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This is obviously not everything you need to know to create a
web page. Many people think you can become an expert at web page design
overnight. In reality, web design is something that takes months and
months of work to become proficient, and often times, you never really master
it. Web design changes with the release of every new browser version (this
was radically evident with the release of HTML 4), so just when you get the hang
of it...
- Choose an HTML editor
The two most popular browsers - Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator -
come with a scaled-down HTML editor for creating web pages, FrontPage
Express and Netscape Composer. These are both easy to learn and
free! You can also create web pages using many programs that you may
already have. Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and Corel
WordPerfect all have a feature to either "Save As" or "Export
To" HTML. After you have the page the way you want it to look,
save or export it, then try bringing it up in your browser to test it.
When all is to your satisfaction, FTP it over to the server.
- Name your home page DEFAULT.HTM or INDEX.HTML
You can name your other pages whatever you want, just be sure to stick
to regular keyboard characters and don't use spaces. Some web servers
are particular about file names and won't be able to pull up your
page. Also, end your file name with .HTM or .HTML
- Be sure you transfer all relevant files to the
server
Don't forget your image files (.JPG or .GIF), your sound files (e.g., .WAV
or .MID), or any other web site-related files needed for your site.
- Try to keep your file size small
The main thing you want to consider when creating a web page is "how
long will it take to load this page?" The size of your web page
plus all images included in it add together for the total size of what will
be loading on the screen. So don't forget the size of the images you
are using. See below for quick tips if you are
creating your own images.
- Consider the viewing area of your web page
You can never be sure what screen resolution your viewers are using.
If you want to be super-conservative, set your screen resolution to 640x480
while creating your web pages, but the standard for web designers is
800x600. People still using 640x480 will have to use their scroll bar
to see all of a web page created while using 800x600. So if you use
800x600 as your base, make sure your most important info (like the
hyperlinks) are on the left side or within the 640x480 dimensions.
- Consider the browser your viewing audience will
be using
Even though both Internet Explorer and Netscape are free, some
people still don't ever upgrade their browser! So when you are
creating a web page, remember that some of the neat things you are doing
won't even be seen by some viewers. You rarely want to use all the new
"bells and whistles" and limit your viewing audience.
Ultimately, if you find it important to the overall theme of your web site
that your viewers have HTML 4 or better, then recommend a browser and offer
a link to download it.
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