To be honest, I am not the best person that can tell you about how to create your own web site. However, I can at least give you a few hints on what to avoid because I spent hours after hours of studying and hands-on, self-taught, trial-and-error practicing on the process of creating a website. I can also direct you to the advice of net gurus on how to create your own website because I used their advice as well.
The first thing you need to do is make your site readable and easy to navigate. This is crucial if you are setting up a place that will sell products or services. You need to cut out most of the flashy junk, and make the font readable.
It is also very important to include a menu on your site. Your site's menu should have clickable pages and the color should change once the user has clicked it. The header of the page that the user is on does not need to be clickable. For instance, the menu word, 'home', does not need to be clickable, or "live" if user is on the homepage.
A lot of hours and money have been spent just to figure out what colors work best on a website. You will find the stats and demographics on higher-end advice pages that can teach you how to create your own website. They may even offer cutting-edge, top-o-the-line reports on the latest color scheme successes. You should go with solid, crisp, unobtrusive colors if you have limited time or money.
You should also try to keep each page clean. Remember to stay left-justified and break up the paragraphs often. There is no need to use fancy, groovy, costly whistles, bells or programs. You probably already have a program which will be a complete package for building a site if you own a PC. This package usually includes a tutorial on how to create your own website.
It would also be wise to read a lot. You should read the site pages on how to build your own website at Jakob Neilsen's site or Ed Zivkovic's Work at Home Webmasters, at ezau.com. You should also check out Robert Woodhead of Self Promotion.com. He gives clear and helpful advice on how to create your own website and also offers a service that can help you get your site listed with the major search engines.
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