A Simple Web Design Tutorial - Beginners Guide

Web design can be an incredibly daunting project if you are new to the idea of the Internet. If you are interested in creating your own website but are not sure where to begin, here is a brief tutorial on getting started with website design and development.

1- Learn a little bit of HTML – There are plenty of WYSIWYG or “What You See Is What You Get” HTML editors, but there are a lot more capabilities out there that you will only discover if you take the plunge and learn some HTML on your own.

- Learning HTML can be one of the greatest investments that you ever make when it comes to designing and developing a website. There are many great places to learn HTML, including HTML Goodies and HTML Tutorial

- Learning CSS is another important part of designing and developing a website, as they can assist tremendously when it comes to controlling your website’s layout, images and colors. The w3schools website I mentioned before is a great place for learning CSS as well.

2. Try to stick to a single template for your website design. Use a website template to create your first website. You can either buy a free commercial template or have one designed for you. There are also plenty of opportunities for finding free website templates that are easy to customize.

- Table-based website design templates are great for anyone who is still learning how to work with HTML, as all the formatting is pretty stable and cannot easily be messed with.

- Utilize open-source content management solutions to create your website. Wordpress, located at WordPress.com » Get a Free Blog Here and Joomla, located at Joomla! are both great choices for website design and management.

- You do not need an understanding of HTML or CSS to create a website using either of these utilities, but it does pay off to know them anyway. These content management solutions have simple admin backend utilities which make it simple to add and remove content, and to completely customize every part of the website. So if you are looking for a fast and simple way to get a website up, this may be the process for you.

Still, learning HTML and CSS are an important part of making a website function properly, so once you have a basic website up, start brushing up on your web design skills.