3 ways to build a web site

Depending on your staff, your budget, and the complexity of your site, there are three approaches you can take.

	1. use a template	2. use an html editor	3. use a text editor
how it works	Many web-hosting services offer simple template-based systems for creating a site. You just choose one of several designs and add your own words and images. You don't have to learn HTML; it's all done for you.	HTML editors, like Macromedia Dreamweaver, let you create web pages in a visual environment. You can push text and images around, specifying how the pages should look. The program invisibly creates the needed HTML (which you can tweak).	With a plain text editor, like SimpleText or Microsoft Word, you can "hand-code" an HTML page by entering all the HTML tags yourself.
who should use it	Small businesses or individuals who want a web site, but don't have a lot of time or money.	Most organizations investing in a custom web site, who want control over its appearance.	Individuals who want to learn HTML and are creating a small, simple site.
advantages	Speed. If you're throwing up a web site, nothing is faster than this. It combines the creation and posting of the web site all in one. Cost. You don't have to hire a consultant or train yourself to use HTML software. Ease of use. This is a very simple approach to web-site creation.	Control. You can customize exactly what your page looks like. And the better programs let you customize the HTML as well. Efficiency. Most HTML editors let you create your own templates, which you can re-use throughout your site. They also eliminate a lot of tedious typing. Accuracy. It's easy to make mistakes when you hand-code pages and hard to figure out where they are .HTML editors automate a lot of steps to avoid errors and help you identify problems when they arise.	Control. You can and indeed you must very precisely control every single element on every single page. Training by doing everything on your own, you really, really learn how web sites work. Cost. You can use the text editor that came on your computer. No need to buy software. Street Cred. You get to say that you "hand-coded" your site. Which, admittedly, is pretty cool.
disadvantages	Very little control over appearance or functionality.	Takes time and effort to learn the intricacies of web production. It can be and for many people, it is a full-time job.	Outrageously time-consuming for all but the smallest sites.
	BigStep Yahoo Stores Most web hosts	Macromedia Dreamweaver Microsoft FrontPage Adobe GoLive	Notepad (Windows) SimpleText (Macintosh) Microsoft Word

expert advice: what makes good web design?

"For me, as a user, the simpler the better. So I carry that through in my design."

Jeffrey Zeldman

1. Simplicity. "For me, as a user, the simpler the better," says Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing for Web Standards. "So I carry that through in my design. It's all about simplicity."

   "I think for many designers especially those with a graphic design background web design is about crafting many subtle visual elements: little decorative flourishes that are repeated through the site," Zeldman said. "For me it's not that at all. For me, web design is about removing everything extraneous."

   "Good design, to me, is like rock and roll. If you can do it with one guitar, that's better than two guitars. If you can do it with one guitar without an orchestra, that's better than guitar plus orchestra. The best rock and roll is stripped down, minimalist."

2. Clarity. "As silly as it sounds, a lot of sites don't put their primary purpose on their homepage," said Mark Hurst, founder of consulting firm Creative Good. "The best counter example of this is Google. It puts its primary purpose first. What's Google? It's a search site. And I don't have to tell you that, because it's kind of hard to miss."

3. Empathy. "Emotional empathy, I think, creates good design," said Derek Powazek, author of Design for Community. "You need empathy for the user."

   As you design, you should ask yourself, "How does this page feel? When I look at it, before I've read anything, what feeling is it communicating? Is it welcoming or threatening? Is it giving me all the answers or is it holding a little back to pull me in? Is it creating an experience or is it dispensing information? Is it a utility, like a phone book, or is it a cafe? Is it a tool or a story?"

   The key to communicating effectively, he said, is "totally understanding what the person on the other end of the computer is feeling, thinking, why they're there."

   "I talk about feeling so much, and it makes me sound like such a Californian," Powazek laughs. "But it's true. People puff themselves up, and talk about usability, but what they're really saying is: 'I don't like this website, because it made me feel stupid.' That's the same thing as saying, 'User testing shows that 70% of people when confronted with blah, blah, blah.' It's saying the same thing in an emotional language."

4. Functionality. "A good website is one that works," consultant Janice Fraser says simply. "That's really it."

5. Effective use of technology. "I still believe that good web design exploits the medium," says Jeffrey Veen, author of The Art & Science of Web Design. "So any designer who says they're limited by HTML and by the fact that they don't have control of fonts they don't get it. They don't understand web design."

   The key, he said, is learning the technology. "You've got to exploit the medium," Veen says. "You have to understand it inside and out. I just don't think you can do good web design without knowing HTML without getting deep into it."

6. A good idea. "Great design is always based on a great idea," says Barbara Kuhr, the celebrated Creative Director of HotWired, who had previously co-founded Wired Magazine. "If you have a good idea, and you can express it simply and beautifully, you'll achieve great design."