by Len Morse

Created on: June 25, 2009

It's not hard to learn the basics of creating a web site. With all the tutorials, guides, books, and other options available online and in print, you can have your own site up and running in a matter of hours. All it takes is organization and a little perseverance. You just need to answer one question, first: Why do you want a web site?

You may be sharing photos, advertising a business, providing a service, writing a blog, hosting a forum, or promoting a book. The list is virtually endless, but these are some of the most common reasons to create a web site.

Your reason for building and maintaining a web site should be strong enough to carry you through any online hardships. The subject of your site should be a passion of yours, or at the very least, something you don't mind researching enough to approach an expert level. Dig deep, and you'll know what subjects get you excited, and you can then transfer that excitement to your visitors. They'll love you for it.

Be careful, though, because if you lose your inspiration, for whatever reason, and thusly abandon your site or produce shoddy work, your visitors or prospective clients will lose interest and write you off. They'll find a better web site, because more than likely you'll have plenty of competition. You must want to make your slice of the Internet as informative, user-friendly, and appealing as it can be; otherwise, you're just wasting money, time, brainpower, and bandwidth.

== Pages to Include ==

Plan what pages will be in your web site, including which pages your visitors will see first and where they will lead. A web site that is lazily put together, with sloppy navigation and no help to your visitors is doomed to failure. When creating the basics, consider using these six pages in your site:

1) Home (What is your site about?) - Sometimes also known as a splash page, your home page is most likely the first page your visitors will see, and therefore should hold the most attractive images and the most motivating text. Explain your site's purpose.

2) Features/Services (What do you offer?) - This is the meat of your site. Even if you are not representing a business, you should still show your visitors your quality items, professional-level pictures, homemade videos, published opinions, etc. with accompanying titles or explanations.

3) About Me/Us (Who is behind the site?) - A lot of site visitors are curious about the brains, imagination, and personality of a site's creator. Don't be afraid to

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