Having to know HTML has been for many years the one thing that has prevented people from building their own website. There was an unspoken belief that ordinary, i.e. non-technical, people would need to consult experts if they wanted an internet presence.

Modern software marketers claim that anyone with a computer and internet connection, can easily build websites without the need to learn HTML.

In this article we discuss if this is really true or not.

With some new web software programs, the emphasis has moved away from "coding" to more of a step-by-step user friendly approach. Simply typing your website information onto pages just as you would using a word processor can result in pages being generated automatically into web pages. Many programs use WYSIWYG technology. This stands for "what you see is what you get".

Most modern editors format the entire HTML in the background. If you can use Microsoft Word then you can use these programs the same way. Just type.

So Is The HTML correct?

Some purists would argue that WYSIWYG programs make messy or bloated HTML code and the web pages may not be fully compliant to international standards. Some web pages may display slightly differently in different browsers.

In the end, having a website live on the web is better than not having it up there. The making of a website even if HTML is unknown. Even though the HTML code may not be "perfect" the resultant web pages are still normal looking to the user.

When looking for designs, you can easily import your own graphics and designs into most modern website building programs. There are many templates (or skins) you can buy or download for free.

The booming market of first time marketers has created a whole industry of easy to use website programs and the vendors have shown a great understanding of the needs of novice website builders by producing comprehensive manuals and tutorials that lay out each step.

The tutorials are so user-friendly, with a common sense approach, that even beginners should be able to complete a simple website in just an hour. With a domain name registered and a hosting company enlisted, their first website can be 'live' in minutes.

In addition to the tutorial, beginners will find a wealth of information on related forums of web software providers. The training and supporting forum has a broad knowledge spread. There is always someone to answer a novice's questions, either the creator or a team member or a fellow user via the forums.

Not all easy web software programs are only for the new. Upon further inspection there are powerful website design package that are also ideal for intermediate and experienced internet marketers.

Many come feature packed with tools for site map creation, search engine optimization and some have an Affiliate Wizard for affiliate marketers.

Investing in other solutions will not be required. Modern web builders stretch even for the advanced marketer.

So the results are in - and they look pretty good for the first time web builder.

Looking for a way to attract more attention to your website? Offer a fresh face and new content on a regular basis and you'll find people will check back to see what's new and you'll have a tool to measure what attracts and what doesn't. Here's how to do it.

Your website homepage is your front door through which online browsers come to visit your business. Static, never-changing content is no more interesting to a returning visitor than a book they have already read. To keep your audience captivated and coming back you need to make your home on the web inviting and interesting.

Present a Dynamic Home Page

One way that you can present changing home page content is to design ten to twelve unique pages with different content and then rotate them every month. Take a couple of weeks to design different ideas and images. Create page promotions that include a message that is timeless or that has a seasonal or timely announcement such as "Holiday Specials." When you consider different features for your home page and when it should be placed you're forced to look closely at at your marketing strategy over a one year period. This will save you a lot of time since you then won't have to think about your content through the year. It also allows you to plan your offers and gather the necessary content.

A web developer can put your home pages on a rotating script or use an automatic timer. You can then rotate your home pages to highlight a new tip every month or to promote a featured product. The home page of your website is much like the front cover of a magazine. People want to see a home page that has different photos and content at least every month, preferably every week. You won't want all of the content of your website to be featured on the page as this will overwhelm your website visitors. So choose one or two features to highlight each month. The rest of your website content should be well organized within the rest of the pages of your site. When you're ready to update your home page you simply grab content from your internal pages. This way you're not having to create new content. You're just reorganizing your existing content so that it feels new to your visitors.

Don't Change Your Home Page Too Often:

Even though you want your website to be new and dynamic you also don't want to change it too often. People take comfort from their favorite websites and want them to be familiar. If you change your home page too often or too much you may create confusion or give people the feel that someone else has taken over your site. You could also compromise your positioning in search engines. So maintain some consistency.

When you make changes to graphics or content it shouldn't make a major change to the way your website looks and feels. Regular visitors should be able to find the same information that they've always found on your home page and in the same place. As a rule, the headers and navigation tools on your page shouldn't ever change without a complete redesign and announcing that to your visitors. Change content and images with other content and images while maintaining the sites original functionality. Home pages that are consistent lend a feeling of comfort to users. If your customers learn to expect consistency they'll also learn to rely on your quality customer service. If you're a small online business, gaining your customer's trust is your most important step to success.

The Benefits of a Flexible Home Page

A flexible home page lets you test your off line marketing efforts. Before you spend money on a magazine or newspaper ad you can test it out on your website. You'll be able to see how people react to the ad. It will let you determine which featured products attract the most interest. You can also determine which graphics generate the most attraction. Web analytics software (Google Analytics is great and free to use) can provide you with this type of information. It will help you obtain marketing data that is detailed and precise. You can see which graphics people have clicked on as well as what web page they were on just before they left your website.

Once you've mastered the technique of updating your home page, while at the same time keeping the core content the same, you'll be well on your way to recognizing the benefits of a flexible home page.

As you know we are all fond of the easy things in life. We all like the path of least resistance. The easier we can find our way the better for us. The more complicated something appears the less we understand it and as consequence the less we like it.

With this in mind we need to approach the building of a website in a way that will avoid all of the above. Your website will need to be laid out in a way that understands the visitor's needs and addresses them clearly and concisely.

The question then becomes how to do this? When considering what subject to build your site around you will need to start your research on the forums relative to the topics of choice. For example if your passion relates to golf then you will need to visit forums where this subject is discussed.

Here you will need to look at what questions are being asked and where the people posting to this forum are having difficulty. Then you will need to get engaged and try and help. Here is how you could do this. Create a signature that links back to a free blog that asks the question "what is the biggest problem you face when it comes to golf"

On your free blog you could ask other questions. Your blog then can have a form where people can submit their questions. Of course you would need to offer them something to do this that will help their game and of course you will need to offer it for free.

Based on this you will be gathering actionable intelligence relative to your target market. With this information you can then build a website that addresses these concerns and provides a product that you are either affiliated with or that you have created yourself.

Now that you have this information you can build a real website that can generate a real income in multiple ways. You will want to build a site that is structured properly for the search engines and one which is easy to navigate for your visitors.

To conclude if you lay the groundwork properly then the rest will fall into place.