satisfied that your money is returned but chances of this are very less. With a range of options to choose from you get a domain name free for signing up for a plan. So chances are there is no way you will be disappointed with their web hosting.

c. http://www.godaddy.com/ – Not only is Go Daddy popular for registering domain names but they provide web hosting options as well. Choose from the Economy Plan, Unlimited Plan and Deluxe Plan and get the best deal for your website.

d. http://www.dotster.com/products/hosting/plans – Start with their Basic plan for $5.75 per month, and use their organized guidelines to set up your own website. This is a good option if you’re not looking to spend too much and want to exercise some caution before indulging in something more expensive. Hike up the price a little and sign up for their Ultra plan for around $15 every month for better features, more space and a powerful deal for your website.

e. http://www.hostmonster.com – They offer the best deals with a free domain set up, and directing traffic to your website. A special offer of only $3.95 every month is most certainly a good deal if you’re getting started.

Getting kick start with web design

Designing a website is by no means an easy task. The art of designing a web site take months, if not years to master, and a creative and design inclined mind works best here. Usually, web sites are designed first in any graphic editing software handy. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Fireworks are the two often used tools used to aid website design. The graphical elements of the web page, how they stack together, and the order in which they go are very important and often break or make a website.

The best way to get started with the actual process of designing is to plan and organize. Chalk out carefully what goes into the website. The information put up in the site is of vital importance, as we have established before. So let go off any information that is just not relevant. Although it can prove to be a somewhat complicated process it is extremely satisfying for someone with a knack for art and writing, along with some computing knowledge thrown in.

Start with a web-design template that can be purchased or custom made by you. Looking to purchase already designed templates to quick start the entire process of designing a website then you can check out these sites-

a. http://www.dreamtemplate.com – There are templates coming in several categories. Website templates with a range of themes, from abstract to fashion and beauty, these templates are designed for just about everything. Prices range from $1500 to over $3000 depending upon the template’s popularity and demand.

b. http://www.oswd.org – For almost five years, Open Source Web Design has allowed download of some amazing website templates for free. Many options are available, and you’re spoilt for choice. Download something cool and get started immediately.

c. http://www.buytemplates.net – The prices for templates are pretty affordable, and you can download several stock images. They promise you a money back offer if you are dissatisfied and a whole variety of choices with templates done in HTML coding to give your website the right look.

d. http://www.templatemonster.com – Looking for Flash templates? Then get them here for prices that are worth the professional look of the template.

e. http://templatenavigator.com/flashstore/show-category-futuristic.html – The futuristic templates offered here are pretty unique. These are flash templates that help you add a next-gen sci-fi look to your website.

If you are not looking for pre made templates and want to get down to the design yourself then edit your own template then use an HTML editor like Dream weaver and FrontPage. Templates can also be designed by using WYSIWYG, which stands for “What You See Is What You Get”. Once the web pages are created it is time to interlink them all to make a concrete website. This can be done with the help of Dream weaver.

The other option is to write the HTML code all by yourself using Notepad or some similar text editor in your computer. This process of writing your own code gives you complete freedom over the designing but a beginner’s knowledge on HTML coding is required to get into the process. Some sites you can go through with HTML coding are

a. http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/

b. http://www.htmlquick.com/articles/why-to-learn-html-code.html

c. http://www.html4newbies.com/

d. http://www.hypergurl.com/htmltutorial1.html

e. http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/

Things that you should keep mind
List down exactly what is to become a part of your website and then incorporate them intelligently without over cluttering the web page. First up is the Homepage that carefully outlines the sub sections and gets across the primary content of your web. The Homepage is the most important because it creates the first impression when a visitor is surfing through numerous sites. The other links featured on the page must be easy to navigate around. All web pages must lead back to this main Home Page because this feature is extremely convenient to a visitor who might end up lost and want to head back to the main page.

When you come across websites filled with links don’t you feel irritated? Keep this in mind when designing your own site because the lesser the number of clicks, the easier it is on the whole. Every click must produce valuable information because time is of utmost essence. People surfing websites don’t want to spend their entire day trying to figure out the whole load of facts you’re providing them with.
Include a Sitemap

Getting a sitemap is probably a good idea if you want to avoid all navigation trouble. The sitemap should have a detailed description of the several web pages and what it contains. This way your website visitor will have a clear idea of what each web page contains and can find their way around the web site easily.
Importance of the Text

The font of your text can make or break its look. Typography is essential in design; if they are catchy enough they get your attention right on. The colors of the text must be carefully selected to suit the layout of the entire web page as a whole. Proper sentence construction and spacing are key factors to top-notch presentation. Make sure that there are enough paragraphs and the content is divided into several sections to make it easier on the eye. And please do not bore everyone with long lines that run on for several miles at the end of which one completely loses track. Crisp language, moderate sized lines arranged in proper paragraphs in attractive colors can make your website extremely attractive and well liked. Always see to it that spellings are perfect because nothing can be uglier than wrong grammar or bad spelling.

Avoiding interruption
When you are designing a website keep in mind that you are targeting a particular audience. Keep their likes and dislikes in mind, take a survey, ask around, gather all the information you need to figure out what works best. Distractions on a website are a prime reason why visitors get annoyed. It is difficult to focus on the site content when blinking texts and images move around the page. There is nothing wrong in keeping the site simple but effective. Too many flashy objects or animated texts can just distract and not add to much value.
Pop-windows are again extremely not wanted. They spring up suddenly, right when you’re reading something interesting on a website and spoils the whole mood. So if you just keep an eye out for what works and what doesn’t you will find it a whole lot easier to make the right website.

Get original
It is highly possible you liked a website and would like to include features from there. That’s all good unless it’s obvious that you are directly copying things off them. Get original; take help from the many online tutorials available, read around a little on how to design properly and come up with ideas that are solely yours and not borrowed from other popular websites. Remember your readers are not stupid and are likely to identify copied content or ideas.

Remove dead links
Make sure that links that do not work are removed from the website. This ensures that your website is updated. It’s not really a good idea to have the visitor click on links and find that it takes them nowhere. Chances are, they will get fed-up and leave your site right away.
Can’t get past all those ads?

It is highly likely that you are only thinking of yourself while cluttering your website with innumerable advertisements. Of course they are rather unavoidable and we are not asking you to do away with them altogether. But when a visitor cannot get past a horde of advertisements the entire purpose of your website is pretty much lost. Do put ads in your web page but do not clutter the page, and make a selection of ads that you think might be in tune with the purpose of your website if that’s possible.

It is all about connecting with your readers, so keep in mind how a person usually relates to websites. The process of designing and implementation can be a little complicated but these simple tips and tricks are a good idea if you’re looking to start on designing websites.