Back To Basics About Websites

We are kicking off our Back To Basics mini series today with websites 101. There are just so many aspects, that for a moment, I am not entirely sure where to begin. But this series is written for the complete newbie so I guess the best place would be the bare minimums that newbies often struggle with. First, let’s get some key jargon down.

Host or Web host – A website is at it’s core, a collection of files and data. These files can reside on your computer but that means it can only be seen by you which won’t do you any good. You need to put them on a computer system where everyone online can access it. A web host is a company who owns computer systems that are configured so that the files you put on their systems can be viewed by everyone on the Internet. So if you want a web site, that’s one of the key things you need. An account with a web host.

Domain – Simply put, a domain is the address of your website. Sparkplugging.com is this site’s domain. TechBasedMarketing.com is the domain of my website. So any .com, .org, .net, .me etc is a domain. This is also essential to having your own website. Sometimes you can create websites without buying a domain. This usually means, you piggyback on someone else’s domain. For example, have you seen sites or blogs like sweetcaroline.blogspot.com? Or myhomeimprovementcenter.typepad.com? These are sub-domains that ride on top of the main domain. Going back to the examples, blogspot.com and typepad.com are the main domains.

Since we are all building this website or blog for our business or to create a business around, I do not recommend you use those domains as your permanent address. Domains are cheap now. Invest $8 or $10 a year on a name that is uniquely you that you can brand and take along with you no matter which web host you go with and no matter what web building tools you use.

Now that we have the two most basic things explained, let’s move on to the methodology. Whether you choose to outsource completely or DIY, you should know the common methods as it will affect what you can or cannot do down the road.

Using Website Builders – These are often all in one packages, where you pay a monthly fee and you receive web hosting and a multitude of tools to build your web site with. Very often, the tools are web based. Which means you can work on your website anytime, anywhere as long as you have an internet connection. Website builders are also very often designed with the newbie in mind so everything is made to be simple, straightforward and easy to use. Many people start with one of these and graduate to other methods as their skills grow. You often don’t need to know HTML but it would help. I often recommend these tools for the complete newcomer. The down side is they are often a little pricier. Also, as you progress and learn new things about web building or business online, there may be things the builder cannot do or can do but not the way you want it to.

Using Desktop Software – These are tools like Dreamweaver and Expression Web. You purchase the software and install it on your computer (not web host). You build the site on your computer and it can connect to your web host to publish the files. In many ways, this can be simple too. These tools often expose you to the underlying architecture of web pages – HTML. While you don’t necessarily need to be a master at HTML to use it, but you can toggle between design and code. I’ve found this the best way to learn HTML which I highly recommend anyone who owns a website to get little bit of knowledge at least. As you can imagine, it may be a little more frustrating than a website builder to get right and understand where all the pieces go, but on the other hand this also helps you build a larger skill set that will serve you well down the road. You may also want to know that sites you build with desktop based software are often static. Which means you won’t be able to add on interactive things like a forum at a click of the button.

Using Web Based Scripts – Scripts are like software you can install on your website. Some of these scripts allow you to install a system resembling a web site builder on your own website. Which means you get much of the convenience, capability and ease of use as a website builder entirely your own, it is cheaper because you only pay for hosting, many of these scripts are free. Here’s the bummer. For a newcomer, it is not always easy to install these scripts. If you can get someone to install it for you, you’re off to a good start. But could quickly and easily find yourself in deep waters when you have to edit the design. If going this route, I highly recommend you have someone build and design it the way you want it and then learn to tweak it at your own pace. Once again, HTML knowledge will be helpful.

There are still a gazillion things I wish I could cover here, but I’ll end up writing a novel. Perhaps we will revisit and build upon this in the future. However, this should give you at the beginning level, an overview of what you can expect and hopefully an idea which way you should go based on how comfortable you are learning technology that is new to you. Meanwhile, if you ever get stuck with jargon, you might want to head on over to InternetMarketingDefinitions.

Image by ivan petrov