.:WEBSITE TIPS:.

Lesson 01: Getting Started:

First off, you'll want to think of exactly what type of site you want to try to build, who your audience will be, and what you want to include. Since general websites are the most frequent, if you decide to make a general website, you will want to be sure to include many different sections, and sections that other websites don't have. If you want to make a multimedia or fanworks site, you would want those sections to dominate, with maybe a small bit of information as an introduction. If you're going to make a character shrine, your content need only reflect that character. Try coming up with something unique and dfferent that no one else has done before. Once you have a basic outline of what you want to make, then you'll want to think about where you want to host your website. A lot of people use Freewebs, Angelfire, Geocities, and Tripod. If you have no knowledge of HTML, you might look into one of these hosts as they offer sitebuilders and templates, but if you do know basic HTML, or are willing to learn it, I'd suggest considering purchasing your own domain, or using FTP. It makes things much easier and HTML sites look better in the long run.

Lesson 02: The Basics of HTML: **remove spaces**

HTML (at the very beginning and end of the code): < html > EVERYTHING ELSE < / html >

Header (you set your global font, style, scrollbar colors, etc... here): < head > SETTINGS GO HERE < / head >
Title (goes within the header; it appears along the top bar of your page): < title > YOUR TITLE GOES HERE < / title >
Body (goes after the header; where you put your content; closes before html at the end): < body > Lalala < / body >
Images: < img src = " picture.jpg " >
Links: < a href = " www.site.com " target = " _blank " > TEXT HERE < /a >
New Line: < br >
New Paragraph: < p >
Bold: < b > TEXT < /b >
Italics: < i > TEXT < /i >
Underlined: < u > TEXT < /u >

Lesson 03: What to Avoid:

+ If possible, avoid sitebuilders. All sites using these tend to look the same.
+ Don't throw all of your images onto one page. Try making thumbnails. It'll reduce loading time and make your site look more organized.
+ Don't post excessive information on one page. Scrolling down an insanely long page is no fun.
+ Whatever you do, DON'T COPY OTHER SITES or parts of other sites. It's rude and it's plagiarism which is a serious crime. Be original.
+ DO NOT hotlink. This is when you copy the code from another site that links text and images directly from that site. It wastes their space, costs them money, and it's also a crime.
+ Only use content from other websites if you KNOW you have permission to use it.
+ Avoid having music playing on your site. Most people find it annoying and it adds to loading time.
+ Avoid super bright or moving images.
+ Avoid flashy, distracting backgrounds. They make text hard to read.
+ Try to limit the colors in your layout to about 2 or 3 different colors.
+ Make sure your font is a color that people can read, and that your font is also readable. Don't make it too big or too small.
+ Remember the three clicks rule. If people have to hunt for content, they're gonna get aggravated and give up. You should be able to get to all of your pages within 3 CLICKS.
+ Even though they're popular and I have had them myself, think about avoiding a splash page as they have no real purpose 99% of the time.

Lesson 04: Advertising:

Some hosts automatically insert metatags onto your site pages to attract more hits. Otherwise, the best way to advertise is to visit around similar sites and sign the guestbooks there, or send another webmaster a polite e-mail asking him if he will check out your site. DO NOT hound people, though, because they'll get annoyed by your shameless self-promotion aka SPAM! You could also try submitting your site to a search engine, or add it to a links list like on, say Gaia Online.

Lesson 05: Now What?:

I think one of the most important aspects of a site is interaction between the webmaster and visitors and also among visitors. A site should be friendly and warm. Guestbooks and available e-mail addresses can make you seem reachable. Fan sections and contests are also a good way to get feedback from site viewers. It may take a while, but eventually, if you're dedicated to your site, its fanbase will grow, and with a growing fanbase, your site will grow as well.

I'm sure I left something important out, but those are some of the basics. I hope it helped a little bit.