Creating your own website can seem like an overwhelming challenge if you’ve never done it before. Luckily, there are plenty of ways for beginners to learn about and participate in web development. In fact, the web design process has been so drastically simplified that it’s now possible for a reasonably intelligent individual to build a website from scratch in just one day, without any prior experience.

While you may still feel inclined to pay a professional web developer to avoid the hassle, it’s worthwhile to at least consider the DIY options and resources available before you make the decision to invest more than necessary for the construction of your website. With that said, here are four reliable ways anyone can get help building a top-notch website on a same-day basis.

1.      Use a Site Building Platform

Building web pages the old-fashioned way with proper coding is no longer necessary because any novice can easily build their own custom site with a user-friendly platform like WebEden.co.uk. Such tools make web design as easy as picking the components you want to use and positioning them. With click-and-drag functionality, these platforms make site-building feel more like playing a video game. The best part is if you want to make revisions or adjustments you can easily do so without having to wait for a developer to make revisions for you. Plus, if you ever need help figuring something out in the user interface, you can just contact customer support and they’ll guide you in the right direction via phone, chat, or email.

2.      Use Themes and Templates

In addition to using convenient platforms to build your site, you may also want to look into site templates. These one-click-solutions give you a functional site that you can then further customize to your liking. The main advantage of using this approach is that you can find templates geared specifically towards your niche (e.g. – a real estate portfolio theme) so that basically eliminates most of the effort and research required to reach a satisfactory finished site.

3.      Follow Video Tutorials

Even if you’re using the above tips, you may still want to follow some video guidance if you want to get to know your platform or template options in a more detailed manner. Using sites like YouTube, you can quickly find an in-depth answer to any web development question you may have, and the comment section is also useful for asking questions or reviewing additional helpful input from other viewers. If you choose to eventually delve into tougher topics, such as coding your own CSS templates or designing HTML5 pages from scratch, you could subscribe to more advanced development channels or sign up for a comprehensive video course on web development to fast-track the learning curve.

4.      Join a Webmaster Forum

Finally, joining a webmaster forum is a step that all novice developers should take. By joining a forum, you’ll gain access to a community of site owners and developers that will be glad to answer your questions and point you in the right direction. Sometimes, this can be easier and more fruitful than conducting independent research using only a search engine, as the recommendations of experienced pros will usually yield better results than whatever info you happen to stumble upon in the top five spots of the search results.

Becoming a “Developer” Has Never Been Easier

It used to mean something when you told somebody you were a web developer. Nowadays, building a website is about as easy as putting together a social networking profile. While there are still advanced aspects of development reserved for programmers, the vast majority of new sites are being built by industrious site owners in less than a week.

• Technology