Build a Website for your business or hobby.
Now. I’m just thinking about design for my website for a moment. The question is, a simple or a complex site for me with lots of pages and a blog, or both in one, well, am I business or an individual? I guess an individual can be a business. Which would bore you first? Lots of posts could just make you feel confused, even lost, pages are more organised. So I’ll keep it simple. Posts equals a Blog. So I guess this a Blog, just what WordPress was meant to be, a blogging CMS. Before you read on I will just say that I’m not selling a service so am I selling anything? Well, maybe, it’s a thought. Maybe, I am inadvertently selling myself. So, one man is an individual or a business, a legitimate business technically requires at least two people to form a limited company. I’m sure you know that. So, I’m not a business, and I’m not selling anything here. But that doesn’t mean I wont make an income from your visit. But that’s another topic. For another day. And there will be many many days to come in regard to this website. What is your idea for a website if you have one.
This website is meant to be informative. For example you may simply be interested in me, in web development, in coding, in databases or my hobby content, remember this is my personal website. It could be a site where I build it to improve my skills and that I don’t care if you find it helpful or not! I’m only kidding, of course I care, it matters to me that you’ve arrived and you’re giving up time, and time is valuable. And of course, I want you to find something useful here, it’s not just about telling you how much I know!
Web Development then.
What is the definition of web development.
Web development refers to the process of building, creating, and maintaining websites or web applications. It encompasses various tasks, including:
- Web design: This involves creating the layout, visual aesthetics, and user interface (UI) of the website.
- Web content development: It includes the creation of textual and multimedia content for the site.
- Client-side scripting: This includes writing code that runs in a web browser and controls what users see and interact with (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript).
- Server-side scripting: This deals with writing code that runs on the web server and manages the behind-the-scenes functionality of the website (e.g., PHP, Python, Node.js).
- Database management: Handling databases where the website’s data is stored and managed (e.g., MySQL, MongoDB).
Web development is broadly divided into front-end and back-end development:
- Front-end development focuses on the parts of the website that users interact with directly (user experience, interface design).
- Back-end development involves server-side technologies, databases, and the architecture that powers the website’s functionality.
Web developers may work with full-stack development, which means handling both front-end and back-end tasks.
Web development ranges from creating simple static websites to complex, dynamic applications like social networks, e-commerce platforms, or content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Joomla. It plays a crucial role in defining the performance, accessibility, and interactivity of online services and platforms.
Now you know the definition of Web Development. What did you learn from all of that? Did feel that creating a website is something you do without planning, without thing about layout, what the site is supposed to do for you, and the skills needed to build it? Don’t panic! I haven’t thought about my website layout very much at all, but I’ve seen enough to have the basics in mind.
Think CMS.
WordPress is a CMS. I’m going to quote Oracle content here. If you ask a search engine or AI app the question you’ll get a similar answer.
“A content management system (CMS) helps companies manage digital content. Whole teams can use these systems to create, edit, organize, and publish content. It acts as a single place to store content and provides automated processes for collaborative digital content management and creation using built-in (or designed) workflows. Different privileges and responsibilities are provided to individuals based on roles. For example, authors can post and save their work, but editors can modify and publish it. Administrators can do all these things as well as grant other people in the organization permission to update or revise content.
A CMS helps create and manage websites and website content using minimal technical overhead, so you can make better content instead of acting as a project or traffic manager. By providing an easy and cost-effective solution for content management, a CMS allows companies to manage and distribute their content without investing in a full-time content development team.” Oracle
That describes a CMS. This website is built on a CMS called WordPress. And I am the only person building his website.
At first I didn’t like WordPress! Not at all. It took me at least 8 years to get around to using WordPress. As we know WordPress isn’t the only way to produce a website, we can use client side scripting (HTML, CSS, JavaScript etc.) to build a website, either a simple one or a complex site, but you would need to have those skills or employ someone who does, a web developer. Other options include providers like Wix, or a web hosting company will have a selection of templates for you to use to build your website around. Which brings me to another aspect of having a website, the domain name. You can buy a domain name from any hosting provider and can use that domain name with that provider or transfer it to another hosting service, or indeed, run a webserver from your home or office.
So, you bought a domain name from a hosting provider, and you can take their free website service, just remember, free isn’t free in the long run, and you haven’t taken advice from a professional web designer. Nor have you discussed SEO, you can find out more about that via another page on my website, but for the moment you may not need to concern yourself with that issue. So I wont go into the detail of that just yet. Ok, you can obtain a domain name (website name like joebloggs.co.uk). Then what do you need? You need hosting. Hosting is space on a computer, it could be your own computer or one belonging to a hosting service. I wont discuss the “own computer” option. I will suggest the hosting route. Remember, just because you bought your domain name from DomainNames.com it doesn’t mean that you have to host a website with that company.
What is hosting?
A hosting provider is a company or service that offers the technology and infrastructure needed to make a website accessible on the internet. Here’s how it works:
- Server Space: Websites are made up of files, databases, and applications. Hosting providers store these files on their servers, which are powerful computers designed to run websites efficiently. Remember, you don’t need to use their computer if you have your own computer which we try to refer to as a Server, a web server as well as a computer.
- Internet Connectivity: Hosting providers ensure that the website is connected to the internet so that when someone types in the website’s address (URL), they can access it from anywhere in the world.
- Domain Management: Many hosting providers also offer domain registration services, meaning you can purchase and manage your website’s domain (like www.example.com) through them.
- Security and Backups: Hosting providers often offer security features like firewalls, SSL certificates (for secure connections), and regular backups to protect the website’s data.
- Technical Support: Many hosting companies provide technical support to help troubleshoot any issues you might face with your website.
- Uptime: Hosting providers work to keep websites online and accessible 24/7. Most offer guarantees on uptime (like 99.9% uptime), which is crucial for businesses or services that rely on their websites. Note: Your own computer can also host your website if you have someone who can manage it for you, and your computer/server can be rent/leased from other companies where you can negotiate a price based on demand and accessibility.
There are different types of hosting as well, such as shared hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server), dedicated hosting, and cloud hosting, depending on the level of control, resources, and security you need. I can explain all of that to you.
To summarize, if you want a website you need to obtain a domain name and a hosting service. Now what?
What do you want your website to present to the world? Your CV, your hobby, your business, and online shop?
I also haven’t talked abut the name for your website. Now, that’s not as simple as it may at first seem. Ask yourself this. Am I an org, a co.uk, a shop, a biz, or any of the following. https://www.joebloggs.com could also be a .co.uk or a .org or .shop. Do you see the next part of this puzzle. You know you need a domain and a hosting provider, but what name. Excuse me if I stop right here. Just thinking about where I started with this post “At first I didn’t like WordPress”.
I had decided on the name of my website so I bought it. You’ll pay between a few pounds and many of thousands of pounds/dollars for your domain name by the way.
Anyway, I didn’t want WordPress. Why? For so many reason. I didn’t like the theme choices, I didn’t like the plugin requirement, it can be very expensive, you get little for nothing. WordPress itself is free, but themes and plugins aren’t if you want all the functionality of a website. So I chose to avoid WordPress and code my website myself using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Now you might be saying “what the hell is all that!”. And I perfectly understand. But what ever you think, this is the answer. You can’t have a website, even a WordPress website without HTML, CSS, JavaScript, a Database, SQL and PHP. If I choose to build my website using just a HTML and CSS I can build a one page site in just a few hours. Write it, and share it, you have a website, in no time. And if you want to spend days and you have the imagination you can have a fantastic website, an amazing website, that looks fab. The only problem is.
As of 2024, it is estimated that the United Kingdom has over 310,000 websites powered by WordPress alone. WordPress powers around one-third of all websites globally, indicating the UK’s strong presence on the web. However, when considering all types of websites, the UK likely hosts millions of websites, given its significant digital infrastructure and internet penetration. Globally, there are around 1.7 billion websites, though only about 200 million are considered active.
So, how are you going to get found? How high up are you going to be in the search engine ranking, at the top, 100 pages back maybe. If you put my name into a search engine, I’ll be at the back of the queue for the moment. Now, in a few days, following this post, a search bot may rank me slightly higher, because search engines like WordPress, Blogs and recent content, and they like helpful content. So, WordPress is search engine friendly and SEO ready. The more link backs I have, the higher my websites profile. It just so happens that Dolly’s, Baby’s and Musicians rank higher than me.
More coming…..