If you’ve ever wanted to know anything about how to build your own website, the Building Websites All-in-One for Dummies book will definitely give you the answers you need! The massive tome, written by David Karlins and Doug Sahlin, covers just about everything from the preparation stage to managing your site once it’s built. It’s like getting ten books in one! Seriously, it’s actually a compilation of 10 mini books pulled together into one comprehensive unit. Since it’s part of the “For Dummies” line, you already know it’s relatively easy to understand, so even a novice can use it.

Building Websites All-In-One for Dummies Contents

• Getting Ready– before you can build your website, you have to take a look at your resources, decide on a general theme, and get your domain and hosting in place.
• Designing a Site– Covers everything from choosing your color scheme to building a site that can be viewed easily on mobile devices.
• Building Pages with HTML- HTML is at the heart of every design, so if you want to build your own site, you really need to have a decent understanding of it. Even if someone else designs your site, knowing the basics can help you take it much further.
• Designing Pages with CSS– While i have a general understanding of HTML, I am lost when it comes to CSS so this chapter was really valuable for me.
• Incorporating Web Graphics and Multimedia– Your site would be pretty boring if it contained nothing more than text. Pictures and videos help enhance the viewing experience, so you really should at least know how to insert a decent graphic.
• Creating Interactive Pages with JavaScript
  
• Managing Forms with PHP
  
• Social Media and Interactive Add-ons- Bloggers know how important social media integration is on their sites!
• Deploying and Managing the Site– Covers the basics on how to test your site to make sure it’s ready to launch, how to update it, and how to get it out there for the world to see.
• Case Studies– Check out four different types of sites and how they run.

Building Websites All-In-One For Dummies really does cover just about everything. The only issue I had is that it seems to focus mostly on those using very specific programs, like Dreamweaver and Fireworks. The language can get a little technical at times, so it helps if you have at least a basic understanding of website building terms. You definitely need to at least know your way around your own computer! Aside from that, though, it’s a great resource and will help you design a stellar site that looks amazing. It’s still up to you to fill it with great content, though!

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