Create Your Own Free Website in 5 Simple Steps
(NewDesignWorld Press Release Center) -- New York, NY, May 26, 2010 -- Wix.com is offering a complementary tutorial for the free and easy creation of Flash websites. Users are invited to use these helpful guidelines to create a website with Wix's free and intuitive website builder.
1. FIND EXAMPLES OF GOOD WEB DESIGN
Make yourself familiar with examples of websites that contain successfully executed web design. A great way to start is to find the most competitive sites in your specific niche. These are sites that come up first when you perform a search in Google, Yahoo! and any other search engine for words related to your website, company or business. You can also browse through the gallery of websites made by Wix users, for ideas and inspiration.
2. CREATE A BLUEPRINT
The more time you spend planning your website's overall structure, the more your creative juices will flow when it comes time to fine-tune your site's design elements. Plan out what will go on each page early on, by drawing a simple sketch on a piece of paper. Gather your content and decide how you'll divide it throughout your site. Most websites have a Home page that visitors can access easily throughout the entire site, as well as an informative About or Bio page, a Contact page and a page displaying products or services provided. Of course, different kinds of websites will include different variations of these pages. You could include a Media page if you're a band website, with videos of concerts. Business sites generally have a Resources or Clients page, for visitors to learn more about their offerings.
3. SELECT A WEBSITE TEMPLATE
Website templates are efficient tools used by professional web designers and newbies alike, to speed up the process of creating a website. They are pre-arranged samples of websites, that can be customized and adjusted to suit an individual user's needs. Every Wix website template was built by a pro web designer using the Wix website builder. Browse through Wix's gallery of Flash templates arranged by category. Each template category has web design elements that are well-suited for a particular niche. Once you've chosen your template, click Edit. You can immediately start customizing your template once you sign up for a free website account with Wix. This step takes about 10 seconds, and includes no commitment or e-mail verification.
4. MAKE IT YOUR OWN
You will now start to actually use Wix, and see how to make a website the fastest, easiest and most fun way possible. If you chose to use a template, it will now be automatically placed inside the website builder, ready for your customization. To change any of the design elements in your web template, click on them, and customize using the Property Panel you'll see at the bottom of your editor. Change the font, color, transition, linkability, behaviors, effects and more of your design elements. You can also move items wherever you like by clicking and dragging them. To add new items, select from the menu on the left side of the builder.
Here are some basic web design elements that come with Wix:
Menus & Mini Pages
Make your own website with a high level of user-friendliness so that visitors can easily find what they're looking for. A menu bar that guides visitors through your site is an excellent way to optimize your site's navigation. Most of Wix's templates already have a few mini-pages connected to a menu. To add pages, rearrange their order, delete pages, or rename their menu titles, click on the mini-page and select "Manage".
To add mini pages to a blank website, select Page Parts in the left-hand menu inside Wix, and click on Mini Pages. To link a menu to your mini pages, click on a mini page and select "Add a Menu". Your pages will automatically be linked to the menu. You can move the menu and your mini-pages wherever you like by clicking and dragging.
Titles & Paragraphs
To change any of the text in a free website template, click on it and select Edit. Highlight the text you want to change, and type in your own text. Adjust the text's font, size, color and linkability with the property panel you'll see on the bottom of the editor. To add titles or paragraphs to your site, click the Text button on your Wix menu. You can create paragraphs with scrollbars to make large sections of content easier for your visitors to read.
Image Files, Clip Art & Animation
To change an image, just click on it and click "Replace". A window will pop up allowing you to choose pictures from Wix's free collection, Fotolia's stock archive, or from your own computer's files. To add an image to a website, click the Media button on the left-hand menu. You can also add clip art, animation, icons, video effects, shapes and lines from the Clip Art button.
Galleries
Add a gallery to your website and fill it with photos. There are several Gallery styles from which to choose, including a new series of animated galleries. Add a gallery by clicking on the Gallery button. Add photos to your gallery by clicking on the gallery, and clicking on the photos you wish to add. You can add title descriptions for each photo, and links. Add a menu for your gallery by clicking on the gallery and choosing "Add a Menu", and make it easier for visitors to browse through your images.
Widgets
With widgets, your site becomes more interactive and functional. Popular examples of widgets include music players, Google maps, contact forms, comment forms and RSS links. You can also link your website to your PayPal account. Turn your website into an online shop with the Shopping Cart widget. (This widget is available only to users who upgrade from their free user accounts to a Wix premium package.) Like everythign else in Wix, widgets can be added or editing with just a few clicks.
Step 5: SAVE, PUBLISH & UPDATE YOUR SITE
The first time you click "Save" you will need to name your Wix document. Once you are ready to turn the document into a live website, click "Publish". Update your website whenever you wish by hitting the Save button, and see your changes instantly. (You only need to "Publish" once).
Wix will host your free website on their servers, so you don't have to hire an outside hosting service. To gain control over your website's domain, consider upgrading to one of Wix's premium packages. There are a few different packages from which to choose, but all of them grant domain ownership, and access to Google Analytics - so you can track your site's online traffic.
Questions?
There are a ton of Wix resources to help you create a free website and promote it like a pro. An extensive wiki support website, group forums, blogs devoted to specific niches and more can be found all in one place. Check them out by visiting wix.com
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Contact:
Emily Sokolow
Wix.com, Inc
New York, NY
972542699300
emily@wix.com
http://www.wix.com
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