How to Code a Website

Want to learn how to create a website with HTML and CSS?

You’re in the right place. In this guide, we show you all the steps to get from a blank screen to a working website that’s optimized and quite good-looking at the same time.

But first, what is HTML and CSS?

Well, you could just look up both terms in Wikipedia, but those definitions aren’t very reader-friendly. Let’s simplify things a bit:

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) defines the structure and contents of a web page – where things go, how they are laid out, and what’s on the page
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) defines the styling/presentation of a web page and the elements on it

You can’t really have one without the other – the two work together to make up the final web page, its design, and the content that’s on it.

Note; when we say “a web page,” what we mean is a single HTML document – a single page that’s part of your website. Whereas, “a website” is the complete thing – your whole site with all its individual web pages.

Table of contents

Learn the basics of HTML
Understand HTML document structure
Get to know CSS selectors
Put a CSS stylesheet together
Get Bootstrap
Pick a design
Customize your website with HTML and CSS
Add content and images
Fine-tune colors and fonts
Create additional pages

If you think this is too complicated, we recommend either creating a website using WordPress or choosing one of the website builders.

Before You Start, Gather Your Resources:

So, the first thing you need even before creating a website with HTML and CSS is a web server (hosting). Don’t worry, though; you don’t have to buy your own machine. Many web hosting companies will sell you a simple hosting service on their machines. Just google for “web hosting” and pick something that isn’t too expensive or check our web hosting reviews.

With the server sorted, the next thing you need is a domain name. The domain name is what the website is identified on the web. For example, this site’s domain name is websitesetup.org.

When you have both a domain name and a server, you can connect the two together.

To have this sorted out with no pain on your end, we recommend signing up with a company like Bluehost.

They will handle all the setup for you. Meaning that they will: (a) set up a hosting account for you, (b) register a domain name on your behalf, (c) configure everything to work together, and (d) give you access to an easy-to-use dashboard.

Go ahead and sign up with any of the web hosting services, we’ll wait. When you’re back and have your web server configured and ready to go, scroll to the next step.

P.S. If you just want to experiment with an HTML website on your computer, and don’t intend to make it public, use a local web server software. The one we recommend and like to use is called XAMPP. It has versions for both Mac and PC, and it’s easy to use. Here’s a guide on how to install it on your computer.