Software.com Find us on

Search

New users

Sign Up with Facebook

Don't use Facebook?

Create an account on Software.com to receive additional membership advantages, and to shop online quickly and easily.

Joining is free. All you need is a valid email address.

Different Ways To Design A Website

16 Jun

This Tutorial Looks At The Different Ways To Design A Website, From Novice To Professional Designer, And How Software Can Help Streamline The Process.

There are several different ways to design a website, all of which are catered for particular needs and user skill levels. The design process overall is not the only aspect that needs to be thought about; there are also other elements such as layout, templates, themes and so on that will need to be considered when designing a website.

Webpage Setup

The typical process for setting up a website is to be begin by registering the domain name and then acquiring a hosting package with a provider. Once this is done you will then need to create your webpages which can be done in various ways:

By HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or XML (Extensible Markup Language);
By CMS (Content Management Systems) or Open Source templates; or
By Content Editor Software or Site builder packages

These three options offer a range of resources for everyone, but also need to be approached differently. Looking at them in further detail can help make the right decision for each website design.

HTML and Coding

HTML and XML is the source (or code) of all webpages. If you are unable to code a webpage then the other alternatives may be useful.

Site builder packages are available for use with HTML too. Depending on what you would like to include in your website may determine the type of package one would want to look into. For example WebEasy (shown below) is more for generic use, where Microsoft Expression Web caters for all types of web coding users from HTML/XHTML to CSS, JavaScript, ASP.NET, or ASP.NET and AJAX.

CMS and Open Source

Open source templates are becoming widely popular as they are predesigned webpages that can be downloaded either for free or for a small cost. They are useful for those who do not know, or wish to use HTML coding to edit their pages. The benefits are that you see the design of your page instantly rather than updating the code and then previewing your edits in the browser.

CMS is the modern way to design a webpage whether your are HTML experienced or not. CMS systems are similar to site builders in the sense that they allow you to customize the design and functionality, a few examples of popular systems are WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.

Content Editors and Site Builders

Content Editors (such as those that Yahoo use for their consumers' hosting), are easy-to-use design tools that allow you to insert objects like pictures, for example, which can be moved around by dragging and dropping. Even if you decide to download open source templates, the design can still be changed, however it is always good to check the terms and conditions.

Using a Site Builder is another easy way to build a site in minimal time and less effort. They are designed for those with minimal to no HTML experience, and enables the user to easily choose a layout, color scheme and use a web based program to build the site. The only disadvantage is if you decide to change hosting providers, your site may not be easy to transfer thus meaning that you will need to start the design process all over again.

Other alternatives include software such as WebEasy Pro from Avanquest which allows you to create effective looking websites in minutes without needing to learn HTML. An advantage of using a package such as WebEasy Pro is that you also gain 3 months free web hosting.

Another way to design a website is to call on the services of freelance web designer or a web design company. This can become costly if all you wish to do is design a few pages. With a freelance designer you will always gain a custom design, but the process can take longer as there will be considerable liaising to make sure that the design is what you require. However with so many products on the market, creating professional looking web pages is now not only effortless but fun too.