How Can I Update My Own Website?
Once you have your website up and running you may be wondering how you can make changes to it yourself, without having to pay a web designer. There are two main options:
- Use an online editing tool provided by your host
- Purchase website editing software
Before we go into the details, there are a few very important things to consider:
You must know what you are doing before you try to edit your site!
This is absolutely critical. Even attempting to make simple changes to text can have disastrous results if you aren't careful.
The thing that many people don't understand is this: The tools you use to edit your website are less important than the skills to use them. Many people make the mistake of asking "What tools do I need to edit my site?" when they should be asking "What skills do I need to edit my site?". Once you have the skills, choosing the correct tools is fairly easy and safe.
So before you even think about editing your own website, make sure you understand how your website is made, how it exists on the server and how people access it. For more information, see our Internet tutorials.
Do you really want to do this?
Making your own updates is a trade-off. It will often take you longer and might be more dangerous than having a professional do the job. On the other hand, it has some advantages such as being able to make changes whenever it suits you.
Think about the time and money you would spend on each option and make sure you choose the most beneficial one.
It takes time and effort
Managing your own website is very rewarding but it does take effort. Although you can learn to make simple alterations quite quickly, don't be deceived into thinking that website management is straightforward. The more you can learn about how websites work, the safer and more effective you will be.
Here's a point which we make repeatedly throughout our tutorials: The single best thing you can do to be more proficient at working with websites is to learn HTML!
Stay in synch
If more than one person is making changes to a site, make sure everyone knows what is happening. It is very easy to overwrite someone else's work.
If you are keen and confident about making your own updates, continue...
Next Page: Online Editing Tools