by Cameron T. E.

Created on: May 30, 2010   Last Updated: June 01, 2010

The quintessential first step for any Internet user should be to start a personal website, especially if you have usable skill that you think a person could learn from you and utilize. Making a website use to be a complicated process, at least that is what many people assume, but there have been easy to use website editors since the Dot-Com bubble, and all of them have helped millions of people publish their first websites. One of the easiest ways that you can start an attractive website without a whole lot of work is to publish a blog online. There are many free blog hosts online including Blogger and Word Press which allow you to publish a blog, and design it to your liking. In my opinion Blogs should be considered a website, especially if you have seen how many of the most popular online blogs are designed, they really resemble an actual website.

If you are considering making a personal page or a family website this can be done with a company like Freewebs or Bravenet. Both of these design companies have been around for quite a while, and they have extremely reliable and easy to use hosting packages. Now this is only what you need to consider if you are designing a very basic website, because if you are trying to design a more complicated website with perhaps a content management system or an interactive content management system you’ll need to learn a little bit more about the web design process. Learning about the web design process is easy, because there are many web design books at your local library.

The most important thing that you’ll want to learn is HTML, because this is the basis for the entire Internet. Even if you are hard coding a web site using PHP you will still need to learn HTML, and luckily HTML is a very easy language to learn quickly. Once you have mastered HTML you’ll need to learn CSS, which is the basis for most web templates these days. CSS controls the cascading style sheets that are built within your template, and basically controls where and how the HTML coding works throughout the website.

The Next step that you’ll need to take is to learn PHP or ASP; both of these languages are what power the content management systems of the Internet, and once you learn PHP you’ll want to learn My SQL as well, because this is the language that powers the PHP platform and most web servers. Practicing with PHP and My SQL is easy because you can install both of these platforms onto your personal computer or laptop, and thus create a personal or public web server. This is what many professionals do to avoid web-hosting charges, and in most cases all you’ll need to purchase is a domain name, as well as getting a firm grasp in PHP programming, and SQL server maintenance.

Essentially a website is an investment, because it is the quickest and easiest way to put your name out there, in front of potentially millions of Internet users. And if you are operating a business, it is doubly important to have a web site where you can showcase your skills and business to potentially thousands of customers. Local businesses can also benefit from having a web site, and with the options discussed in this article you can start a website for free in most cases, and in the same day if you are dedicated to starting your website quickly.

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