In today’s job market, one of the most sought after skills for businesses and companies is web development. Being able to design, code and launch a website on the internet is an invaluable talent not many people know. However, it is not something completely out of reach. With the resources available online, it is not hard at all to learn how to make a web page from scratch. It takes time and practice, but most importantly, creative thinking to make great looking sites and have them up and running in no time.
To prove this to you, we have summed up a short step by step guide on how you can learn web development starting today. And it doesn’t require you to dump lots of cash or sign up anywhere, all you need is an internet connection and dedication.
- Learn HTML and CSS
HTML stands for hypertext markup language and CSS is an abbreviation for cascade style sheets. These are the two languages, mostly many websites are written in. These programming languages are what is used by designers and technicians to make sites. From the name, it may appear complicated; but in fact it’s the complete opposite. HTML and CSS are some of the most intuitive and user-friendly languages in the world of programming.
There are dozens of tools and tutorials online that can help you learn the basics. Online resources almost make taking programming courses obsolete simply because of the sheer amount of knowledge present online through videos, forums, community pages and dedicated web pages. Get started by learning as much as you can.
- Get Your Hands Dirty
Much like most programming, simply learning the concepts isn’t enough. You need to put your new found knowledge to work by actually using it and creating something. In other words, start making websites as soon as you learn the basics of HTML and CSS. It doesn’t have to be a flashy website or even marginally functional. It just needs to have the basic layout (headings, descriptions, links, etc.) and you should be able to see the HTML in your browsers of choice.
Once you have made a simple looking website, improve it and push yourself to one upping. Add more and more features and make it look like it was made by a professional. You may stumble and break a few things in your page here and there, but that is perfectly fine. Learning through mistakes and trial and error is one of the best ways to get a strong grasp on programming.
- Use Third Party Tools
Using third party tools is optional but does help. There are a lot of web designing tools that bundle HTML and CSS together with a great interface and also support additional functionality like using more programming languages. These, however, are advanced and not recommended for beginners. For now, just use open source scripting tools and move on to more complicated design tools after you feel confident.
- Get A Hosting Service
Finally, once you have a website ready, it’s time to set it off into the world. The way to do this is to host it on the internet by using one of the many hosting services. These are either free or require a premium, depending on your preference. Get a domain and upload your pages for everyone to see.
Other alternatives are using an FTP or just keeping an HTML and view it locally on your computer. Either way, it is best to add your website to the online world to see how it works.
Author Bio:
This writer of this article is Jacqueline Smith, who has worked with a web design company in Pakistan and many other places. She now spends most of her time writing for Mindaqua.com and providing consultation for other firms and businesses that mostly operate online. She has a degree in Marketing and Business Studies.