Basic Website Design for Beginner's: How to learn fast?

Interested in web design? Ready to craft your first website? Let's get straight to the point on learning basic website design.

Start here to unleash your creativity and make a functional piece of art. Wondering where to begin? CanhCam's guide has got you covered.

What is Basic Website Design?

Basic website design involves the creation of web pages with simple functionalities, ensuring adherence to fundamental aspects of user interface and information structure essential for a basic website.

Steps to Build a Basic Website

By following these essential guidelines, you can navigate the process with ease and successfully build a basic, functional website. Let's explore the fundamental steps that will pave the way for your online presence:

Define Your Site’s Purpose

Before delving into the actual creation of your website, it's crucial to allocate time to clearly outline the purpose of your website.

Grasping the intended function of your website becomes paramount when contemplating the selection of tools to employ.

Before commencing the website creation process, address the following questions about your website:

• What is the primary objective of your website?
  Whether it's boosting foot traffic, facilitating online product sales, sharing weekly menus, accepting online orders, or any other objective, your response significantly influences your choice of hosting, site builder, and every subsequent decision.
  
  
• How do you presently market your business?
  Your existing marketing strategy will impact the requisite tools. For instance, if email marketing holds significance, integrating an email sign-up is necessary. If Instagram is a major traffic driver, embedding your Instagram feed on the site could be beneficial.
  
  
• What functionalities does your site require?
  If you're engaged in online product sales, opt for a site builder and host specializing in e-commerce. For digital products, automated file-sending capability is essential. If providing directions to your physical store is crucial, list the features and functions needed. This list becomes a reference point while considering web hosts or site builders.
  
  
• Where do you envision your business in the next few years?
  Identify potential features or marketing strategies you aim to explore. If paid ads are in your plans, ensure the chosen host can handle a substantial increase in traffic and facilitate the easy creation of landing pages.

Choose a Web Hosting Company

Establishing a website involves three key components: a host (responsible for storing and delivering website files upon user request), a domain name (serving as the online site location), and a site builder (utilized for page creation, adding content, uploading images, etc.).

These features are commonly bundled in all-in-one packages by web hosts like GoDaddy, BlueHost, and SiteGround. With numerous web hosts offering diverse packages, choosing the right one can be intricate.

Here's a guide on selecting the appropriate web host for your website:

• Determine Hosting Type:
  Decide whether shared or cloud hosting is suitable; these are cost-effective and generally sufficient for most small business websites. High-traffic or large ecommerce brands might opt for dedicated or VPS hosting.
• Consider Uptime:
  Ensure the web host guarantees at least 99.9% uptime. Downtime can lead to financial losses, so choose a host that refunds a portion of fees if they fail to meet their uptime commitment.
• Prioritize Security:
  Security is crucial. Look for hosts offering features like an included SSL certificate, firewall, and malware protection to keep your web files secure.
• Future Considerations:
  Anticipate future needs. While a cheap, shared hosting plan might suit informational sites, consider whether your site traffic will grow significantly and choose a host with scalable plans.
• Review Features:
  Assess additional products offered by hosts, such as site builders, SSL certificates, free domain names, marketing credits, and email hosting. Select a host providing the necessary features without opting for a more expensive plan with unused "free" features.
• Pricing Details:
  Pay attention to pricing details, as many hosts offer discounts for the first year or a "free" domain name that renews at a higher rate. Check renewal prices for subsequent hosting years before making a purchase.
• Read Reviews:
  Read reviews of each hosting platform to gather insights. While changing hosts is possible, it can be complex. Reviews from sources like "Who Is Hosting This" and "Hosting Facts" can assist in making an informed decision by comparing popular hosting options.

Choose Your Site Builder

In the past, constructing a website was an intricate undertaking that could span several weeks. Nowadays, thanks to templates and user-friendly drag-and-drop site builders, creating a functional site can be accomplished in just a few minutes.

Your initial action should involve exploring the offerings provided by your hosting service. Numerous hosting providers either include their exclusive site builder or provide access to a third-party builder as part of your hosting plan.

Let's briefly overview the most widely used site builders available.

WordPress

Being the most widely used content management system online, you're probably familiar with WordPress. 

There are two choices: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is a premium service that offers hosting and assists in maintaining your site's security. On the other hand, WordPress.org pertains to the freely available files you can download to your chosen hosting provider.

WordPress can be as intricate or straightforward as you prefer, and there's a diverse range of themes available. If you have intentions to expand your website, WordPress stands out as an excellent choice.

Squarespace

Squarespace, on the other hand, is an integrated platform with a template-based site-building tool. It offers a comprehensive package, encompassing hosting, domain services, a site builder, and ecommerce features.

While Squarespace sites exhibit flexibility, it's worth noting that the options may be somewhat more limited compared to the extensive customization possibilities offered by WordPress.

Outline Your Web Pages

Once you've secured your host and chosen your site builder, it's time to dive into the content creation process and develop the pages for your site. While the specific number of pages will depend on your business, certain essential pages should be present on every website.

It's crucial to ensure that users don't face difficulties in locating information. Important pages should be prominently featured in the main navigation bar or the footer.

Here are key website pages that every site should consider including:

• Home page.
• Service or product pages.
• About us page.
• Contact page.
• Privacy Statement. 

Optimize Your Website

Once your website is live, how will users discover it?

Typically, users find the information they're seeking by entering a search query into Google, either by typing it or using voice search. For instance, a family searching for a children's clothing store may enter "kids clothing near me."

Google employs over 200 ranking factors to decide which sites to display, and enhancing your site's optimization increases its likelihood of ranking favourably within your industry and location. The specific tools you employ for optimizing your site will vary based on the chosen site builder and hosting platform.

Set Up a Payment Processor

If you intend to sell products online or facilitate online orders, your website must have a mechanism to accept payments.

Common payment options encompass well-known services such as PayPal, Stripe, and Square, although various other payment processors are available. Additionally, the hosting platform you select might offer built-in e-commerce functionalities.

Here's a brief overview of three widely used payment processor options:

• Stripe: An online payment API particularly suitable for e-commerce businesses. Collect for Stripe also enables in-person payment acceptance.
• PayPal: Among the most widely used online payment processors, PayPal provides seamless online checkout, invoicing, and payment solutions that cater to the needs of most e-commerce ventures.
• Square: Offering a range of Point of Sale (POS) systems, online checkout, and invoicing, Square is versatile and well-suited for both online and brick-and-mortar businesses.

Prepare Your Content in Advance

Start with content. Before designing your basic website, have your content ready. It doesn't need to be perfect; you can edit and optimize for Google SEO later. A rough draft helps plan the layout. Designing with real content shows how the website will look and function, allowing early changes.

For blogs, prepare a post for CMS testing. Having a few posts written before launching avoids last-minute scrambling.

Understand User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Basics:

A website isn't just words on a screen. The colours, content, fonts, layout, and pictures all work together to help your audience and evoke feelings. When people explore your digital space, they should easily find what they're looking for.

UX is about knowing your audience. What do they want, and how can your design help them find it? It's about seeing your design from your audience's perspective.

For your first website, remember these UX principles:

• Keep things simple and easy to understand.
• Present ideas in a logical order.
• Meet your audience's needs without sacrificing usability.

If you're new to web design, you might be unsure about UX and UI. They're different. UX is about the overall feel of the design, while UI is about the specifics. Think of UI as the buttons in an elevator and UX as the colours and textures inside. UI gives users the tools they need without complications.

When making your first website, keep these UI principles in mind:

• Interactive elements should work clearly.
• Consistency is key for easy use — actions should make sense.
• Design choices should have a clear purpose.

Crucial Functions for a Fundamental Website

Businesses and organizations universally acknowledged the significance of having an online presence to broaden their outreach and engage effectively with their audience.

A basic website, in particular, should encompass essential functions that cater to user needs and deliver valuable information. Here are key functions that a basic website should embody:

• Access and information retrieval: Users should effortlessly navigate and retrieve information from the website. A user-friendly and interactive interface is imperative to ensure a seamless and convenient experience.
• Contact and customer support: Providing users with the means to connect with the business is pivotal. This involves incorporating features like contact forms, support phone numbers, or email addresses to promptly address customer inquiries and support needs.
• Social media integration: Recognizing the prevalence of social media, integrating these platforms into a basic website is crucial. This functionality facilitates connections and interactions with both current and potential customers, allowing users to share website information across social networks.
• Online shopping: For businesses involved in online commerce, the inclusion of an online shopping function is indispensable. This feature enables customers to conveniently view product information and make secure purchases. Implementing a secure ordering and payment system is essential for user confidence and convenience.
• Statistics and analysis: The website should possess the capability to gather and analyze data related to visitor traffic, user interactions, and other metrics. This analytical functionality is vital for assessing performance and optimizing the overall user experience.

Steps for Basic Website Design

CanhCam will guide you through a structured and professional working process to deliver products that align with project progress and meet customer needs. The process includes the following specific steps:

• Step 1: Project discussion
  Initiate discussions to understand the plan and objectives thoroughly, aiming to devise an efficient design solution that best caters to the customer's requirements.
  
  
• Step 2: Detailed planning
  Formulate a detailed plan to ensure precision and progression in the work, establishing a framework that guides the project through its various stages.
  
  
• Step 3: Design implementation
  Define the project's goals, leverage brand advantages, execute graphic interface design, and ensure seamless compatibility across diverse mobile devices.
  
  
• Step 4: Programming
  Leverage modern platforms to develop the web core, seamlessly integrating systems such as CRM, ERP, Digital Marketing, and various e-commerce platforms to enhance functionality.
  
  
• Step 5: Content creation
  Identify relevant keywords and craft engaging content tailored to the business, ensuring it resonates with the target audience and contributes to the overall effectiveness of the website.
  
  
• Step 6: Handover and activation of the website
  Provide comprehensive instructions on navigating and utilizing the website, ensuring a smooth handover process. Additionally, commit to providing ongoing support in the event of unexpected issues.

When choosing CanhCam, rest assured that we are committed to assisting you in creating a high-quality website with an appealing interface that precisely aligns with your needs. CanhCam is confident in being your dedicated companion on the journey of business development. 

Get Feedback

Need feedback on your basic website design? Before hitting publish, seek outside perspectives. Constructive criticism is vital in web design. Separate feedback from self-worth, learn from it and enhance your skills.

With experience, identify practical advice and disregard the rest. Seasoned designers understand beginners' struggles and cheer for their success.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of basic website design opens doors to a world of online possibilities. By adhering to the foundational principles outlined in this guide, you've laid a solid groundwork for a functional and visually appealing website. 

CanhCam - A website design company that is confident in delivering distinctive designs that create a unique brand for every individual, company, and business. We aim to provide an excellent browsing experience for customers on the web. Contact CanhCam for a consultation today!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the 3 types of web design?

The three most common web design types are static web design, dynamic web design, and ecommerce web design.

2. How can someone get started with basic web design?

Start with the basics of web design and try to pick up HTML and CSS as they are two fundamental languages that are used for structuring and styling web pages. Begin with a simple design and gradually insert more components and functions as time permits. Take advantage of online training courses, templates, and design resources to improve your proficiency and develop clean, functional websites in a shorter amount of time.

3. How much time it takes to learn web development?

Web development boot camps typically take 3-4 months to complete and teach all the skills you need to qualify for a web developer job. The time frame when learning web development online may vary between a month and even a few years, depending on how much time you dedicate to your studies.