Website development is evolving
The landscape of website development is evolving. Now, tools exist that empower everyday people to build websites on their own. To create a site, you don’t need to spend a fortune, and you aren’t required to learn a coding language like HTML — just use WordPress.com.
Although WordPress.com offers customization options that don’t require code, learning HTML is a great way to get a deeper understanding of web design. It also allows for more flexibility when creating your site.
Watch this video to learn a little more about using HTML (and CSS) to customize your site:
Along with this video, following this HTML tutorial for beginners will let you move beyond drag-and-drop formatting. By understanding HTML, you’ll be positioned to create your own unique look.
Understanding HTML
HTML stands for “hypertext markup language,” and is one of the coding languages used to build websites.
It uses specific instructions known as “tags” to tell your internet browser what to display. Examples of common tags include “p” for paragraph, “h1” for a large heading, and “em” for italics.
HTML tags are written inside angle brackets (<>). Most of the time, every tag has an opening and closing pair. The closing tag comes after the text you’re formatting, and includes a slash within the angle brackets.
Start with WordPress.com shortcodes
For someone with no coding experience, playing with shortcodes is a great way to begin experimenting with HTML on WordPress.com. Shortcodes are simplified versions of HTML code that you type directly into the editor to embed extra content into posts or pages.
To try these codes, create a blog post draft on your website. Refer to WordPress.com’s list of shortcodes to try everything from embedding YouTube videos to creating multiple choice quizzes. Every time you save the draft, your code will come to life.
Customize your theme
Once you’re comfortable using basic HTML, experiment by altering the formats of your website’s pages in the HTML editor. This is accessed by clicking the HTML tab in your visual editor’s top right corner.
You can use an online HTML reference (like this one from w3schools) to understand what different tags do and how to format them.
Try using code to adjust the size of headlines, add line breaks, or change font colors. The same coding practices can be used for more sophisticated purposes, like featuring a customer’s testimonial as a blockquote, or formatting images.
Learning HTML takes time, but it’s a straightforward coding language that almost anyone can master. Use this HTML tutorial to get started!
Skip the learning curve with WordPress.com
WordPress.com is one of the most popular website builders on the market. Setting up an account is quick and it doesn’t require users to have web design skills or past experience. You can also get started for free.
On top of that, WordPress.com comes equipped with many of the capabilities that you might expect a hosting platform to provide, like commenting, contact forms, and an intuitive user interface.
Building a website with WordPress.com positions your online presence to grow alongside your business. You can get a website up and running for free, but if you decide at a later point that you want a custom domain name or eCommerce capabilities, you can upgrade to a more feature-rich plan starting at $4 per month.
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