So, You Want to Build a Website? Let’s Talk.
Haaaa… a website. So many people are intrigued by the idea of building one—and rightfully so. In today’s digital world, having a website isn’t just a nice extra; it’s almost essential, especially for businesses trying to thrive online.
Whether it’s a blog, a product landing page, a personal portfolio, or a full-blown business site, understanding how a website works can make the entire process much smoother and less intimidating.
This is a topic I’m genuinely passionate about. I know a lot of people out there are eager to get clarity on where to begin. “Web development,” as the tech world calls it, can sound overwhelming. But don’t worry—in this post, I’m sharing my personal experience building my own website, and breaking things down in a way that’s simple, relatable, and hopefully helpful.
My First Website: Why I Chose to Code It Myself
As a junior coder, I was eager to learn a new skill that could boost my Upwork profile and open more doors professionally. On January 4th, I decided to dive into web development—a skill that not only excited me, but also felt practical and future-proof.
I began with freeCodeCamp's interactive web development course. It took me about three months to complete, which, in my personal estimation, felt a bit slow—hehe... But looking back, that time was incredibly valuable. Every line of code, every lesson, helped me build real confidence.
Along the way, I realized I wanted to put my new skills to the test by building a personal portfolio website—something I could eventually showcase on my Upwork account. It took me about two weeks to come up with a design and bring it to life through code.
Yes, I know—there are tools out there that can make this process easier. Tools like WordPress, BlueGriffon, and various drag-and-drop website builders. And don’t get me wrong—those are great! I’ll talk more about them in a future post. But for this project, I wanted to sweat a little. I wanted to feel the grind of building something from scratch, outside the freeCodeCamp sandbox. And to be honest—it was incredibly fulfilling.
Once the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript were ready, I deployed the site using Netlify, a fantastic platform that handled the hosting for me. The result? A simple, clean portfolio site that allows visitors to submit their name, phone number, and contact message directly to me.
Now, some seasoned developers or tech-savvy folks might laugh—“You wrote code for a portfolio site? That’s overkill!” But I was fully aware of the simpler options. I just didn’t want to skip the experience. I didn’t want to outsource the learning. I wanted to know what it really felt like to build something meaningful, on my own terms.
In the end, I believe it all comes down to personal goals and preferences. If you’re short on time or just need something functional fast, drag-and-drop tools are amazing. But if you’re learning—or you want full control—writing your own code can be incredibly rewarding.
💬 Interested in how web hosting actually works behind the scenes?
Drop a comment—I’d be more than happy to write a detailed post explaining it all.
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