Website Building
Write, organize and present web pages on the World Wide Web. Website building is easier than you think. In fact, in the history of the World Wide Web, it has never been easier to build a website. In the recent past, you had to learn and write the language of computers (HTML-Hypertext Markup Language) in order to build even simple websites. Later, programs were developed that could write the HTML codes for you, behind the scene. Almost everyone, except for perhaps highly trained and technical experts, uses these programs, called WYSIWYG editors. The WYSIWYG editor is a powerful interface tool that uses point and click technology. You place content within the editor in order to create your website. It allows you to modify all parts of your web site, using menus. You then view modifications on a screen that closely resembles what the final, published page will look like on the website. Two of the most popular WYSIWYG software programs for website building are FrontPage and Dreamweaver. According to many, these two programs provide great flexibility and variety for building websites. A major disadvantage of the above programs however is the difficulty in learning them. It takes a great deal of time to learn (proficiently use) the many features provided by the software. (Side note: After using FrontPage for several years, I never fully understood, nor did I use, all the features.) Once you learn a program like FrontPage and write web pages, you have to upload those pages to a server (FTP-File Transfer Protocol) that displays them on the web - website hosting. Finally, you have to learn the business of website marketing in order to get your website found from among millions on the internet. O-u-c-h! Today, you have many options for website building. The hot trend currently is for website hosting companies to provide you with a free WYSIWYG editor to build your website. You use their website hosting service and they provide you a free tool with which to build your website. When you purchase an editor like Dreamweaver or FrontPage, you use it to build a website on your computer. You then upload the site to your hosting company to present live on the web. All your work is stored on your computer. If you switch to another hosting company, you simply upload your website to the server of the new company. However, the free WYSIWYG editors provide by hosting companies are "server side". They are usually very easy to use. However, they are for the beginner (novice) and have limited capability. They have nowhere near the capabilities of editors like Dreamweaver and FrontPage that cost a few hundred US dollars. "Server side" means that all your web pages are stored on their server. Although you still own your work, it may not be a simple matter to start over with another company. You would have to download and save all of your work. In the process, you may lose formatting, graphics, and other components that make your website work the way it does. By some estimates, over 90 million websites have a presence on the internet. Of course, individuals and not major businesses built the vast majority of these sites. No doubt, many of these individuals built their websites with the idea of making money. Sadly, they fell into a trap. Building a website, however wonderful, and building a website business are two different things. The ideal world of website building is to have all the information and tools (from one source) you need to build and market your website business. The tools must have wide-ranging capabilities. You must receive complete and organized how to information. Moreover, you must have the opportunity to receive assistance 24/7. Finally, your ability to use the tools must have a very short learning curve and ease of use. Now, let's go to... Website Hosting - put it on the World Wide Web. Website Marketing - build traffic and make money. Website Outsourcing - should you do it? Back to Top Return to Website Building Tools Return to Build a Home Business Website home page
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