Posted by Kelly Rowe on January 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
I used to do website development back in the day with Notepad and lots of coffee. That was pre-java when pages were completely static. I've spent literally thousands of dollars on web development for our last two iterations, and I've come to believe that the only way I'll get one that doesn't suck is to roll my own. I'm looking for the elegant photography studio look and feel, so what are the best choices for tools and technology today? Should I just buy something off the shelf? Should I use a development tool like DreamWeaver (the last thing I used in the mid-nineties was FrontPage)? Right now we are using WordPress for our site and I'm not real pleased with it. Any learning resources you might suggest for development? Not much happens in January so I might as well put the time to good use.
If you are looking to develop a data-driven site on a Windows Server platform, take a look at MS Visual Web Developer Express 2008. It's free! You can also download the (free) SQL Server Express with Advanced Services 2008.
Here's a link where you can learn more about the Visual Studio Express dev platform:
You might also take a look at MS Expression Web-2. It is the replacement for FrontPage. It creates standards-compliant code that is cross-browser compatible. If you used FrontPage in the past, you won't have much difficulty getting up to speed. EW is on sale (for a limited time) at the Microsoft Store for $49.95 (upgrade price). A free trial is available.
I use both VWD and EW; VWD for the code-behind, and EW for design-side. It's a great combination.
There is a cool add-in for EW called CSS Sculptor. It generates CSS for you. So, it's a nice way to create your intitial layout. It costs $49.95. You can find out more at: Web Assist.com
I second Visual Studio Web Developer Express with ASP.Net 2.0 - superb application that I use for all my website development projects. Most things you need can be found here: http://www.asp.net/
Posted by Greg Cope on January 3, 2009 at 12:23 PM
If you are looking for a basic learning resource for web development, check out http://www.w3schools.com/ Easy to use tutorials in many of the current web dev languages, and for someone in your situation you can easily browse through them and see which ones may become helpful in your webpage development. A few things I'd look at in particular are CSS, java script, and if you wish to do some server side scripting for dynamic pages look into PHP, ASP, Perl, or something similar (because these are server side, I'd look into what your server(s) are running before investing time learning them).
Whether you are on mac or pc might limit your ability to use some web dev programs. I'm on a mac, and use Dreamweaver, but can't really comment on many of its advanced functions mainly because I'm more comfortable with doing everything by hand - but dreamweaver does make some things much easier for me (like code coloring to identify different languages, easy ftp, easy search and replace, etc...).
Tristan and Greg, thanks for pointing out www.asp.net and w3schools. Both are excellent resources!
Kelly:
The server-side language you use depends upon the hosting platform. If you will be using a Linux/Unix server then PHP will be your best option. If you are using a Windows server, then Asp.Net 2.0 or 3.5 will be best, but you can still program in PHP.
Try to limit, or don't use Java Script, since some folks turn it off in their browsers for fear of malicious code. Server-side scripting is best; either PHP, Visual Basic, or C#.
Greg's comment about dev platforms for Mac is right on. Unfortunately, EW and VWD will not run on a Mac unless you have a virtual machine with Windows XP or Vista installed. Dreamweaver is a nice program, I hear. It does not support Asp.Net development, or so I understand.
Another item I should mention is MS Expression Media, part of the MS Expression Studio. It is a media asset program (Mac compatible). You can learn more Here.
The entire Expression suite is on sale now for 50% off the regular price. The upgrade price is $174.95. More Here . This is limited time offer and is likely to expire soon. Take a look.
-Preston
Posted by Paul Inglis on January 3, 2009 at 1:41 PM
I have used most packages and software's over the last 15 years (and still use Frontpage!). Some good advice above (even though I still use the occasional Javascript on my websites).
The first thing to do is decide whether you are going down the .asp, .php or .htm route. In my mind search engine rankings come first and gear my scripting towards that goal. i.e. I ensure the spiders can crawl easily (this does create more spam but certainly more hits).
Flash looks great but hard on search engine crawlers! PHP is awesome for certain parts of your site such as contact forms, logs ins, newsletter sign ups, etc...
I opted for .htm over .asp as I can write it quick as I've used it for years. Its simple clean and easy.
Forget meta tags and concentrate on content as this is what search engines are basing their rankings on. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the key to a successful site!
You might consider moving over to Expression Web unless your site(s) rely heavily upon shared borders or other Front Page-specific behaviors/functions. Many web hosts are foregoing their support for the Front Page Server Extensions, especially on Linux platforms. Even hosts that are running Windows Server 2008 and IIS7 are no longer using them. It's only a matter of time before FPSE are gone. Therefore, using a program such as EW will be a nice choice, since it creates standards-compliant html and CSS.
While I agree that SEO is very important in order to drive traffic to one's site, having a well-designed, nice looking, and functional site that works on the most popular browsers will keep people on your site reading the content, looking at images and clicking the "Buy Now!" button.
You are right in your observation that search crawlers look more at content rather than keyword and content meta tags. A well designed site with key words in the page's 'content' and alt-text in img tags will help a great deal towards increasing search ranking. So, in my view, things like Flash, music players, frames, and other code-heavy constructs do little in this regard.
Given all the server-side technologies, it is possible to design very dynamic sites, but even a simple site coded in XHTML using CSS and some scripting for forms, login, and such can provide a very rich web experience.
So, it appears that Kelly, and others who are looking to create web sites, have strategic decsions to make and then obtain the tools and skills they need to bring their site to life.
Discussion
6 repliesIf you are looking to develop a data-driven site on a Windows Server platform, take a look at MS Visual Web Developer Express 2008. It's free! You can also download the (free) SQL Server Express with Advanced Services 2008.
Here's a link where you can learn more about the Visual Studio Express dev platform:
Visual Studio Express Editions
You might also take a look at MS Expression Web-2. It is the replacement for FrontPage. It creates standards-compliant code that is cross-browser compatible. If you used FrontPage in the past, you won't have much difficulty getting up to speed. EW is on sale (for a limited time) at the Microsoft Store for $49.95 (upgrade price). A free trial is available.
Here
I use both VWD and EW; VWD for the code-behind, and EW for design-side. It's a great combination.
There is a cool add-in for EW called CSS Sculptor. It generates CSS for you. So, it's a nice way to create your intitial layout. It costs $49.95. You can find out more at: Web Assist.com
I hope this helps you.
-P
Whether you are on mac or pc might limit your ability to use some web dev programs. I'm on a mac, and use Dreamweaver, but can't really comment on many of its advanced functions mainly because I'm more comfortable with doing everything by hand - but dreamweaver does make some things much easier for me (like code coloring to identify different languages, easy ftp, easy search and replace, etc...).
Kelly:
The server-side language you use depends upon the hosting platform. If you will be using a Linux/Unix server then PHP will be your best option. If you are using a Windows server, then Asp.Net 2.0 or 3.5 will be best, but you can still program in PHP.
Try to limit, or don't use Java Script, since some folks turn it off in their browsers for fear of malicious code. Server-side scripting is best; either PHP, Visual Basic, or C#.
Greg's comment about dev platforms for Mac is right on. Unfortunately, EW and VWD will not run on a Mac unless you have a virtual machine with Windows XP or Vista installed. Dreamweaver is a nice program, I hear. It does not support Asp.Net development, or so I understand.
Another item I should mention is MS Expression Media, part of the MS Expression Studio. It is a media asset program (Mac compatible). You can learn more Here.
The entire Expression suite is on sale now for 50% off the regular price. The upgrade price is $174.95. More Here . This is limited time offer and is likely to expire soon. Take a look.
-Preston
The first thing to do is decide whether you are going down the .asp, .php or .htm route. In my mind search engine rankings come first and gear my scripting towards that goal. i.e. I ensure the spiders can crawl easily (this does create more spam but certainly more hits).
Flash looks great but hard on search engine crawlers! PHP is awesome for certain parts of your site such as contact forms, logs ins, newsletter sign ups, etc...
I opted for .htm over .asp as I can write it quick as I've used it for years. Its simple clean and easy.
Forget meta tags and concentrate on content as this is what search engines are basing their rankings on. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the key to a successful site!
You might consider moving over to Expression Web unless your site(s) rely heavily upon shared borders or other Front Page-specific behaviors/functions. Many web hosts are foregoing their support for the Front Page Server Extensions, especially on Linux platforms. Even hosts that are running Windows Server 2008 and IIS7 are no longer using them. It's only a matter of time before FPSE are gone. Therefore, using a program such as EW will be a nice choice, since it creates standards-compliant html and CSS.
While I agree that SEO is very important in order to drive traffic to one's site, having a well-designed, nice looking, and functional site that works on the most popular browsers will keep people on your site reading the content, looking at images and clicking the "Buy Now!" button.
You are right in your observation that search crawlers look more at content rather than keyword and content meta tags. A well designed site with key words in the page's 'content' and alt-text in img tags will help a great deal towards increasing search ranking. So, in my view, things like Flash, music players, frames, and other code-heavy constructs do little in this regard.
Given all the server-side technologies, it is possible to design very dynamic sites, but even a simple site coded in XHTML using CSS and some scripting for forms, login, and such can provide a very rich web experience.
So, it appears that Kelly, and others who are looking to create web sites, have strategic decsions to make and then obtain the tools and skills they need to bring their site to life.
-P