As a professional musician, I'm looking to create a website to promote my upcoming events, share my music, provide lesson content, and manage event bookings. I also want to include a way for people to tip me, such as a QR code at gigs. I see potential for a side hustle helping local businesses and groups with their websites, as there seems to be a strong need for that.
I have some basic programming skills, especially in C++, and I've made a couple of simple games. However, I'm not above hobbyist level. I'm passionate and driven, and I'm drawn to the artistry of web design, but I know it can be more challenging than it appears!
If I set aside 20+ hours to get really interested initially, followed by a couple of hours a week to dedicate to this, should I learn WordPress, or should I dive into a more development-heavy framework? What downsides might I encounter with either option?
3 Answers
I hear you! WordPress is a solid choice. It's user-friendly and can handle what you're trying to do without needing tons of coding experience. That's a plus for creating functional sites quickly, and if you might end up working with local businesses, knowing WordPress is invaluable. Just remember, it can get pretty complicated with plugins, and performance can suffer if you're not careful. If you want to grow your coding skills, it might be limiting compared to other frameworks, but it can also be a good start depending on your goals. If it's more of a hobby, you could also start simple with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before jumping into something more complex.
If it's just one site you're building, no-code platforms like Squarespace or Wix would probably be the easiest. They allow you to create something nice without needing to learn a full coding language. But if you're curious about web development in general, considering a programming language could be a great long-term investment into your skills!
Thanks, that seems like a good approach. Any suggestions for where to start learning?
Honestly, if you want a quick and effective website, Squarespace might be your best bet. You could build something awesome with frameworks like Astro and host it for free, but it's a commitment that requires a lot of learning. If your main goal is really just to get something up fast and stress-free, Squarespace is the way to go! But if you're genuinely interested in web development for fun, consider exploring Astro and Cloudflare Pages after you've established your site.
Thanks! I think getting a quick site up sounds great, and then I could learn more about web development later to revamp it.
I totally get that! I want this to be a fun learning experience for me, so maybe starting with something simpler might be the right approach.