A quick refresher for those who are not up to speed on the use of image tags: To add an image into your HTML document, you must reference the location of the image on your server (or elsewhere on the Web) using an image tag.

For example:

< IMG src=”/images/picture.gif” >

The above sample tag tells a browser to look in the images directory of the site being viewed, then find and display the graphic named picture.gif If you wanted the image to link to another Web page you would simply integrate the anchor tag into the process as follows:

< A href=”page.com” > < IMG src=”/images/picture.gif” > </A>

The very common problem new Webmasters encounter when adding hyperlinked images to their pages is a bright blue or purple “halo” effect around their images. You may have run into this yourself or seen it on other Web pages.

By default, when you add a link to an image display, the browser will interpret and display the linked image with the standard blue underscore for links, or purple underscore for visited links.

The way to correct this is to use the attribute border= within your IMG tag, and set border to ‘0′ :

< A href=”page.com” > < IMG border=0 src=”/images/picture.gif” > </A>

 This tells the browser to omit the border display. In the case of a linked image, the blue/purple halo will disappear.

It’s amazing how many sites I see with this glaring, unattractive hyperlinked border still in place. What this tells me is simple: Most new Webmasters aren’t using a comprehensive Web design guide to master the basics.

As you can see from this example, the common problems we all face in the beginning are easily corrected, if you know how to go about doing so.

Even if you plan to outsource the Web design process, you should be able to make small changes and handle emergency updates on your own. Being completely at the mercy of hired help is bad for business.

Whether you want to learn basic Web design so you can tackle the job yourself, or you’d just like to be able to handle minor adjustments without having to call your designer, this article will prepare you for your first lessons.

What Is A Website In Technical Terms?

Technically speaking, a Website is a system of interconnected files and data that work together under a specific set of rules. These essential parts combine to make the unified whole you see when you access a domain with your Web browser.

The files and data that join to make a Website are stored on a server, or host machine. This host is then synchronized with the selected domain name, so that when an Internet user types the domain into his or her address bar, he or she is able to connect remotely to the server machine and thus view the site through a Web browser.

Basic Web Design Building Blocks

So basic Web design is the process of formatting and arranging information that a Web browser can understand and translate for human viewing. In order to do this effectively you’ll need a fundamental understanding of HTML and CSS, which are the basic codes used for Web page construction.

Also, a prelim grasp of PHP and database technology is helpful. PHP is a dynamic script, or programming language and databases store additional information that allows a site to function in one or more specific ways.

Building the code for your Web pages is a lot like creating and saving any other document, such as word processing files and spreadsheets. You can use a plain text editor, or purchase an HTML editor for this process.

Both HTML and CSS are alphanumeric code languages. Each language is built on a predefined set of commands that are called tags.

To build a complete Web page using HTML and/or CSS, you simply arrange the desired commands in order within the document and save as .HTML. Some basic Web design techniques allow you to build a complete page within a single file, and other approaches require two or more separate files working together to create one functional Web page.

Many people are intimidated by the thought of learning the code required for basic Web design. At first glance it can seem like an extremely technical process.

But the truth is, learning HTML and/or CSS is not as difficult as learning the English language. If you are reading this article it’s safe to assume you’ve mastered the alphabet, basic vowel sounds, and common sentence structure, all of which are considerably harder to learn than basic Web design.

Your first step in mastering Web design code is to learn what the various tags mean. Once you have a basic understanding of this you’ll need to practice organizing these tags within a document to create the desired look and format.

Again, this process is a lot like learning to write. You simply add lines of code to your page until you have the arrangement you want, and then you save the document.

Website Management Basics

Once you are able to work fluidly with the basic Web design code languages to create exactly the kind of Web pages you want, you’ll need to learn how to move your finished pages to the Web server. This process is called FTP, which stands for File Transfer Protocol.

You’ll use a software device called an FTP client to establish a connection from your desktop to the host machine. These tools are fairly easy to use, and allow you to move files from your hard drive to the Web server within a matter of seconds.

Of course you can also move files from the host machine to your computer. This is useful when you need to backup copies of a Website, or when you need to pull a page down for quick editing.

To be an effective Website manager you also need to familiarize yourself with the hosting control panel your Web host provides. You should seek out a host that offers Cpanel technology, as this interface is the most flexible and comprehensive control panel software available.

A great deal of information has been referenced in this article. But don’t be intimidated.

Once you get in a little hands-on practice time you’ll find none of these Web design basics are difficult to learn. In fact most people who are proficient Internet users can expect to become proficient at basic Web design within 30 days.

At this point you should be ready to dive right into your first real lesson on Web design. Remember, it’s not as hard as it looks, and if you have the brainpower to read this article you are most certainly equipped to become an ace Webmaster.

Quickly and easily learn Web design with the author’s amazing online course. You’ll be an ace Webmaster in no time with this full-blown Web design course at your disposal.

But the fact is, Website creation is not hard at all. And like many creative processes once you start moving forward things just begin to fall right into place.

So the best way to get started when you want to build your own site is to just jump right in. Don’t worry about having all your details in order; just open up your favorite HTML editor and start plugging away.

You can always use reference material to guide you as you work. The most critical step in the process is typing that first line of code because unless you do that, nothing else is going to get done!

If you’ve been thinking about building your own site for a while but haven’t taken action yet, set your start date right now and stick with it. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll have your first site and that’s a very cool feeling.

If you need a great instructional resource download your copy of my Website design course for beginners. Or by all means check out the new Gold Member Program and get access to our in-depth video tutorials on Web design and online marketing.

The Internet is no longer a baby. The days of being able to throw up a very general site and make big money with little effort are gone.

If you have a business you want to bring online, you need to understand how to target a specific audience. And if you want to start your own “Internet business” from scratch you need to grasp the basics of niche marketing.

Niche marketing means the same thing whether you’re an inventor, an interior designer, or a software affiliate. It’s about finding and catering to one or more niche markets.

And a niche market is a very tightly focused group of people looking for a specific product or service. Niche markets exist as sub-groups within every major market field.

For example, within the very broad video game industry there are people who only play the Xbox system.

And within the Xbox customer base there are people who focus on sports games.

And within the base of Xbox sports game fans there are individuals who like football games above all others. Inside this group there is a loyal core of Madden NFL fanatics.

Among the people who play only Xbox, prefer sports games, focus on football games, and really get into Madden NFL there are customers who play online tournaments. And within this very tight group of consumers there are people who only want to play as the Dallas Cowboys.

Can you see where this is going? The “deeper” you get into a group of customers the more specific the wants/needs you find, and this is what niche marketing is about.

And the more tightly focused a group of people, the better your odds of making sales (if you have or can acquire what they want and need). Also at this level of marketing you’ll have less competition.

For instance, many people online are looking for cell phone deals. Among this massive pool of searchers there are those who want or need prepaid cell phone service, and within this group are individuals who use or want to know more about Net 10 Prepaid service.

You could look at any marketplace and find multiple niche markets. And herein lies the key to easy money.

The Web is getting crowded. Competition is fierce everywhere. There’s more than enough prosperity to go around and there always will be, but you’ll make it easier on yourself if you find ways to get really targeted with your product offers and overall marketing strategy.

To get a little more information on Niche Marketing take a moment to browse this Niche Marketing Course Review. Also grab your free crash course on niche marketing basics.

I no longer focus large portions of my time and energy on this for a vasriety of reasons. But I was asked recently by a couple of readers to shed some light on what goes into setting up a profitable online venture.

Of course there are numerous types of Web venture. But in terms of setting up either a simple info funnel or affiliate marketing business, I’ve put together what I call the “short version” of how it’s all done:

Starting An Online Business (The Short Version)

Starting a fun, profitable online business can be simple, inexpensive, and exciting. A digital enterprise has many advantages over brick and mortar ventures, including fewer start-up costs and no heavy lifting.

This article will provide you with a simplified overview of everything involved with creating a new Internet business from the ground up. Further, in-depth study is recommended hereafter.

- Your Idea -

The first thing you’ll need is a great idea. The most successful businesses are run with passion so I urge you to build on a hobby or area of expertise. Make a list of 10 things you enjoy or know a lot about, then ask yourself which listed items relate to products and services people might be willing to pay for.

For instance, if one of your items is “hiking”, you know people buy equipment, and might even be willing to pay for a downloadable, illustrated guide to some of your favorite trails.

Once you have a list of possible themes for your new business, go to Google and do a few searches to see if other Websites are selling products and services related to your favorite themes. If you find some existing businesses like the ones you are thinking about building, congratulations!

Competing sites are a good sign. This means a market already exists and can possibly be further exploited.

If nobody online seems to be selling things related to your idea, it may mean there is no market. But don’t give up yet because you’ll find out for sure if an idea has legs by doing a little basic research.

- Basic Research -

Your next step is to locate a good keyword research tool and find out if people are looking for stuff related to your list of brilliant business ideas. There are lots of great research tools online, like Word Tracker and Keyword Discovery, that actually show you what searches people are doing on Google and Yahoo!

This is the perfect way to see if there is an interest in your business theme. If you can verify that lots of people are doing searches each month for things related to your idea(s) it means there is a pool of prospects for your future business.

Going back to the hiking example above, you might find that lots of searches are being performed on phrases like “best waterproof hiking boots” or “hiking trails in Virginia”.

- Commit To A Plan -

Once you are satisfied with your research and believe that a market exists for your idea, it’s time to create your business plan. You can write a highly detailed, formal plan using the guidelines found on sba.gov (small business administration) or you can just open up a Word document and create a simple outline of what you plan to accomplish.

The main function of your plan is to define what you’ll be doing and how you want to do it.

For instance, you might decide to start a hiking equipment review blog where you can post articles and consumer reviews about the best boots, packs, trail rations, and more. Or you might decide to focus your site on reviewing the best trails in the southeastern U.S., basing each review on safety, scenery, whether each trail is appropriate for children, etc.

Your plan should also include the nuts and bolts of how you’ll make money and promote your site. Maybe you’ll sell e-books with detailed trail guides, or perhaps you’ll recommend specific brand-name boots as an affiliate and earn commission on each sale that is generated from one of your reviews.

For promotion, you might decide to place ads in a few hiking magazines or hire a search engine consultant to help you attain top position in Google’s results pages. Ideally, you should develop a promotion/advertising strategy that embraces multiple avenues.

- Your Web Presence -

The next step is to set up shop. You’ll need a domain name, or Web address, a hosting account to store all the files and data that make up your new Website, and either a professional designer or a great course that teaches you the basics of putting your own site together.

You’ll also need an online payment processor to help you receive payments. Paypal is a stable, free processor that allows users to accept credit cards and echeck payments.

You’ll probably need a professional programmer to help you build and maintain some of the more technical aspects of your site. Your local Yellow Pages can be a good place to find a capable programming assistant, or you can check with a local college to find a Web development student who is looking for some extra spending cash.

- Traffic Generation -

Once your site is finished and ready to receive visitors, the real work can begin. Driving substantial traffic to your Website will require a great deal of time or a significant financial investment (or both!).

You should spend time researching current traffic generation techniques before getting started. The last thing you want to do is put your precious time or hard-earned money into advertising programs that turn out to be gimmicks.

There is a lot of information online about how to promote your Website. Unfortunately most of this content is junk.

The best way to learn effective site promotion is to find marketers who are already successful and ask for their help. Many entrepreneurs enjoy helping others, and some even offer comprehensive coaching programs you can invest in.

Believe it or not, the overview you have just read is a basic guide to putting your very own Web business together. Obviously there are many finer points missing from this outline, but you now have a solid idea of the general flow.

For a more in-depth study of how to make a great living online I highly recommend registering for my free niche marketing crash course. This series will give you more details on the basics and introduce you to a variety of helpful resources for taking things to the next level.

Here are my reasons:

Graphic files can increase the time it takes your site to load into a browser.

Search engines cannot read images.

CSS, when used properly, will give you far more control without the need for java script.

Using a little bit of CSS, you can create a very nice menu array that your visitors will think are dynamic image files. When you hover over any part of this kind of CSS menu you can even watch the buttons change color and seem to depress into the page.

Pretty cool huh?

CSS menus require no heavy java script code that could slow your load time. You simply add a short section to your external style sheet to tell a browser how to display the buttons in terms of size, colors, font style, etc. and then reference these specs in the HTML document where the menus reside.

In simplest terms this is a two-step process that takes all of ten minutes to complete.

And search engine spiders will read the anchor links placed in this sort of menu as direct text linkage. What’s more, you can apply the title= attribute to further enhance your onsite SEO.

Here is the code you’ll need to add to your external CSS to fly this sort of menu:

.buttonscontainer {width: 120px;}

.buttons a {color: #;<BR>
border: 1px solid;<BR>
background-color: #;<BR>
padding: 0px;<BR>
padding-left: 0px;<BR>
font: 12px Arial, sans-serif;<BR>
font-weight: bold;<BR>
text-decoration: none;<BR>
border-color: # # # #;<BR>
display: block;<BR>
margin: 3px;<BR>
width: 100%;<BR>
text-align: center;}

.buttons a:hover {border: 1px solid;<BR>
padding-left: 0px;<BR>
padding-top: 0px;<BR>
padding-bottom: 0px;<BR>
padding-right: 0px;<BR>
background-color: #;<BR>
border-color: # # # #;<BR>
color: #;<BR>
text-decoration: none;}

Click Here to see what the above menu codes look like in a browser.

Of course you’ll need to edit the color specs above, in addition to changing any borders, margins, etc. as you see fit.

Open your HTML pages and, exactly where you need to define your slick new menu buttons, open two divs with class=”buttonscontainer” and class=”buttons”, add your button text and anchor, and close both divs.

Play around with this coding in your own design scheme. The sample menus I showed you are really only the beginning of what you can do with this foundation.

For more great tips be sure to check out our complete Web Design Course.

The idea is to create a set of modules that you can pull together for any future design projects. You might use only a few modules per project, or you might use all of them at some point on every page you build.

The basic list of modules you might create are:

- Head

- Body/Table

- External Stylesheet

- Standard Includes

- Menu Blank

Begin by populating your document head with the relevant data, and then save your progress. Then go back and strip away the unique attributes, leaving only the raw tags.

For instance, delete the text between your title tags, and remove the info in your META tags, leaving only the HTML tags in place. Now save this document as head.html; it will look something like this:

< head >
< title > < / title >
< META NAME=”Description” CONTENT=”" >
< META NAME=”Keywords” CONTENT=”" >
< / head >

You have just created a head module you can use as the base for all future templates. And since you saved your initial document you can simply open it back up and continue working.

Use this modulation for any specific parts of a page you think you’ll be using often. As we’ve already indicate above you should set up modules for your page body, including at least one type of table module.

Also you should have a base CSS stylesheet that you can open and begin adding data to for any design project you start. If you use server side includes to parse your menus and Adsense blocks you should also have a baseline code for your includes commands as well.

And of course you should have multiple blank menu modules that you can copy and paste into a new design scheme as you go. This will save you loads of time and allow you to just plug in the custom fields such as button title, page URL, etc.

By having half a dozen or so modules available to you, any design project can be launched quickly and easily. You just open up your selected module files, begin copying and pasting, and soon you’ll have your base template document ready for custom coding.

I have found this simple technique can shave off at least an hour of any Web design project and sometimes much more. And by arming your employees or outsource agents with your module suite you will be able to get more bang for your buck in terms of hired labor.

You can even use the module formula for add-on elements like ad blocks, banner rotators, email forms, hover pops, audio players, and more. In fact the more pre-built modules you have for these elements the more likely you are to use them freely on your Web pages.

It’s easy to get lazy after a couple of hours of coding and decide to skip a few special features. But if all you need to do is open the audio module to get most of the legwork done odds are you’ll follow through with it.

The modulation approach can also be sued with WordPress blogs. You can and should have an “installation notes” document that has your entire ping list, specific plugin settings, Technorati Faves code, and any other standard elements you include with most blogs. This can make the process of setting up new blogs quick and easy, even without the use of expensive management software.

Put these simple ideas to sue in your own design work today and enjoy the immediate spike in productivity they are sure to create.

We would love to help you learn Web design with our comprehensive Web Design Course. We now offer video training as well through our special Gold Member program - Click Here Now to get full details on our video Web design training!

The ironic thing is, you really don’t need any trickery to get the search engines to like you. All this black hat nonsense is just a big waste of time and it ends up causing more problems than it solves.

The pattern works as follows:

Every couple of months a new set of childish tactics is hailed as the next big thing for faking out the search algorithms and getting a page to the top of the rankings. Thousands of marketers who either don’t know any better or just aren’t capable of quality Web development climb on the bandwagon and for a couple of months all participants enjoy improved search engine position.

Invariably, the minds behind the Web’s leading search engines catch on to the hoodwinking, adjust their algorithms and level severe penalties against Webmasters caught using the most recent black hat techniques. Sometimes this will result in a domain being chucked completely out of the search index.

This is especially tragic when otherwise honest site owners have been given bad advice from so-called SEO experts. Generally speaking, there is no process for appeal once your site has been banned from Google or otherwise flagged as a black hat operation.

The good news is you need not worry about this sort of trouble if you simply resolve to steer clear of all suspect SEO strategies. Be sure to do your research and check in with the Web’s more reputable search marketing authorities before executing a new technique.

It’s really not hard to spot a black hat trick. Your gut will tell you if the method is questionable, and again if it’s above the radar you’ll certainly find info about it on any number of honest marketing blogs.

To help you avoid some of the guesswork, I’m going to give you some standard advice on what makes a good, search engine friendly piece of Web property. These rules of thumb haven’t changed since 2003 and it’s unlikely they’ll stop working any time in the future.

First, you need to understand that search engines are looking for exactly the same thing on a page that a human user is looking for: quality! Keep this in mind as you build your pages and set up your blogs and you can’t go wrong.

The most important onsite element for good SEO is your title tag. This needs to include one to three solid keyword phrases. Your title is not only crucial to feeding the search spiders, it’s also the heading that will be displayed when your site appears in the search results.

Next is your META description tag. There is some controversy as to whether the major engines still look at this tag, but I’m telling you right now Google does. Not only will a good application of your main keywords help your ranking, you should know the META description is the text that shows up beneath your title in the results listings.

Within your main page content, be sure to exercise good keyword placement with your H1, H2, and other heading tags. Also experiment with putting relevant keyword phrases into strong, italic, and underline tags to let spiders know where important terms are on your page.

And don’t forget to name your images, links, and other files as keyword phrases. This little-used tactic allows you to slip a few extra keywords into a page without stuffing your content.

When using a blog, be absolutely sure to insert several relevant tags into the appropriate field with all your posts. This function is incredibly effective at getting the attention of the search engines and can result in your posts being indexed literally within minutes.

It’s also a smart move to put together a simple site map. This is essentially a linkage index that allows the spider bots to crawl your entire site quickly and easily. There are a number of sitemap generators online that make this process quick and easy for you.

Taking the above tips into consideration, remember to keep it natural! If you go to absurd lengths to add excessive keywords into your page content you’ll be flagged as a search spammer and end up getting the dreaded slap for it.

If you apply this simple formula for building your pages, you’ll have search engine friendly Websites every time. The only thing left to do is acquire lots of quality back links and watch your ranking improve over time.

Tim Whiston is a professional entrepreneur who enjoys helping other entrepreneurs achieve success. He would love to teach you the basics of Web design with his comprehensive Website Creation Course.
 

Every HTML document consists of two parts, the head and the body. The head contains your HTML title, META tags, and other relevant data. The body area contains the part of your Web page that will be publicly visible. These two distinct parts of your document represent two separate steps in the building process.

You can break things down further by itemizing each major piece in the head and coding these step-by-step. For instance, you’ll enter your title tag details, style sheet reference, and the META tags you have chosen to use.

Do the same with your body. Create your main table or div elements, and then slowly work your way inward.

Save your progress after each tag or attribute you enter. This will allow you to avoid the chaos of having to start over in the event your work is interrupted by a power surge.

Also, you can leave hard return spaces between lines of code in your HTML editor. These won’t show up as extra spaces on your public HTML page, and they make it easy for you to find specific areas when you need to make changes or updates.

And you can use the comment tag to make notes to yourself that will only be visible when viewing the raw code. This is helpful for breaking the document up into more manageable sections.

Through practice you will begin to see the overall document clearly. The initial sense of anxiety and confusion that comes from opening a piece of raw code and trying to find your way around will pass.

Quickly and easily learn Web design with the author’s amazing online course. You’ll be an ace Webmaster in no time with this full-blown Web design course at your disposal.

In fact there are multiple online Web design courses that will give you a basic, intermediate, and even expert level of skill in the Web development arena. Some of these courses are available in the form of free tutorials on public pages, others are accessible in video format via secure member’s area, and still others can be downloaded and studied in PDF.

Some Web design courses are free, and others require a nominal investment. The thing to remember is you often get what you pay for online, and any free course on something as complex as Website design is not likely to be well-organized and comprehensive.

This is not to say there are no good free courses available. There very well may be but it’s best to select a program based on the quality of the content and presentation rather than the price tag.

You’ll already be saving big money by not taking a college Web design course. You can find a variety of great programs for less than $50, and instead of gambling on a set of freebie tutorials with zero backend support I advise you invest some cash into an option that gives you at least basic follow-up instruction.

For example, a downloadable Web design course might cost between $25 and $40, and this price includes free lifetime expansion modules. In other words you pay one fee up front and you receive every updated version of the course material for the rest of your life.

The very valuable skill of Web design and management is certainly worth a little money. And again, by investing with a professional company you’ll get at least basic ongoing support and be able to ask a few questions if you get stumped.

Regardless of how much you budget for your Web design course, you should select a program with a good amount of positive, public feedback. This can be in the form of customer testimonials, informal reviews posted at forums and/or blogs, or any other form of consumer input you can find on the matter.

The idea is to find out what previous users have to say about the Web design course you are considering. This kind of social proof is priceless, and will give you an idea of how real people responded to the course material.

Did many people find the lessons too complicated? Or do previous users report the course was easy to understand and learn?
Do the course chapters provide great detail and accuracy? Or do people complain that many important points were left out of the material?

If most of the feedback you can find is in the positive, you should feel comfortable moving forward. On the other hand if loads of people complain, you may want to look elsewhere for a Web design course.

Also, any good digital information product should include a money-back guarantee. This statement usually infers that you can request a refund for 30 to 90 days after purchase if you aren’t satisfied with the content. Such a guarantee is a solid courtesy that should never be abused; only exercise your right to a refund if you find the material is seriously lacking and not worth the price you paid.

Finally, the ideal Web design course should be open-ended. This means the creators should make clear that new material is added on a regular basis.

Web development is a skill that changes with time. The course you choose needs to be flexible and ready to add new content as needed; ideally you should get free access to future additions when you pay the entry fee.

Quickly and easily learn Web design with our amazing online course. You’ll be an ace Webmaster in no time with this full-blown Web design course at your disposal.