Basic book on websites?

[eteb3]

Can anyone recommend a good basic introduction to websites?

Learning to DIY would be nice, but mostly I need enough knowledge to instruct developers and judge their work

Sorts of things I’d like to know:
- how registration, ownership and transfer of domain names works
- pros cons of different platforms
- how sites interface with dynamic databases
- SEO

 

[fisicx]

That’s not basics!

There used to be a websites for dummies book. Not sure if it still exists.

 

[Gecko001]

There used to be a lot of "For Dummies" books on the subject of websites about 15 to 20 years ago, but there are very few now. I found this one published in 2024 on the "For Dummies" own website, there could be more of these fairly recent publications if you search their website further:

Building DIY Websites For Dummies | dummmies

Build an attractive website without any coding. This Dummies guide provides insight on design, content creation, and improving search engine findability.

www.dummies.com

 

[YasmeenLondon]

Personally I prefer udemy courses, videos + instructions + a certification in the end beats a website for dummies book any day.

Search How the Internet Works & the Web Development Process on udemy, it's a great first step, then search Master Website Creation - 15 Website Platforms in 1 Course! (also udemy) which compares the various platforms, pros and cons and brief overview of them, finally, if you really want to have a 360 understanding of websites, google's training and tools are free and comprehensive (https://grow.google/intl/uk/courses-and-tools/) highly recommend the google digital garage one.

 

[antropy]

Here's a very brief overview:

Sorts of things I’d like to know:
- how registration, ownership and transfer of domain names works

You should register the domains yourself so that if anything goes wrong with your host or web developer, you still own those and you can point them away.

- pros cons of different platforms

Clearly I can't compare every platform with every other platform, but the things you should look for in my opinion are:

• Open source - meaning you can change the code and you won't get locked in to a provider.
• Simple - simple, clean code - a basic count of the number of files gives an idea.
• Fast - simple efficient code makes the platform fast.
• Features - it should have the ones you need and not too many others ideally.
  

- how sites interface with dynamic databases

You don't really need to know that unless you're a developer.

- SEO

A huge subject - you should find and read a basic book or guide on it.

Paul.

 

[eteb3]

Thanks all for these suggestions - very helpful.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Instruct developers on what you want the site to do, not how it is built.

Sure, it is handy understanding the details, however, a poor brief will cause more issues than anything.

Also, understanding HTML is different to understanding Wordpress or Joomla.

 

[eteb3]

Instruct developers on what you want the site to do, not how it is built.

Sure, it is handy understanding the details, however, a poor brief will cause more issues than anything.

I think this is a fair suggestion, and I definitely wouldn’t want to micromanage, or why pay an expert?

But I think to make trade offs the client needs some insight into the tech so they at least understand how those trade offs are being described.

The alternative is to give the dev fiduciary duties! And even then you couldn’t easily say when they’d breached them

 

[Shopclicks]

But I think to make trade offs the client needs some insight into the tech so they at least understand how those trade offs are being described.

You don't need to learn how to build websites. You need to learn to ask the right questions.

Look closely at their portfolio.
How flexible is their design style?
How are those sites performing on Google?
Are their sites fast loading?
Look at visitor numbers compared to competitors.
Ask for provable stats.
Ask if you can talk to past clients.

You don't need knowledge, you need trust. You only have past performance to work with.

If you knew enough to 'judge' a developer without looking at history, you'd build your own website.

 

[Peter Morris]

That’s not basics!

There used to be a websites for dummies book. Not sure if it still exists.

True! That’s definitely not “basics.” I remember those Websites for Dummies books too—they were everywhere back in the day. Not sure if they’re still around, but the idea of breaking things down simply is timeless. These days it feels like tutorials and YouTube channels have kind of taken over that role.

Sometimes I miss those straightforward guides, you’d just grab a book, follow step‑by‑step, and feel like you were leveling up without drowning in endless tabs.