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Becoming A Website Designer
The ability to create simple, attractive and functional webpages is a highly marketable skill. There is a huge and growing demand for websites and web content, especiallyfor smaller organizations who often can't afford to hirea full-service web design firm. Readers often ask me whether it's necessary to take expensiveweb design courses or to learn HTML right away to get startedin this niche. Is there a cheaper way of learning these skills? If I were in your shoes, my best investment would be to learnhow to use a popular and well-supported website creation software package. Notice that I said "popular and well-supported." There are plenty of What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) webpage creators out there that allow you to cut-and-paste anddrag-and-drop your way to create simple, effective websites. For instance, you could check out programs such as the 123 WysiWyg HTML Editor at http://www.123wysiwyg.com Mozilla Composer is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)editor that allows you to create and edit web pages. Check it out at http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/ Easy Web Editor (http://www.easywebeditor.com/ ) is anotherlow-cost option under $100. Several Internet "gurus" have created their own software packages. Jim Edwards, for instance, is promoting his "mini site creator" (http://www.minisitecreator.com ) programright now on the web and through affiliates. Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as ww.godaddy.com offer their own easy website creation tools. These are fine if you if are a hobbyist or small business owner, and only want tocreate simple websites for your own use. But if you want to become a professional website designer, and eventually offer your skills and services to other small business owners, you will have to be able to create more sophisticated sites, with more flexible designs and features. So the key questions you have to ask are, "Am I using aprogram a professional would use? Will it be around five years from now?" Years ago I chose Microsoft's FrontPage WYSISYG websiteeditor. I knew that I would not be able to learn all the features the program had right away, but could create simple web sites for my business using the basics, then learn more, a little bit at a time. I also figured that Microsoft was going to be around for a while, and that webpage creation was an area of business they would want to compete in. So FrontPage would be well-supported for years with new versions, technical support, user forums, etc. That has all been true. However, FrontPage reportedly has its quirks in the way it generates HTML code. Today, the best software package that I keep hearing about in the WYSIWYG category - and one used by professional website designers as well -- is a program called Dreamweaver, by Macromedia. There are Dreamweaver versions available for both the Mac and the PC, which is important. If you learn the program on a PC, you'll still be familiar with the same tools used by the Mac world, which is the dominant platform for the graphic arts community. You can learn about Dreamweaver at: http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/ There is even a free trial option, so you can sample the software. And no, I'm not earning any affiliate commissions by recommending this to you. Dreamweaver will have far more features than you can possiblywrap your mind around at first. The trick is to use any tutorials included with the software, plus any free online tutorials (do a google search) and teach yourself how to create simple, clean web pages at first. Then you can gradually learn about other features, such as using tables, more complex formatting, etc. From now on, as you surf the web, bookmark sites you like ordesigns you like, and keep them in a special folder as examplesyou'd like to model. There's no faster or better way to learn than by modeling success. Launch your freelance web design practice by building your own website with Dreamweaver. If you have Internet access,your Internet provider already gives you from 5-10 MB of web space as part of your subscription. So you can practice on your first website there, at no additional cost. For an initial investment of $399, you can become an expert using a professional tool. Once you're confident enough, build your own business site, with your own domain name, and promote your services as a web designer. I recommend using www.godaddy.com to register your new company's domain nameand host your site. It can cost you less than $50 a year to do both. You can get a professional-looking logo for your business for$25 from www.gotlogos.com What other business can you launch for under $500 that has the potential to earn tens ofthousands of dollars per year? And finally, purists and experts still suggest that you eventually become somewhat familiar with HTML, even if you use a WYSIWYG editor that hides all that HMTL code. Many professionals go in and "tweak" their web pages by hand, using HTML, to get exactly the look they want. There are some free tutorials available to learn about HTML. Check out: A beginner's guide to HTML: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimerP1.html And http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/ The ability to create attractive, simple and functional web pages is a highly sought-after skill. Once you have created your own site showcasing a few examples of your work, your first prospects will probably be small businesses, consultants, and retail establishments in your area. Then, with experience, you can start doing work for larger companies. There's another benefit, too. You can work for anyone, anywhere, anytime, around the world, from your comfort of your home office. Barnaby Kalan is an award-winning freelance copywriter and author of Outsourcing Yourself: How to Turn Your Job Into a Business for Greater Wealth and Security. To get a free chapter from his latest book, visit http://www.outsourcing-yourself.com
MORE RESOURCES: PROFESSIONAL WEB DESIGN SERVICES - SIPPICAN DIGITAL Sippican Week Designing with Intelligence: AI in Web Development Touro University Site.pro Unveils One-Input AI Website Builder for Effortless Web Design The Cornwall Seeker Rate my website SitePoint Webflow vs. WordPress: I Built on Both to See Who Wins Learn Hub | G2 Unveiling the invisible hand: how AI is reshaping web design UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media FANUC America's Cobot and Go web tool Aerospace Manufacturing and Design Web Pacific Lutheran University 2/6/25 – EXPLORE OUTDOOR HAWAI‘I SITE WINS WEB DESIGN GOLD Department of Land and Natural Resources - Hawaii (.gov) Web Design and Development Muskegon Community College 18 Best Tech Website Designs in 2025 DesignRush Digital Silk Shows How Chicago's Manufacturing Industry is Modernizing Through Strategic Web Design Yahoo Finance For the first time, Generația Tech expands nationwide: a new edition launches on May 15, offering 1,500 scholarships business-review.eu 8 Best Apps for Web Designers in 2025 DesignRush Top Web Design Trends for 2025 Designmodo ChatGPT was tasked with designing a website. The result was as manipulative as you'd expect Fast Company The Smarter Web Company sets out 10-year growth plan and Bitcoin strategy - Proactive financial news The Smarter Web Company sets out 10-year growth plan and Bitcoin strategy Proactive financial news Essential Web Design Principles NYC Businesses Must Embrace in 2025-Insights from Digital Silk Newsfile Best Website Design Inspiration: Amazon DesignRush Faculty Profile: Libby Perry (Editing for the Web, Web Design - Media Communications) Full Sail University 11 Best Interactive Website Designs in 2025 DesignRush Best web design software of 2024 TechRadar USPS Website Design: A Detailed Overview DesignRush Web 3.0 And The Evolution Of Website Design: What You Need To Know Harlem World Magazine 16 Best Modern Website Designs of the Moment DesignRush Digital Silk Discusses How Miami's Hospitality Industry is Elevating Customer Experiences Through Web Design StreetInsider The Quake's Website Design Analysis DesignRush Best website design service of 2024 TechRadar 5 Upcoming Web Design Trends for 2022 SitePoint Digital Agencies Can Now Earn 20% Commission Through GoDaddy's New Exclusive Partner Program Stock Titan Beyoncé Website Design Analysis DesignRush Lululemon Athletica Website Design Review DesignRush Revolutionizing Web Design: How Squarespace's Design Intelligence AI Empowers Creators Boy Genius Report Web Development | Website Design for Yachting Companies Yachting Pages The Opportunity Agenda Web Design Analysis DesignRush |
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