{
  "id": 3226193,
  "title": "How to Create a Website for Beginners",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/how-to-create-a-website-for-beginners",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-25T08:29:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/cristian_marinescu/how-to-create-a-website-for-beginners-2ghh"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Creating a website from scratch might seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. The core of any website is built using HTML, CSS, and basic JavaScript. Frameworks like React, drag-and-drop builders, or template dependencies are not necessary for beginners and can actually complicate the process. Fortunately, there are plenty of free resources available that make learning web development straightforward. One such resource I highly recommend is developer.mozilla.org, an easy-to-use platform filled with helpful information.\n\nFor managing your website, a static site generator proves invaluable. I personally choose Eleventy, a tool that provides full control over your project's output while ensuring fast builds and even faster websites. I've created my own Eleventy starter kit (https://github.com/cristianvmac/Eleventy-Starter) that is minimal, well-organized, and gets you a functional site up and running in just seconds.\n\nTo get started, first clone and install the necessary files. You can do this by running `git clone repo-url` followed by `npm install`. Once installed, you can start the development server with `npm start`, which will give you a live preview at http://localhost:8080 along with a local CMS at /admin.\n\nCustomizing the site's appearance is easy. Fill in the global data in `src/_data/client.js` with your site name, email, social media links, and domain. Update the design by changing CSS variables in `src/assets/css/root.css` to adjust colors, fonts, and spacing. Create new pages using `npm run create-page -- Page Name`, or simply add an .html or .md file in `src/content/pages/`. Add content for blog posts in `src/content/blog/`, or use the CMS at /admin for added convenience (no coding required).\n\nIncorporate images with the {% image %} shortcode within templates, which automatically generates responsive WebP and JPEG versions. Add interactivity by writing plain JavaScript in `src/assets/js/main.js`. No frameworks or libraries are required, so your code remains simple and straightforward. Finally, build your site for production using `npm run build`, which will generate a `public/` folder containing all the static files.\n\nDeployment is straightforward as well. Push your changes to GitHub and let Netlify automatically detect the settings. Your website will be live in no time. If you prefer a simpler setup, you can remove the CMS by running `npm run remove-decap` or keep things minimal with `npm run remove-demo`. With Eleventy, you're writing real HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and you're not locked into any specific platform or no-code solutions. Eleventy makes it faster and easier to manage your website, all while keeping the underlying code completely free from your first line of code to your live deployment on Netlify's standard free tier.",
  "summary": "Every website should be built from HTML, CSS and basic JS for interactivity. No need for frameworks like React, drag-and-drop builders, or template dependencies. Using basic web development is enough to create a good website and useful for you. You need to have some knowledge about it which is quite easy nowadays because of the free resources available. One resource I always recommend is…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}