Finding the right template

Finding the correct template for your needs can be quite tricky. For example, I needed something clean and fresh while maintaining a level of professionalism so I decided to go with the layout found on my personal website. If you noticed, you can get a nice looking website once you find the right template.

But how did I find it first of all? I simply dug around the internet. Google for me was a great place to start but for those that need help, I’ll show you a couple of sites that will give you a head start.

Note for tutorial

For purposes of the tutorial I encourage everyone to use BigSpaceLove found on the front page of Free-CSS-Templates so you can follow me step by step. This template is fairly easy to edit.

Where to find free CSS templates

• Smashing Magazine – 100 Free High Quality XHTML/CSS Templates – Great list showing off a large variety of templates
• 1st Web Designer- 101 High Quality CSS and XHTML Free Templates and Layouts – Another great list you shouldn’t miss out on
• Itensivstation – Basic CSS Templates – For those who want to start from scratch check out these templates
• Mitch Bryson – Free CSS Templates – More basic CSS templates
• FreeCSSTemplates.org
• Free-CSS-Templates

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What is a website made out of anyways?

If you take a good look at a couple of websites, you might notice their structures share a couple of things in common. (If you are wondering why you need to know this, you’ll learn why really soon.) Each website usually contains the following basic elements:

• A header usually contains the logo of a website along with a brief description. Sometimes you may find a menu there as well.
• The main body or content which may take up most of the website which contains the content of the website.
• A sidebar which usually contains the navigation of your website.
• A footer which usually contains copyright and licensing information.

Not all websites follow this traditional structure. It all depends on what type of website you need to suit your needs.

So what is under the hood?

So, what makes a website a website? Under the hood websites are made up of different coding languages that serve different purposes. I’ll only describe the basic ones you need to be aware of and will be working with.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to know anything. I’ll help you every step of the way.

HTML

HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. It consists of HTML tags that are used to mark up content and usually have a starting and ending tag. If you have worked with website development in the past, edited a profile on a social site such as MySpace you probably already are familiar with the basics of HTML. An example of HTML is below.

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