Xercel Blog

How to Build Your Web Site

Build it and they will come. Well, not exactly - but per the line - you have to build it nonetheless.

You may have something like Microsoft Frontpage on your computer, and if you are building a small web site for yourself - it might work out just fine. Another option is to check with the company you've selected to host your web site. Many of them now offer basic web site design templates that you can customize in a matter of a few hours to promote your company or product.

But if your goal is to take the first crack at a company web site - I suggest investing some money and purchasing Macromedia Dreamweaver. It will cost you around $400 - but it is worth the investment.

The next step will be to learn a little bit about building a web site - the simplest thing will be to use the tutorial that comes with Macromedia Dreamweaver. You will need to decide on a look for your web site, what content you are going to provide to your web site viewers, and how it will be organized (what your links will be). If you are really new at this - try going to web sites similar to yours and seeing what sort of information these companies are sharing - it will give you an idea of what you should have and how you should organize it.

Next will be to write your content and organize it into a structure. A good rule of thumb is to select link names that are "standard" in your industry. You want your users to find things easily. (I will write more on site architecture later).

Once you've decided on your content - you will need to use an image editing program to create the graphics for your web site (if you decide to use any). If your computer came with some - try those and use the checklist below. If you are interested in purchasing a program - I suggest you buy Macromedia Fireworks or Adobe Photoshop.

• You will want to select a design for your web site. If you don't have a lot of experience - I would say the more basic the better. Forgo the complicated background textures and stick with white for a background color.
• Use a clear readable font - Arial/Verdana are my preferences.
• Go for maximum contrast - i.e. black fonts on white background.
• Remember that everyone has a different screen size and you should design for the lowest common screen. These days - 800 pixels wide would be a good minimum screen size.
• Image colors should be RGB
• Images should be set to 72 dpi
• Photos are best saved as .jpg
• Vector images or drawings are best as .gif
• Transparent images are .gif files with the background set to transparent

Creating your web site will take a little bit of time - but by following these basic guidelines - and investing some time (and not stopping when you get frustrated) you should be succcessful.

Posted at 01:00AM Nov 15, 2006 by Xercel Blog in General  |  Comments[5]