Learn the Basics of Good Website Design!
easier than you think!
Mistakenly, too many say it's challenging to build a webpage. It really is not a big deal.
no techno-geek spoken
And for that reason, we do not believe in making it difficult by using buzz words or speaking "techno-geek" to make it so.
we do the research . . . so you don't have to
You do not need to waste your time searching the Internet, trying to figure out what the gobbledygook means.
We will lay it all out for you in terms and language so that everyone can understand.
content updated: February 21, 2025
What we will do is breakdown the development into two major divisions:
- the content-related components of your website
- the structural-related elements of your website
You can pick the topic of your choice from the flip boxes below, by scrolling down or clicking on the links to the important website topics
Welcome to Web Info Pros.
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How to Build the Best Website!
Over 180 illustrated pages!
The most definitive primer for those new to being a webmaster, and for those who want a refresher course in creating the best website.
web info pros
Links to the Important website topics!
planning to build the best website?
Learn how to create your website the easy way!
how to approach building the best website
learn to create content, domain naming, web hosting, and more!
how to make webpages work better?
understand how to avoid bloat, use keywords, and much more!
control page components for your advantage!
fonts, illustrations, and page layout essentials!
why is social media important?
like or hate it, social media here to stay!
organic marketing is dead, but here's a solution!
see how to use social media so that it won't cost you anything!
alternatives to facebook instagram and twitter
other choices!
there are other choice to the big three
some that you may not have thought of before!
effective color schemes for your content!
color for confidence and authority!
learn the importance of color
create initial visitor motivation through color!
how to create a youtube channel to promote your website?
start to promote your brand!
how to produce meaningful videos
a complete guide to youtube for the beginner!
structural elements of your website
get the major items to make the first impression!
how to correctly structure those critical elements
explanations with detailed examples!
6 keys for picking a web host
crucial considerations when making a web hosting decision!
what should you know before decision time
what is the difference between the good ones and the great ones?
the simple methods of good web design
discover the distinct theory of simplicity!
experience the spectrum of design
venture into areas that make for better design!
how to design the homepage
create the first impression that will keep your visitor's attention!
how to design a strong homepage
It's easier than the expensive freelancers, or design agencies say it is!
why design for mobile devices?
don't miss a significant market!
more use mobile than anything else.
should you use adaptive or responsive design?
planning to build the best website?
It may seem a daunting task if this is the first try at trying to create your masterpiece.
If you have unlimited funds, you can hire someone to do it for you, but expect to spend thousands of dollars to get what you want. And it still will not happen overnight.
So, you are contemplating whether to take a hands-on approach.
Just be confident in knowing that it is much easier than the hired guns of freelancers or the expensive design agencies say it is.
It is not nearly as complex today as it was in the past.
And you do not need to know anything about coding and the technical backend of it.
Here's the fast and best suggestion…do not overdo it. Trying to create a masterpiece instantaneously is not the right approach.
You can drive yourself round the bend, trying to get it right the first time. It can be exhausting struggling to get everything perfect and just chock full of all the information that anyone may ever want to know about your subject.
If you do it that way, you will probably become frustrated and lose your patience. The process can then become an insurmountable chore, rather than a fulfilling and gratifying experience.
start to create the best website
three keys to the process
- First thing, tell yourself that it is going to take a little while to get it the way you want it.
- Second, try and get the first version done with the basics as quickly as possible. Get it out there where viewers can see it. This way, the search engines will survey and rank you sooner rather than later. And also, the longer your site is visible to the public, the quicker you will get viewers to experience and react to the website.
- And third, pick a subject or topic that you have an interest in, or about which want to know more. It is a lot easier to work with a theme that can also keep your attention. And the byproduct will then be more stimulating to your audience. We cannot emphasize more how important this element of website building is.
what is content & how to create it?
In the world of website design, the term "content" refers to the subject and the related components of the webpage.
Content includes written text, images, color usage, audio, video presentations, and animations, and is critical to the site's visitor. But it is also essential as a means to inform the search engines. The content tells the search engines what is happening on the site and what it involves.
The first important point to make, you should begin your content strategy as soon as possible.
In simple terms, that means to start making notes and prepare an outline of what you want to cover in the site. Also, collect articles, photos, diagrams, articles about the subject. Thank goodness for the Internet!
By doing this, you will instinctively cultivate and generate what will make the website. The results will be a site that has organized thought, is cohesive and appealing, and maintains the interest of the target audience.
While taking these initial steps, see what others in the genre are putting out on theirs. It may seem like snooping, but it will give you an idea of what may be considered significant, and how to format your site, or maybe how not to do it.
It sounds simple, which it is, but without doing this straightforward route, you will be fortunate if the results are what you anticipated.
what webpage format should you use?
Our question to you is, what type do you want to build? There are many types and motivations for having one. Some sites aim to entertain, communicate, or inform, while others are to provide products or services.
Once the purpose of the site is evident, what format should yours take?
When you have a grasp of that, your next step should be to pick the format that you believe best suits that objective.
Nearly every other article or internet post that we have seen on this subject says the first thing to do is to register your domain.
We disagree!
At this point in the process, you should be considering the form or structure for yours ought to be.
For example, should it be in one of these categories:
- a blog (where you post content on a topic of your choice)
- a discussion site (where viewers participate in the subject)
- e-commerce (meant to sell a product or service)
- membership (where subscriptions are required to participate)
- commercial (to promote a business or service group)
Although not mentioned above, any one or all of these categories can be income-producing, if that is your intent. But we will get to that later.
Once you have settled on the format for the site, then it is time to pick a domain name.
how important is the domain name?
Fundamentally, a domain name is actually what your appearance will be known as, whether an extension of you personally or as a unique commercial entity.
The domain name will become your brand name and a significant part of your branding.
(To brand means establishing consistency through tying your site together with elements such as an appropriate domain name, color scheme, logo, consistent page design, typography, and content.)
Branding creates an individuality that gets you noticed, remembered, and sets you apart from other sites in your niche.
Like our domain name (webinfopros.com), whether good or bad, it tells the viewer something about what we do or who we are.
Quite often, you will see domain names that are clever or attempting to be cute. But the more important characteristic of the domain name is whether a viewer remembers it or not.
For example, you may have a novel idea for a domain name that is a play on words, such as soap4u.com. It says that the site wants to sell you soap, but if someone personally says its name, will it be understood as "soapforyou.com" or "soap4u.com". Consider the possible mix-up a domain name can instigate.
Also, try to refrain from using hyphens and repeating the same letter in a row, e.g., "new-dealssales.com." If the viewer misses either the hyphen or the double "s," no one will find you.
The point is that a domain name should be able to pass a simple test. If spoken, would it be easily identifiable, understood, and without any confusion as to what to enter in the search bar of the browser.
Along this same line, the general thought is that a domain name should be no longer than fourteen (14) characters, with the average domain being twelve characters. The longer the domain name is, the higher is the likelihood mistyping will occur. And if misspelled, the viewer will not get to your site.
If you are trying to get recognized and influence a region or locality, consider using the area's name in the domain. A bakery shop may sound more appealing to locals if its domain name is something like "bostonbakery.com," even though the name of the business is not Boston Bakery.
The domain says you are in Boston, and you are a bakery. So, when someone searches for a bakery in Boston, guess who will probably be toward the top of the search results.
Taking another or different approach, let's say that your business' name is Jones Bakery, and jonesbakery.com is not available. Still, you would like to use your business name in the domain name because it has some weight in your local market.
Try this, jonesbakeshop.com, or jonesbaker.com, or jonesbakes.com. It will help to preserve and promote your brand and business identity. While still getting the point across without having to go to some abstract and vague domain name that has no relationship to what the site reflects.
Some pundits think domains like Google, Yahoo, and Twitter make for immense brand recognition. What they neglect to realize is that it took billions of dollars to create their presence and years to get there.
Besides that, when you first saw Google, Yahoo, or Twitter, did you or anyone know what they were or what they were about?
Our suggestion…fight the temptation and stay away from using something trendy or contrived. The likelihood is possible that it may hurt and not help you in the long run.
should keywords be in the domain name?
At one time, it was critical to use keywords in your domain name to get search engines and visitors to find you. That is no longer the case according to Google. (To refresh your memory, a keyword is a word or phrase that describes the content as a search term.)
An example of keywords brought into a domain name would be "resumehelper.com." It says what the site is about, but it no longer is instrumental in referring sites and directing the visitor to dependable information.
However, you should continue to use keywords in the headings, page titles, and the body of the text. But be careful not to overload the text with keywords. This practice can get you downgraded by search engines.
Search engines like Google, do not what the page to have more than 3% of the text in keywords. Too many keywords look like the site is loaded with terms that are meant to pump up search ranking and not to be informational. That is the problem with algorithms. They don't think like humans and can't really grasp the contextual nature of the content. So spread your keywords wisely throughout your page. That also applies to their use in titles, headings, and subheadings.
Another method to build a sense of credibility in a region is to use region-specific extensions, like .ca for Canada, .it for Italy, .de for Germany. (No, ".it" does not stand for internet technology.) There are some restrictions for the use of these types of extensions, so be aware of going into it. But if you want to concentrate on a market geographically, this is a possible way to accomplish that.
simple rules for domain naming
Remember, when composing your domain name, follow these short but crucial guidelines. They will help focus on the essentials for picking suitably:
- as short as possible
- about what you are
- easy to remember
If there is a problem with domain availability or need help with domain names, there are free domain name generators on the Internet that can be very helpful.
Also, we suggest that you make sure that there are no negative connotations or associations with your choice. Search online using the domain name to see what comes up. Now is the time to see if there are any problems with the domain reputation on the web. That also would apply to social media, or whether you can even use it as a brand name.
To make it easier to see if there are any problems associated with the domain name, research it at knowem.com. There you can verify domain availability or if it is already trademarked. You can even check if the business brand name is usable on over 500 of the most popular social media platforms.
what is a domain extension?
Oh, yes, one last item about a domain name, and it has to do with the domain extension, i.e., that part of the domain name that comes after the "dot."
Using the wrong domain extension can hurt or make it difficult for the viewer to take you seriously. What does that mean?
The ".com" extension is still recognized by most as the preferred designation for a commercial website. So, if you intend to go out in the world as a place to conduct business, make sure that you use .com. It may not sound important, but it is. Impulsively, most people that have been on the Internet automatically finish the web address by adding ".com." It is just pure reflexive.
There is a possibility that you can get what you want in front of the "dot." However, we suggest avoiding extensions like “.website", ".tech", ".io", ".shop", ".store", or even ".biz" if possible, if you intend for your site to be acknowledged as a commercial enterprise.
Extensions, which give a signal that the site is about informing or educating its visitors, like ".org" or ".info," are acceptable. These extensions lend the impression that the site offers expertise or proficiency in the subject matter. If that is your intention, this may be the way to go.
But the ".com" extension gives the viewer a sense of longevity or having been around a while.
how to choose your web host?
There are quite a few choices due to the number of web hosting providers in the marketplace.
While there are many excellent providers, there are a few that are better than most. In our review section for web hosts, we will go through the strong points of those that we feel the best of the rest should possess.
What we will consider in this section are the general primary principles of what you need in a web hosting company.
But first, what do you need your web hosting company to provide?
This question relates to what is the purpose of your website, and what type of format it should employ.
Before picking a hosting company, you need to realize what you want to accomplish with the website. That is, what is your audience, and what do you want them to get from their visit?
Here are some of the significant whys and wherefores of site formats that you need to consider before choosing your hosting company. Not all hosting companies fit all of these site structures:
- Personal: for sharing with family and friends
- Business/professional: to promote your public image as a professional
- Informational/educational: for providing needed material on specific subjects
- Community building: to share ideas with those that have the same interests as you
- Portfolio: to showcase your talents
- Product brochure: to create an online platform for your products
- E-commerce: to sell products or provide services as an online store
Other subcategories get more into the minutiae, but these are the main types.
Since web hosting companies cater to particular categories, it’s wise to review the information highlighted at the top of their homepages. That is in what they specialize, want to sell, and usually indicate what their price leaders are.
Considering that there are over 300 vital hosting companies, there is one that will suit your requirements. But make sure that their scope of services is not too narrow. There will be a problem in the future if your requisites change or your organization grows beyond its capabilities.
