Trying to build a website is a daunting task. Looking at other websites and seeing all the cool moving parts and fabulous artwork, it can be very intimidating for a beginner. But is must be known, building a website for dummies is actually not that difficult. Years of software innovation have focused in making the process simpler and simpler. It used to be that a web designer would need to be fluent in HTML and be able to work in it the entire time. This obviously made building a website for dummies a long and arduous project. Nowadays, however, it can be learned in a relatively short amount of time.

The first and most vital thing you must do is get an applicable software for web design. Older softwares were very involved, but today’s web design software is highly advanced and very visual. Most have what is called ‘What you see is what you get’ interface. This means that most functions can be made as simply as Microsoft Office applications. Many features can be implemented using simple drag and drop functions. Some more advanced features are even made easy through little ‘set-up wizards’ that will ask what you want to do in simple plain language. Such complex things as Facebook or Twitter live feeds can be implemented graphically. So what software should be used? That is largely up to the consumer, but some recommendations are WebPlus, WebEasy or Adobe’s design programs. These all allow for deep and complex web design, while still making building a website for dummies easy and quick.

The next thing to do when building a website for dummies is get a clear and defined idea. It is often helpful to do three things before beginning to build your website. The first is to play around with the software and learn what it can do. This means looking up videos on the basics. Try to make a few sample projects that will teach the basics. Bruce Lee once said “If you want to learn to swim jump into the water.” It is not enough to simply watch the program but to understand all of its functions.

Next go to other sites to get ideas. This means going to a wide variety of sites. Visit possible competitor sites, or sites that serve a similar purpose to yours. This means especially finding the most successful of these websites and seeing how well their site works. Also visit your own favorite sites, or sites you know have a good design. Figure out why you like these sites and their design. This will help you figure out what is convenient and makes content easy to find, and what is messy, over complicated and frustrating. And finally draw the site out on paper. Plan where things will go and where they will take you. Plan out many pages, especially ones that people will use frequently. Be sure to make the site memorable but keep in mind that functionality is the most important thing to a site’s success.

Finally it is time to actually start building a website for dummies. This means that all your ideas should start coming together. Any drawings you made should now be brought to life. Find out how to execute the ideas you have. Find feedback for yourself and even your competitors. If you can implement functions that your competitors do not you could start to receive traffic that they are losing from not implementing such functions into their own site. While learning from other sites is important also keep in mind that your site should be unique. This means implementing features that will keep traffic coming back. Do not rush the work and ensure that the site actually works the way you want. Have friends go through it with no extra knowledge and see if they can work it easily. This is essentially what should be considered when building a website for dummies.

Web design is an area of the creative arts that is growing in demand. A web designer has the job of arranging how a website is setup. This means that that they are in charge of both how a website looks and how it functions. This means that the website’s visual appeal cannot overpower the actual functionality of the site.

However if you want people to pay attention to the site and respect it, it is also important to make it look attractive, as well. This is where a web design career becomes difficult, or at least complicated. How does one balance a page’s aesthetic appeal with usability? Years of training go into this, as well as having the natural ability to think creatively and also work with software that is constantly updating.

First is to work with the software pre-training. This is best for people aspiring to become web designers. Before you have a chance to start your real training learn some of the basics. One trying to get into a web design career could start by learning some of the basics of HTML. While this knowledge may not be directly used in modern projects it can be an essential tool for anyone with a web design career to know. It is much like learning the basics of any language.

Understanding how to use HTML is the first step in web design. Next play around with whatever modern editor you can get your hands on. Learning on a variety of softwares is good, especially when this includes the software used by professionals. Perhaps try a few sample projects from online tutorials, or ‘fun projects’ just for the practice.

Next is to get formal training. This means finding a certification or degree program that covers web design. Be sure to get a certification or program that is specific to web design. From here you must take the path that most professionals take, which is internship. This will entail working with existing web designers in order to learn even more about web design, which especially includes learning how to work in a real life web design office, with all the complications that come along with that.

There is an alternative to all of this formal training however. This is self-training, and is a faster, but less ‘safe’ path for those hoping to begin a web design career. This entails entirely self-taught web design skills. You will not likely be able to find an actual job as a web designer at first. When comparing your resume to others who have certifications, yours will seem quite lacking. Thus you must build it by working in other areas such as marketing or administration where you will have web design responsibilities.

It is notable that these are not really equal paths in getting into a web design career. While it is possible to be an excellent and very hirable self-taught designer, it is unlikely. Often this is done when people have already started in one area and then change into web design, usually still with a focus on their original field. A real certification program will always be the best way to get into a web design career.

There are 3 levels of web design careers. First is a junior designer. This is the lowest level of graduated designer, and is the title given to designers from the time they leave school up until their third year of work. From here you become a ‘real’ web designer. This is the full-fledged job with individual projects. Finally, there is the senior web designer, who will be in charge of large teams of designers and will train junior designers. Of course, each promotion will bring more money than the previous one, starting at about $21 an hour for a junior designer and ending at about $36 an hour at median for a senior designer.

A web design career is a lucrative and rewarding one. But in this same way it is a demanding one, with training, talent and creativity all being important considerations.

The first thing that must be taken into account when asking ‘how much do web designers make’ is what kind of web designer? Like most jobs, there are different levels of web designer. All these levels have different experience, but have different pay scales based on a number of factors. So the first thing to consider in answering how much do web designers make is to ask how much each type of web designer makes.

The first ‘career level’ is that of a junior web designer. This category of web designer is defined as having three or fewer years of experience out of school. These sorts of people can only work under supervision of other higher up designers in a company setting. This means they are paid the least. But don’t let that fool you; it is still a good wage.

The median salary is $42,000 per annum for a junior designer. This can also be expressed as $21 per hour. But once again ‘how much do web designers make’ is not a simple question. Next bonuses and commissions account for maybe another $3,000. This means that a total beginner’s salary of about $45,000 is the average for a junior designer.

Next up is the lead designer. These are the next step up, having spent time as a junior designer and having several years of experience.  of experience are designers. This means that they are capable and experienced enough to be working on independent projects or aspects of projects with larger teams. Here the pay goes up. The average paycheck now rises to $52,000 a year or $26 per hour. And of course the bonuses and commissions still apply adding another $3000 estimated to their paycheck. A total pay comes out to about $55,000 per each year.

Finally is the highest of the designers, the senior designer or art director and the most impressive answer to ‘how much do web designers make’. The senior designer is the most experienced of designers. This means that they have worked long enough and have an extensive enough portfolio that they can be trusted with being in charge of large teams of other web designers. This also usually means training junior designers. All this is sure to bring in the highest paycheck. The median falls in at $72,000 a year or $36 per hour. The bonuses are also higher at $5000 making a total median estimate of $77,000 a year. In addition to this other fees are estimated to add up to another $2,200, meaning that it could be said that it is as high as $79,200.

It is also worth mentioning that it of course also depends on the company that a designer works for. Some companies will pay more highly than others. Companies that are larger will likely pay more especially to higher positions in order to keep the best designers available for important projects.

A last consideration on ‘how much do web designers make’ is figuring out how much a freelance web designer will make. This is the most subjective, as the prices can vary wildly. A freelance web designer just starting out could be the cheapest option for many clients and thus be paid less than the usual designer in an attempt to remain competitive and build a strong portfolio. And conversely, a very experienced freelance web designer may ask for far more. It is possible that this could also be the source of the most highly paid web designer, all depending on the case.

When considering how much do web designers make it is important to consider all the factors. It can be difficult to predict, but a general medians can be used to try and figure out how much a web designer can be expected to make and the answer is at all levels it really is quite a lucrative career.