Why You Really Need To Know Basic HTML

No doubt the title of this article will shock, or at least confuse some people.  After all, I am very outspoken on my view that we need not “reinvent the wheel” when building a website.  Heck, I even titled another article with that very phrase – “don’t reinvent the wheel.”  Yes, I am also the person who advocates using modified templates if it means getting your site up and looking good in less time and with less hassle.  Those viewpoints still hold true.  Why then, would I tell you that you need to know basic HTML?  Well, the answer is really quite simple.   It’s all about control. 

If you rely totally on someone else to do every little upgrade to your website, you’re at their mercy.  If they’re out of town, or otherwise unavailable, your site updates don’t get done.  This could mean missing an important update or promotional item.  Worse yet, it could mean leaving a potentially embarrassing mistake or outdated information on your site for an extended time.

Even if you are using a CMS or blogging platform, you should still know basic HTML.  It comes in quite handy for adding or editing links and other items not automatically incorporated into your platform.  For example, this site is built using the WordPress platform.  When I wanted to put the welcome box on the front page (that’s the box with my photo in it), I started with a text “widget” (WordPress term) and used some simple HTML commands to add the photo, align it to the left and format the text the way I wanted.  Had I not known about the simple “tags” to set this up the way I wanted, and had I been forced to wait for a web designer to do it for me, I would have been stuck.

Now, how exactly do you go about learning basic HTML?  Well, there are a few ways.  Perhaps the easiest would be to download an HTML editor that offers both a WYSIWYG view as well as a plain text code view.  The one I highly recommend is CoffeeCup’s HTML Editor.  Once you have the editor downloaded, use the WYSIWYG editor to create a simple webpage.  Then, click over to the plain text version to see how it is rendered.  At first, it may look very confusing until you come to realize that HTML is really made up mostly of command tags.  Most commands contain an “open” tag and a “close” tag.  For example, if you want to center some text, the HTML command would be: 

<center>”This text is centered.”</center>

and the result would be:

“This text is centered.”

In the example, <center> is the start tag and tells the HTML browser where to start the command.  The close tag, </center> is basically the same command again with a “/” between the left bracket and the command.  It’s not really that hard at all.

Let’s try another quick example.  This time, we want to put some text in bold type.  To do that, the command would be:

 <b>”This type is in bold.” </b>

and the result would be: “This type is in bold.”  In this example, you could also use the <strong></strong> tags instead of the <b> and </b> tags.  There are reasons why they are different, but that is beyond the scope of this article.  My personal preference is to use the <b> tags.  This is due, at least in part, to the fact that it requires less typing.

If you want to get into it a little further, I highly recommend a great book by Dr. Nicholas Longo (Founder and CEO of CoffeeCup Software).  It’s called “My Website Is Better Than Yours.“  This book may go a little too in-depth for most readers, but you will definitely learn the basics.  When reading it, take the “grocery store” approach.  That is to take what you can use and leave the rest on the shelf.   As of this writing, the e-book version is still available for $19 from the online store section of the CoffeeCup website.

Getting Started: Which Option Is Best For You?

OK. You’ve just come up with the perfect idea for a website and you’re all jazzed and ready to put it up on the web.  Now comes decision time.  Just how are you going to turn this idea into a bright and shiny new website?  Well, you really only have three options.  You can hire a designer to build it for you.  You can use one of the many “site designer” packages out there.  The third option is doing it yourself.  Obviously, if you’re reading this site, option three is probably where you’re leaning, but let’s just see if that would be your best choice.

OPTION 1 – HIRE A DESIGNER.  This is an option that a lot of new aspiring webmasters choose.  After all, it’s easier to hire out the technical stuff so that you can concentrate on writing your content.  Let’s look at a few of the pros and cons.

PROS: 

• It’s a lot less work for you.  (At least, it should be.)
• You will probably have your site more quickly because the designer has done this before and doesn’t have the “learning curve.”
• The site should have a very professional look and feel.

CONS:

• This is usually the most expensive option.  Having even a small site custom built, can cost hundreds of dollars.  I know because I’ve been known to build sites for other people 
• You’re at the mercy of your designer’s schedule.  If your designer is sick or on vacation, you’re not getting any updates.
• You never learn how to do it yourself in case an emergency need should ever arise.

OPTION 2 – USE A SITE BUILDER.  There are many great site builders out there.  Perhaps the best known is SBI – Site Build it, but there are others.  Let’s examine this a little closer.

PROS:

• They usually have an automated system so you can build a site without having to learn coding in-depth.
• You can control the look and feel of your site, without having to try to relay your vision to a designer.
• You can make updates whenever you want.
• Many site builders have features to help you with site promotion as well.

CONS:

• Many of these site builders are still more expensive than the do-it-yourself option.
• Since most site builders use GUI (Graphical User Interfaces), you still don’t get experience editing the basic code yourself.  Should the site builder service be down, you’re out of luck.
• In many cases, you are limited in your layout to whatever stock layouts the service happens to offer.

OPTION 3 – BUILD IT YOURSELF FROM SCRATCH.  This is the option for the hearty souls out there. 

PROS:

• You have complete control over the look and feel of your site.
• It’s usually less expensive than the other two options, at least in terms of initial out-of-pocket expenses.  Of course, the learning curve and “incidentals” may eat into this, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
• You get a feel for the actual inner workings of the site, thus you are able to make updates when you choose. 

CONS:

• There is a learning curve.  Even if you are building a simple HTML site, there can be a substantial time investment in learning proper HTML coding.  If you get into forms, javascript, ASP, PHP, etc., your learning curve increases.
• You are totally responsible for the look and feel of your site.
• The entire responsibility for promoting your site is up to you.

So, which option is best?  Well, that, my friend, depends on you.  There’s not right answer that is right for everyone.  It depends on many factors such as your budget, your available time, your desire to control every aspect of your website. 

Personally, I prefer the do-it-yourself option, but then again, I am a control freak.  Only you can decide which option will work best for you.