Introduction:
This tutorial is intended for people who want to build a website with the help of a software. If you’re trying to learn HTML or some other programming language, there are plenty of resources on the Internet.
Even before the first step, you should already have a business plan in mind. What kind of website will you be creating? What is your objective? Will you be offering information or services, or will you be selling a product online?
The type of website that you create will be heavily dependent on the functionalities that you need.
There are 4 primary types of websites on the Internet:
- Blog or Weblog
- HTML website
- CMS website
- eCommerce website
Each type of website offers a different level of functionality. By functionality, I mean the actions that can be performed on the website, such as a search feature, a form that collects and stores data, or even a calculator.
Today, most websites that use a database are usually built with the help of a software or script. Static HTML websites do not require a database to run, so they can easily be hand-coded from scratch by an experienced HTML developer or by simply customizing a pre-made template.
Now, I will briefly explain how each type of website is utilized and which software can be used to build it.
Blog:
A blog is basically a personal journal or diary maintained by individuals. However, lots of businesses are beginning to utilize blogs to make announcements as well as share their thoughts about certain business topics. Blogs are ideal for people who plan on sharing their thoughts, opinions, or editorials about certain topics on a regular basis.
Nowadays, blogs are easy to set up even for a beginner. Furthermore, with the advancement of software coding, there are no limitations when it comes to customizing a blog. And with the ever-increasing number of open source plugins being developed, you can pretty much add any type of functionality to a blog (eg. ratings feature, popular posts, polls, SEO, and many more).
Almost every blog out there is managed with some type of blogging software. With the help of a blogging software, your blog can be up and running within a matter of a couple of hours.
Here are some recommended open source blogging software:
Note: Blogging software requires a database in order to run. I will explain how to set up the database in Step 4.
HTML Website:
This is the most basic form of programming language on the Internet. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) has existed since the beginning of the Internet as we know it, and it is the predominant programming language used on websites throughout the world.
HTML, while popular and easy to learn, is pretty limited when it comes to providing functional features. This is because HTML websites do not utilize databases or coding to perform some type of function. The fundamental HTML language is limited to creating website layouts and design, setting text colors and sizes, and displaying text and images on the web. It does not perform complex functions like retrieving specified data from databases or processing user-inputted information.
HTML, by itself, is too simple to run applications and functions on a website, but when used in conjunction with a more advanced programming language like PHP, a website can be programmed to do practically any type of function – both simple and complex. But not to confuse you, we are talking strictly about HTML-based websites in this section.
HTML websites are ideal for individuals or businesses that plan on creating a simple informational website (less than 10 pages) with no need for a database. HTML websites are not recommended for individuals or businesses that plan to add or edit content on a regular basis. An example of an HTML business site would be: a basic 4-page plumber site that includes a homepage, about us, services and contact page.
Here are some sites where you can download free HTML templates:
Here are some sites where you can purchase premium HTML templates:
CMS Website:
A CMS (Content Management System) is a software that allows anyone to manage and edit a website without any prior programming experience. Utilizing a CMS, webmasters can add, update or delete information on their website through a user-interface built into the system. This makes CMS websites very attractive to individuals and businesses who lack knowledge in web design or programming, but want to manage the content on their own.
Like open source blogging software, there are an abundant amount of open source CMS software solutions available on the Internet.
Here are some recommended open source CMS software:
Here is a recommended premium CMS software:
Note: CMS software requires a database in order to run. I will explain how to set up the database in Step 4.
eCommerce Website:
An eCommerce website gives you the ability to sell products online. The customer browses through your catalog of products, adds what they want to the shopping cart, and then checks out using the payment processing options available.
This type of website is the most complex and requires the most functionality built into it. When running an eCommerce site, it is imperative that the software or script you’re using be bug-free and has gone through extensive testing to ensure that everything is working properly.
Fortunately for everyone, there are plenty of open source eCommerce software that have been on the market for years and have gone through countless upgrades and bug-fixes, so you don’t have to worry about them.
Here are some recommended open source eCommerce software solutions:
Here are some recommended premium eCommerce software solutions:
I offered you some recommendations for software, both open source and premium. Although, open source is free to use, it’s not always the better option for everyone. And, let me explain why.
You may not be paying for the software upfront, but open source software usually lacks in customer / technical support where premium products excel. Also, with an open source software, you may end up paying out of pocket to customize your website if you are not an experienced web developer. So, these are a couple of things to think about before proceeding with your choice for software.
If you want less worries about the software and development aspects of your website, go with a premium software solution. If you rather save money and do the website customization yourself, go with an open source software.
Technically speaking, blogging and eCommerce software can be considered a CMS because it allows anyone to manage a website without any technical or programming experience. But, I split them up into separate groups for the sake of making each type of software more clearly distinguishable. Also, people on the Internet tend to search for specific types of CMS software, such as blogging or eCommerce.
Another option would be to hire a web developer who can build you a website from scratch. Depending on the web developer’s skill-sets, he may be able to build any type of website you desire – anything from a simple HTML website to a complex database-driven website.
In most situations, the cost for a custom-built website will be significantly higher than a pre-made software solution. This is because it requires a lot more time and effort to create something from scratch, as opposed to just customizing a pre-made, pre-tested software. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that custom-built websites are usually more prone to bugs because the coding is still new and the features of the website have not gone through extensive testing.
Now that I have explained the 4 types of websites, I will show you step by step how to make a new website.
Hey there this is kinda of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!