Website Code

How much computer code do you need to know to maintain a website? The answer is zero. Most website setups are so user friendly that your need to know computer program coding is virtually none existent; however, being able to use HTML code usually means that over the long run you’ll pay a whole lot less for your web presents in what I call extra assistance cost especially if it turns out you are not really happy with your website setup. Or, if you’re like me, not really sure about what type setup you want until after you're setup and running.

In the land of computers and the Internet, especially where maintaining a web presents for yourself, your company, or organization is concerned you pay for what you don't know. That has been my experience anyway. Even a free website over time has the potential of costing you some money; because without the ability to understand some computer coding you could end up paying someone to make adjustments and maintain your website, where understanding computer coding is concerned.

The good news is, just like free websites, there are places on the Internet that will teach you, for free, HTML computer coding. One of them is a place called w3schools.com. They offer free tutorials on HTML, PHP, and CSS to name a few. 

I have logged on and learned from web3 schools (w3schools.com) with the only investment being some of my time. They do offer a certification program that cost almost a hundred bucks and lets you walk away with a certification certificate, but if all you are looking for is information to learn or grow your knowledge of basic HTML code a little of your time is all that their tutorials will cost.

Free websites are fine if you can be happy with the template(s) they offer and there is enough tech support (hopefully of the 24/7 variety) to help you over any potential SEO rough spots. Search Engine Optimization, and SEO counter measures can be tricky for anyone without HTML coding experience.  So if your paid website, or free website, comes with easy to operate instructions that you feel you can handle, and if you can be happy with their basic setup, in these cases your website provider covers your basic business SEO website needs and you're good to go.

If on the other hand you have the desire to find out a little about coding, and perhaps do a little communicating with the computer HTML style be cautious but don’t be afraid to try understanding HTML code and be aware that there are places out there in cyberspace, on YouTube, willing to help you gain, or grow an understanding of HTML coding without the need to register for a formal computer coding class, which by the way would also not be a bad idea depending on your work, school, or life style situation.

For me it was easier to simply do a little learning online when there was a break from work, or many of my other daily chores I do online each day. For those who read this and think----no computer -coding for me, no way, no how! You are still safe in today's drag and drop user friendly world of website building and operation. But websites require maintenance and tuneups to keep up with the ever growing array of cellphone, tablet, and space aged watches being released on the market, gone are the days when all a website owner worried about was to make their website content looked good on a computer or laptop screen. 

The little computer coding I have been able to learn from w3schools, and from posing an occasional question on YouTube, has taught me a lot. I had to smile the other day when I added an affiliate ad to one of my sites and it didn’t line up right. I knew just where to grab the piece of code from to center the ad perfectly.  A  year or so ago I would have had to live with with that little imperfection (the misaligned ad) or pay someone to fix it for me. I don’t consider myself, by and stretch of the imagination, a pro programmer because of the little HTML tricks I have learned but I am a little excited about being able to work with HTML code and anxious to add to the little coding smarts I have.

I guess the beautiful thing about computer coding now-days is that you have a choice, meaning whether you know coding or not you can still enjoy your own website, and there are many knowledgeable people out there willing and able to help you with your coding questions, for little to know compensation.  If you decide to take the plunge and start learning a little about how HTML works then you will soon see that there are several different forms of coding related to your websites in general. There are even different flavors of HTML code. I wish I could do a better job of explaining the process to you, but as I said I'm still learning.

Being able to writer, or understand the coding that makes your website work can be very helpful but since most of the online technical places I visited, when trying to understand SEO, all seemed to assume that anyone looking for SEO information, in this case me looking for H1 tags and meta data, knew and understood the art of HTML, and I did not, not until now anyway. I had always operated drag and drop, and ready to go websites that required no HTML experience.

But now I'm on a mission to understand the illusive collection of characters that drive my computer/website. I hope you will make learning HTML an adventure too. Just remember that with or without the knowledge of HTML your website is safe---from you, just make sure you keep your website date backed up if you do decide to go HTMLing, a lesson learned, that I now pass on to you.