How to make an HTML website - step by step guide
17 June 2022
There is no shortage of people who wonder how to make a simple HTML website on their own, without additional support in the form of CMS systems such as WordPress or Drupal or Joomla. Can such a self-created website be useful, functional and, most importantly, comply with the guidelines imposed on website developers by the W3C or Google? Let's find out!
How to make an HTML website, or where to start?
Creating an HTML page step by step is not too difficult a task, but it will require some practice on the part of the user. Here, unlike with auto-installers, we must already have a certain amount of technical knowledge. Not only will knowledge of basic HTML and CSS principles be required, but also the rules for assigning CHMOD permissions to individual folders on our hosting.
Before you start thinking about how to prepare your first HTML page template in Notepad, make sure you have:
- domain
- hosting,
- the FTP application of your choice for transferring files to the server, e.g. FileZilla.
Creating an HTML site usually starts in exactly the same way: at the beginning, we need to create a folder with the name of our project. It can be named, for example, "My HTML site". The next step will be to create two files located in this very folder:
- style.css - this is where we can change, for example, the colours on the page or the widths of the columns,
-
index.html - this is our base file, which in a sense defines the home page of the site and all the hyperlinks that will be there.
Where to make an HTML website - popular text editors
There is no shortage of people who type questions into a search engine such as: how to make an HTML page or creating an HTML page in Notepad. There are many applications on the market to help you write your first HTML page yourself. For example, you can use Microsoft Word, the built-in Notepad in MS Windows or applications such as Notepad++ or Notes (available on Apple devices).
The most important issue is not the choice of the tool itself, but the maintenance of an appropriate HTML code structure. The framework itself is very simple and can look like this:
<!doctype html>
<html lang="pl">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
<title>My HTML page</title>.
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
Of course, you can find hundreds, if not millions, of sites on the internet whose HTML code is much more elaborate. There is nothing stopping us from adding, for example, an extensive header section or a contact form to the attributes used, which will be visible in the bottom right section of the site. We are limited here only by our knowledge, which will translate into how technologically advanced HTML code we will be able to generate.
It is also worth noting that we can view our website offline. All we need to do is select a browser - such as Firefox or Chrome - and launch the site on our PC, where the entire website design is located. This is also a great opportunity to look for errors that could prevent the site from working properly. Remember to always check the link path carefully and to put all files referenced in the site code, such as images or our company logo, on the server. 
What is needed to create a website in HTML?
Fortunately, we don't need to use dedicated software to make a website in HTML. Notepad or Word is fully sufficient for us. Yes, you can find specialised software on the market that gives the user, for example, a document preview mode, but - as we mentioned earlier - a regular web browser will also work well in this role.
An advantage of such specialised software that is fully HTML5 compliant can be, for example, an error highlighting mode. Let's assume that in a file we accidentally did not close the <body> section. The tool should notice such an omission, which should save us a lot of time at the stage of creating the code and checking its correctness.
What should be avoided when creating a website in HTML?
How do you make a website in Notepad that is easy for users to use? There are a few important rules to follow. First and foremost, it is important to keep the navigation menu as easy to use, minimalist as possible.
Another important consideration is compliance with the Mobile First rule. The website should be scalable, i.e. it must display in the right way from smartphones and tablets as well as PCs and laptops.
It is also worth bearing in mind that the content visible on the site should be legible and highly visible. Do not, for example, combine grey fonts and grey backgrounds. This makes it more difficult for the reader to read, and increases the chances that he or she will become discouraged and never visit the site again.
We should also remember to carefully check the entire code of the site and its associated files, including graphics and style.css. These must form a coherent, unified whole where not a single error creeps in. Before putting the site online, check the CHMOD permissions on the server to ensure that all users have access to the exact sections of the site you have set up for them.
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