Creating a website is a natural process these days. All you have to do is use a website platform that allows you to set up a page in a matter of minutes. Wix.com, for example, advertises that you can create a page in less than a day or even just an hour or two if you apply yourself.
That’s because most web servers and online website creation companies allow you to merely drag-and-drop content onto your page quickly and easily. You can move objects around with ease, cut out content you don’t want, and much more with an easy click of a button. The minimalist-type style that is so popular right now has also added to the ease with which someone can create their site.
There is a downside to this process, however.
Whether you choose a minimalist website-building platform or any of the other tools that are available online today, these sites are all lacking something — the ability to use HTML to change the content. They also typically lack the ability to upload files quickly and easily manage all of your files. A good solution to this is deploying through Amazon s3.
In the old days, we created pages from scratch with HTML. Now HTML is almost viewed as an archaic language, but it’s essential to know that it is still the primary language of the internet. HTML stands for “Hypertext markup language.” It can be used for creating pages from scratch or inserting sections in your website. Having a page that is purely built from HTML may be too simplistic but having HTML sections  that you can add to your already preformatted template page can add a needed creative edge to your pages and site content.
HTML also allows you to be more creative with your page design and to insert special characters or JavaScript within your page’s content. You cannot do this with drag-and-drop. Some platforms do allow you to add HTML within a box where you can insert the language. However, this may be limited and the only true way to have total creativity and creative freedom is to code a page from scratch.
Unless you have the technology and build frames around the HTML, or create objects that will embed the HTML, you may end up with a page that is not as attractive or professional-looking as the pre-formatted templates. The templates are part of what makes many current websites attractive to visitors, so, as an eCommerce business owner, you have to find a balance between maintaining your creative freedom through HTML and using the pre-formatted templates that give your site a more polished look.
Many tools can help you create raw HTML within your page content without sacrificing the quality of the template you’re using.
Looking Back
Hardly anyone uses tools such as FrontPage anymore, which is an old program that was discontinued by Microsoft in 2006. But this tool did have its perks.
It allowed you to create a page, even offline from the FrontPage system, and then upload your content to your server later. Unfortunately, this was a meticulous process and could be quite confusing since there were so many directories, subdirectories, and files to deal with. No one would argue that online web creation tools are the best, especially if you want to create a beautiful professional-looking e-commerce site that has all of the amenities that customers are used to.
HTML Insertion Boxes
Check to see if your server allows you to insert HTML within some areas of your site to maintain creativity. Some of the creativity has to do with how you choose to arrange things on your end. Some templates offer more choice in this than others.
Regardless, a template is just that — a template, and it is limited in scope and in terms of how you can present the design, even the fonts or colors. Most of the time you can change the colors, especially color backgrounds or insert a picture rather than a solid background but your creativity is limited without HTML.
How to Manage and Control Your Content
Having an organizational system and knowing how you’re going to manage your page content, including images, pictures, videos, and other media is important too. There are a number of articles regarding tools on HTMLGoodies that will allow you to better organize your content, such the HTML Frames Tutorial tool and the Ad Banner Insertion tool here.
Cloud Storage Options
One of the challenges in designing and maintaining websites is the vast amount of data you have to handle. This includes the large number of files that you need to use on your server to keep your content fresh.
Having plenty of uploading options and exporting or importing file types will also save you a lot of time when you’re trying to manage the content on your website. You may not always want to have the same files on your website for people to view when they visit your site.
Example Scenarios
You may be a digital media company that offers delivery of files on your website or a photographer who is attempting to share your original photos with your viewers. You might even set up a payment processing center through an e-commerce tool to allow people to download your videos or photo content. Whatever the case, HTML allows you to decide how your files will operate, where they will be located on your page and more. By using HTML, you have the creativity to put these systems wherever you want them rather than where a template dictates.
Reality Check
Most of us started out the same way — learning HTML coding so that we could have pure, unadulterated and uninterrupted creative bliss. With time, other languages took precedence, and online platforms shot up like mushrooms.
You no longer had to code to make a page. You could practically wave a wand and your page appeared. However, don’t forget that HTML is still at the heart of web design. Even the modern apps that are being created use HTML5, HTML’s smarter second cousin, to create mobile applications that allow us to do a multitude of things.
That being said, pre-formatted templates are probably here to stay, and they can save an immense amount of time and money.
You can create a site that looks professional in a matter of minutes. Try that with HTML. Perhaps someday AI machines will code HTML pages for us but in the meantime, those of us who prefer to do it ourselves and not rely on some AI bot or super intelligence robot to do it, still like the option of adding HTML to our content.
Of course, being able to be creative through HTML depends on being able to command the language in the way you want. You also need the right solutions for storage.
Whether you’re creating a minimalist page on Wix or Shopify, setting up an e-commerce store or just picking up an essential business website for yourself or a client, you will need at least some working knowledge of HTML. It is a tool you will always use to some degree.
Be sure to read through some of the most recent articles found on HTMLGoodies for helpful tricks and tips and remember to use Amazon AWS for all of your file storage needs. It keeps things neat and tidy and as orderly as you can get with HTML projects!
About the Author
Catherrine Garcia is an experienced Web Developer at WPCodingDev and a passionate blogger. She loves to share her knowledge through her articles on web development and WordPress.
