While I know my way around the internet and work as an electronic tech with computers, I am defiantly not a webmaster. Ten years ago I built a professional looking website to promoted motivational tapes for a large company of a friend using Geocities. However, back then text, different colors, pictures and links was the extent of most webpages. So aside from using the extinct Geocities page builder, a web based HTML drag and drop editor, several years ago I have no website building experience.
Recently, a few months ago, I decided to use my free time to built a website. This website will be an informative website for the repair of 4-wheelers. I will have an area of links that lead to separate pages of embedded "how to" video's with specs and text instructions below, a forum, picture gallery, news article area, and possibly a blog are other possibilities. A site I really like the lay out and graphics of is http://www.pirate4x4.com/
My first strategy was to research and buy a software for building websites. However, I found that many web host offer free tools to build websites. I played with different hosting service tools for weeks. The only one that slightly impressive me was Wix and their flash based building tool. While it was nice I feel it had limitations. I may would of went this route but I read 100's of complaints about bad hosting service. Upon more research I subscribed to a 2-year blue host hosting plan and bought a URL. I read and heard lots of good things about Wordpress so I installed it. After playing with it for a week I uninstalled it and installed Drupal. I played with it for a week before researching and finding out that these are CMS not web building apps. I later played with Weebly, I was able to make webpages but they are basic, far less quality than Wix's flash builder offered.
I reinstalled Wordpress however I now realize I made a circle. I believe I just need a little guidance.
1. Where do I start? With a CMS or with an HTML or Flash based website building software? I prefer something like the old Geocities Page, however, I don't care to be restricted to layouts and templates. 2. How about graphics and backgrounds? Should I have pictures, logos, and graphics as my first step? 3. If you had to guess what do you think was used to build the site http://www.pirate4x4.com/ from start to finish including the graphics, CMS(or does it even have one), and other tools used to build the site?
Thanks for you time I greatly appreciate your response.
1. Start with a CMS. WordPress will be the best. Stay away from buying software, your money will be better spent purchasing a premium theme.
2. Think about what you want your site to look like, don't use other sites, typically, they are NOT what you want lol. In your case, You should buy a premium wordpress theme, most have built in frameworks and functions that make editing them incredibly simple...You will be better off investing your time in learning wordpress over trying to figure out how to code out an entire site...since you would have to learn software anyhow, why not learn wordpress and have much more flexibility? Really all you would need to be worried about is branding...then adding content is incredibly easy.
3. They used Dreamweaver to create that site...and the code is ugly. Again, using WordPress is another big win there as well, all you have to do is some minor branding and add your content. It also comes out-of-box SEO ready, not to mention the unlimited amount of free & premium plugins available you can use to do literally anything you need.
if i were you (or anyone who just wants a site without having to build everything from scratch), id go to http://themeforest.net/ and have a look around.
i'm sure one of their wordpress themes will have all or most of the features you need and save you a ton of time at a fairly low cost.
they also have decent standards for what they let into the store, so if you decide to VIEW SOURCE you might learn something.
I second @kgscott284 's sentiments -- what you probably want is a CMS. WP is a fine place to start.
I strongly agree that the site you linked to has very ugly source code - don't use it as a learning tool. If you want to use a similar layout/design, that's fine, I guess (though personally, I think the design isn't that great either - and is very dated). But don't use the HTML markup as your model.
I would disagree about buying premium template, though, at least not right away. Download some free themes first so you can mess around with them, see how they work, and get a feel for how to do things. Then, later, you can buy templates if you need them.
If you want to try things from scratch (it's worth it!!!), I'd start with google's From the Ground Up series.
Recently, a few months ago, I decided to use my free time to built a website. This website will be an informative website for the repair of 4-wheelers. I will have an area of links that lead to separate pages of embedded "how to" video's with specs and text instructions below, a forum, picture gallery, news article area, and possibly a blog are other possibilities. A site I really like the lay out and graphics of is http://www.pirate4x4.com/
My first strategy was to research and buy a software for building websites. However, I found that many web host offer free tools to build websites. I played with different hosting service tools for weeks. The only one that slightly impressive me was Wix and their flash based building tool. While it was nice I feel it had limitations. I may would of went this route but I read 100's of complaints about bad hosting service. Upon more research I subscribed to a 2-year blue host hosting plan and bought a URL. I read and heard lots of good things about Wordpress so I installed it. After playing with it for a week I uninstalled it and installed Drupal. I played with it for a week before researching and finding out that these are CMS not web building apps. I later played with Weebly, I was able to make webpages but they are basic, far less quality than Wix's flash builder offered.
I reinstalled Wordpress however I now realize I made a circle. I believe I just need a little guidance.
1. Where do I start? With a CMS or with an HTML or Flash based website building software?
I prefer something like the old Geocities Page, however, I don't care to be restricted to layouts and templates.
2. How about graphics and backgrounds? Should I have pictures, logos, and graphics as my first step?
3. If you had to guess what do you think was used to build the site http://www.pirate4x4.com/ from start to finish including the graphics, CMS(or does it even have one), and other tools used to build the site?
Thanks for you time I greatly appreciate your response.
1. Start with a CMS. WordPress will be the best. Stay away from buying software, your money will be better spent purchasing a premium theme.
2. Think about what you want your site to look like, don't use other sites, typically, they are NOT what you want lol. In your case, You should buy a premium wordpress theme, most have built in frameworks and functions that make editing them incredibly simple...You will be better off investing your time in learning wordpress over trying to figure out how to code out an entire site...since you would have to learn software anyhow, why not learn wordpress and have much more flexibility? Really all you would need to be worried about is branding...then adding content is incredibly easy.
3. They used Dreamweaver to create that site...and the code is ugly. Again, using WordPress is another big win there as well, all you have to do is some minor branding and add your content. It also comes out-of-box SEO ready, not to mention the unlimited amount of free & premium plugins available you can use to do literally anything you need.
i'm sure one of their wordpress themes will have all or most of the features you need and save you a ton of time at a fairly low cost.
they also have decent standards for what they let into the store, so if you decide to VIEW SOURCE you might learn something.
I strongly agree that the site you linked to has very ugly source code - don't use it as a learning tool. If you want to use a similar layout/design, that's fine, I guess (though personally, I think the design isn't that great either - and is very dated). But don't use the HTML markup as your model.
I would disagree about buying premium template, though, at least not right away. Download some free themes first so you can mess around with them, see how they work, and get a feel for how to do things. Then, later, you can buy templates if you need them.
If you want to try things from scratch (it's worth it!!!), I'd start with google's From the Ground Up series.