Get started creating web pages using text files and HTML code! This article is a continuation of HTML Explained: Part 1, which gives a general overview of HTML. Here, we’re going to get into the nitty gritty of the code itself. Once you see how simple it really is, you should RUN, not walk to the nearest bookstore and grab your own copy of a handy HTML manual. All right, let’s begin.
In viewing the source of web pages, you may have noticed a lot of these things: < >. They’re called HTML tags, and they’re what the computer uses to interpret the HTML code.
NOTE: in this article I had to add spaces to all of my HTML tags so that I could display them without actually having them work. There are two HTML tricks to actually "shutting off" HTML tags, but neither of them function properly in this submission box.
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Want to save money while promoting your web-based business? Of course you do. Here’s some advice on the matter, from a freelance copywriter who knows: it pays to learn the basics of HTML.
If you’re like me (stubborn), you’ve probably been dodging HTML for many years. All that code mushed together… it’s distressing to look at! But here’s the thing: HTML is your friend. He might be ugly, but he’s a good guy to have on your side.
Once you get a basic understanding of how HTML works, the gibberish starts to make sense. And that’s when you’ll realize how easy it is to create web pages for your own business without having to 1. pay a designer thousands of dollars, or 2. purchase one of those expensive web design programs.
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When designing a website, it is important that webmasters ask some general questions before they begin the design process…
What Is The Purpose Of Your Website?
Many companies use websites to establish their brand. Others use websites as a communication tool. Some companies see websites as sales vehicles and “billboards”. Still others use their website as an educational tool. And some may be any combination of the above. The website must have a purpose in order for it to be effective.
What Is It That You Are Trying To Accomplish With The Website?
A strong understanding of the website will allow a webmaster to emphasize the action they want the website visitor to take on the website. By defining and understanding the purpose of the website, webmasters and publishers can better structure the information on the website. Information can be provided with the appropriate emphasis and navigation. An ideal website will lead the web visitor to take the action the webmaster wants.
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It is very difficult to choose the right keywords to describe your business so people can find you when they put those words in a search engine. Let’s say you are ready to build your website. Do you understand search engines and how they work? I’ll use Google as an example. Google sends a program called a spider to crawl your site and the information the spider collects goes back to the search engine which in turn determines your position in the search engine result pages (serp). You of course want your site to appear as close to the top of the search page as possible so more users will see it and visit your site. Thats where keywords and key phrases come into play.
Keywords are words that average people use to look for sites. So think of words that describe your site. Choosing the right keywords can mean the difference from being in the top 10 to being so far back in the search no one will find you. Google, uses the “density” factor in their algorithm. If keyword is mentioned more than once it must be part of a message. The search engine looks for repeated words and tries to form a message. You have to find the proper page relevance for the listings. The high relevance will give you a high page ranking and the low relevance a lower ranking.
The word you think is the best keyword may not always be so. There are many free tools online to help you accomplish finding keywords (wordtracker). Find a keyword with an equal level of supply and demand. Those keywords will drive traffic to your site by driving up your position in the search engine.
Once you have found the right keyword you will have to build your sites content around that keyword. This is critical. Try to blend the keyword into the content of your site without using it to many times. Your keyword shouldn’t count for more than 7% - 9% of each page’s content.