You can achieve anything if you set your mind to it, and learning web design on your own is no exception. The resources you need are available online and on the market, but it's up to you to apply your knowledge and improve your skills through constant practice and application. Yes, it's perfectly possible for you to learn web design yourself. I asked around this week to see how people managed to gain the skills and tried to remember what worked for me.
One of the best ways to start coding is to create websites. Whether you want to modify your company's site, hone your web development skills, or learn how to collaborate with developers, this Skill Path will help you do just that. Free Code Camp is another reputable resource for learning web design on your own. You can learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript and many additional programming languages through Free Code Camp.
Even though WordPress has a steeper learning curve than the average website builder, many prefer it. In fact, an OpenSourceCMS report showed that approximately half of all new websites created this year were created with WordPress. In a nutshell, a CMS (or website building platform) is an easy-to-use platform for creating websites and managing your own content online, rather than creating a website from scratch using HTML, PHP, and other coding languages. At the end of the day, the question of what option to take to create your website comes down to personal preference and skill level.
Unlike website builders or web design software, downloading, installing, or using WordPress doesn't cost a dime. If you already have a Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace website (or any generic website builder), you can upgrade to an ecommerce pricing plan that will unlock selling features and tools. Instead of letting you do all of this yourself, website builders help you through the process with templates. For example, if you're thinking of creating a fitness website, most creators will allow you to filter your template search accordingly.
Teaching myself web design was more difficult than teaching myself graphic design, so I invested a little more money in learning web design. You'll get more flexibility, but if you're not a programmer, learning WordPress takes a lot of time, especially compared to drag-and-drop creators. Whether you're a small business or already have a respectable customer base, ecommerce website builders can be a good alternative to building an online store from scratch. These have been around for years, but modern builders are so powerful that one might have trouble distinguishing between a site built with a website builder and the services of an expensive professional.
The best are WordPress, Joomla and Drupal, but there are a lot of lighter, open-source CMS that you can experiment with, these will teach you how to use PHP and other CMS, ASP, to create websites. Avoid website builders and design exactly what you want with your own designs, colors, and even animations. Each website builder allows you to create professional-looking websites thanks to its elegant templates and intuitive design tools. Whichever website builder you choose, you'll have a wide selection of design templates to choose from.
