How to Start a Website
Easy Web Design with Artisteer
WordPress and Joomla have become my staple content management systems. I start countless websites around these fantastic content management platforms, but I’m also always on the hunt for easy web design methods. The problem for me is that I don’t have time to focus much effort on the layout of my sites (and I absolutely loathe trying to create proper 3 column CSS theme by hand). Sometimes I’ll spend hours and hours trying to figure out how to properly set the middle column width. So frustrating!!
In attempts to speed up creation process when I start a website, I would scour the Internet for quality premium themes, but these would either not work as well as they looked or I would find myself knees deep in attempting to reverse engineer the code in order to “fix” something that didn’t look right to me. And for the amount of money I would spend on a premium theme, to find myself having to fiddle around with it made it difficult for me to justify premium themes for the websites I built. Uggh!
Then one day, on a whim, I decided to look at simplifying the web site layout process a little more with some tools. I tried several products, including some free layout generators and was never totally satisfied. I always had to tweak the theme’s code significantly in order to make it look better or to make it fit in my context and most of the time I still had to struggle with the background and icon graphics to make them work with the auto generated theme! Then I came across this little gem called Artisteer. And by “gem”, I really mean “awesome easy website layout generator”. This program is serious gold!
Artisteer is an awesome website theme and layout generator!
I don’t generally plug applications. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever plugged a program that wasn’t written by myself. But after using Artisteer for a while now, I just needed to share this with you. Whether a fan of Joomla, Worepress, Drupal or Blogger or you create static XHTML websites, If you would like to streamline your website design process, if you would like to simplify layout generation, if you would like to make stellar websites in a fraction of the time that you’re used to, do yourself a favor now and download a trial version of Artisteer. This program is seriously the most powerful web site layout tool in my website creation arsenal and I can guarantee that after just a few minutes of playing around with it, you will agree that Artisteer is the number one web design and theme layout tool available.
Artisteer is the number one web design and theme layout tool available!
One of the great things about Artisteer is its simplicity. I am absolutely dead serious that anyone can begin navigating around the Artisteer UI and within minutes find themselves moving forward with a custom blog theme or website layout with perfect CSS and XHTML. No training or programming knowledge required! Heck, you don’t even need to know what CSS and XHTML are!! And if you’re interested in the fine detail or a theme’s design, Artisteer provides access to every CSS attribute so you can customize your website layout until your heart is content. I like to think of this program as a simple interface on top of a complex engine. Try a different header? Click. Change the background? Click. Change the layout from 2 to 3 columns? Just one click is all that is needed. These changes would take hours with the typical theme generation approach. Artisteer is a radical approach to website layout generation. To me, Artisteer represents a new paradigm for web designers and bloggers.
But Artisteer isn’t just for website designers!! Not at all! With it’s simplicity and ease of use, I am confident that anyone looking to build a website has the ability to do so now with Artisteer. Don’t bother hiring a professional and paying thousands of dollars for a custom website for your business. Simply find a good hosting provider and start a website layout yourself in minutes with Artisteer. Yes, it is this easy!
Step 1:
Find a good website hosting provider. These days a good hosting provider is not at all difficult to find. I’m a big fan of Dreamhost. I have been using their shared hosting services for years now. For just dollars per month, they provide virtually unlimited everything – unlimited domains, unlimited space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email… And their support is top notch. Whenever I have ever had a problem (which has been extremely rare), opening a support ticket with Dreamhost was incredibly easy and I’d get a response to even low priority issues in no time at all! I love these guys at Dreamhost!
And if you’re interested in using Dreamhost, here’s a coupon code that will get you an additional $50 off your cost on a 1 or 2 year plan! That’s just $4.95 per month! No other hosting providers even compare, in my opinion.
Dreamhost Coupon Code: PLANETB
Step 2:
Chose a domain name. Go for a .com if possible. If not, try a .net or your own country code. For quick searches, I use a “whois” website such as http://www.v3whois.com/. It’s simple and light. Perhaps I’m just a minimalist at heart 
To register the domain, it’s just as easy as going to your Dreamhost account and clicking on “Register domain”. With the coupon code I gave you above, you actually get a free domain name registration through Dreamhost!
Step 3:
Setup Dreamhost hosting for the new domain. It’s as easy as going into your Dreamhost account and clicking on “Add Hosting”. Watch the quick video below to see just how easy it is.
Step 4:
Choose your content management system. If it’s a blog you’re creating, or a website that will have lots of content, I would definitely lean towards using WordPress. With a Dreamhost account, installing WordPress is as easy as clicking a button. Seriously! It is that easy!
Watch below as I add WordPress to http://www.automated-web-design.com !
Step 5:
Create your theme. Load up Artisteer and go to town on your theme design. Artisteer gives you the flexibility to allow you to do whatever you want with your theme. With Artisteer, your imagination truly is the limit. Keep the following points in mind though:
Step 6:
Once your theme is created, export it to WordPress format. Navigate your browser to your WordPress install. Login with your administrator account and click on the “Appearance” tab on the left menu. Upload your new theme. Done. That is all you need to do to get your own customized website layout!!
Artisteer Demonstration
To demonstrate these points, I’ve used Artisteer to design and build this very website you’re on now! Watch the video below to see me use the incredible application, to easily create a theme in minutes and export and import it into our WordPress installation.
Step 7:
Add the content. At this point, your website is complete and all you need to do is add your content! You can also add widgets and plugins to your WordPress installation to make your website a masterpiece. And whenever you’re bored with your current theme, just load up Artisteer again and modify it or create something brand new! Easy as can be!! I’m absolutely 100% serious that it is this easy!
What Are You Waiting For!?
If you’ve actually read this far, I have a single question for you – “what are you waiting for!?” The power that Dreamhost and Artisteer have, combined, is without question the smartest decision you will make with respect to building your own website. Hopefully with the above video tutorials I have demonstrated this and hopefully you are well equipped to jump into it and start a website yourself!
