First Steps Towards Web Design

I am now taking my first steps towards a possible career on web design. I have recently updated my fathers British Horse Racing website, Runners and Riders, as well as my own Photography website, JPW Photography.

Friends have commented that my web design skills are coming along well, and today I took a look at the local competition, and I am confident that I can cater for small businesses and individuals that want something more than a basic blog. As I have become more confident with HTML and CSS, as well as basic web administration, in that I know my way around Apache servers and am familar with FTP, domain name registration and DNS, I see no reason why I should not take the leap forward and start to do this professionally. I still need to improve on my basic knowledge, as well as improve my core design skills, but my current skill base is increasing all the time.

My current skill base comprises of:

• HTML and CSS web pages
• Installation of MySQL/PHP content manament systems such as Drupal, Wordpress and Pligg.
• Use of PHP includes to build template based static HTML websites
• Knowledge of domain name registration
• Web hosting, and web hosting transfers
• SEO (search engine optimisation), basic website marketing and business (my wife studied a BA in Business with the Open University, and I picked up a lot of information while proof reading essays and discussing course material with her).
• Photography – essential for creating headers for small businesses
• Linux / Apache web servers – certainly no expert here, but I know my way around, can change permissions for database driven sites, back up and manage databases using PHPMyAdmin.

Well, that is probably covers it for now, but I feel that I have enough feathers in my hat to embark on a new career. So watch this space. I am still undecided if I shall use Webologist as the platform for my web design business, or buy a new dedicated domain. I feel that a new domain is probably required. Watch this space!