So you want to design a website. There’s so much to think about: content, theme, colors, navigation, calls-to-action, and more.
Fortunately, you don’t have to start from scratch. There’s some excellent web design software to help you build a winning site. As you strive to narrow down the options, check out these tips from industry experts about the best design software to get you started.
Tyson Nichols
Tyson Nichols is a Linux and AWS System Administrator. He has a homelab with a 25u rack and loves Raspberry Pi projects and home automation.
Bootstrap
The easiest way to get started for a beginner is with a Bootstrap theme or a static site builder like Hugo.
Bootstrap is a CSS framework for building responsive websites. There are thousands and thousands of paid and free Bootstrap templates available online for every type of site you can imagine.
Hugo is a great static site builder that has plenty of free and paid resources and themes available. Static sites are just basic HTML so they can be hosted in AWS S3 buckets. This allows beginners to get into web design without the headache of maintaining/patching a server.
Taking either of these routes will allow you to get something up and running quickly, and then you can adjust as you learn more.
Adobe products
Based on our experience and the wealth of knowledge and tutorials readily available, the industry standard Adobe products are a great place to start—even for beginners.
Adobe XD, Photoshop and Illustrator are the most often used out of the suite.
If you’re on a Mac, Sketch comes in as a great 2nd choice after Adobe products.
Finally, honorable mention goes to Elementor PRO, a WordPress site builder that has become so advanced and robust, it can almost handle all of your site design from menus to responsive assets. All of this is easily accessible without any coding or graphic design knowledge.
Balazs Hajde
Authority Hacker
Balazs Hajde is Content Manager at Authority Hacker. His primary responsibilities include maintaining the highest standards of content quality and the efficient implementation of projects across the numerous sites managed by the company.
Brandon Ballweg
Brandon Ballweg is a site owner of composeclick.com
Do it yourself
In my opinion, the best way to learn web design is to just start doing it yourself.
My recommendation is to buy hosting and a domain name, install WordPress and take it from there. WordPress is a content management platform that gives you a site structure to work with that you can build upon to make your own.
If you have an idea for a brand you would like to launch, or if you could use a personal portfolio site to showcase your artistic/business skills, then you have a 2 birds/1 stone opportunity to create something useful for yourself while also learning the new skill of web design.
I learned by tackling each individual challenge at a time. To make my site menu, I looked up how to do it from articles and YouTube videos. Same thing for formatting content and adding code to my site.
To get an overall education in web design, sites like lynda.com are great resources. You can even get free access from your local library if you have a library card.
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