FAQ

This page is work in progress! For specific coding questions, please read my common coding questions page!

How did you make this website?

I learned HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Then I sat down and just... made it. Then I uploaded it to Neocities. That's it!

To help me out I used webpack and the static site generator eleventy.

I'll make a more in-depth guide at some point...

How did you learn HTML/CSS/...?

It's been so long I genuinely don't remember, but I know I finally got better at it when I had an actual project to work on. For me this was making tumblr themes back in 2016. Also, I went to a technical highschool at the time in which I learned programming (not the stuff I needed for web development unfortunately), which helped me grasp JavaScript quicker than others who have no experience programming.

If you ask me, the best way to learn web development is to start with HTML and CSS tutorials that cover the basics. Most people on the indie web immediately start with their website and then ask questions like "How can I change the color of this?" or "How do I make this layout?". Don't be that person. A tutorial will teach you the basics so you know where to start, and then you can use google to learn the rest as it comes up. For learning JavaScript I highly recommend waiting until you're confident in HTML and CSS and then using an interactive(!) tutorial to learn it.

Check out my self-study checklist for things you might have missed when teaching yourself coding.

How long did this website take you?

Short answer: long.

Long answer: I started making this website in February of 2024 and worked on it for multile hours a day for about a month until I was done with the first version. Since then, I've probably put that same amount of work in 2-3 more times, but not all at once; I update it quite frequently, and currently spend about 1-2 hours a week on it unless I'm working on something bigger. Not all of the work I put into it is just coding: a big part of it is writing the content (especially coding tutorials, which take really long to make). I also spend some time finding graphics, engaging with the community, joining webrings/fanlisting, etc.

I'm glad I have the free time for a hobby like this (being a uni student), so if you don't, don't worry: You don't need to put this time into your website. My site is quite large and therefore took a long time, but if you have a smaller site you can make a first version in just a few days!

How can I make my website so pretty too?

Graphics, graphics, graphics! Check my credits and bookmarks pages to see where I get images from.

Experimenting with different fonts can help a lot too! Try not to use one of the default web fonts if you want your website to have a unique feel.

Other than that, just trial-and-error! I've never been good at graphic/web design, and I think it shows when you look at the first version of this website. But I kept working on it, trying out different colors and layouts, until I was happy!

Try not to compare your website with others you see. I frequently do this and always want to scrap my entire site and start anew because everyone else's is so much prettier, argh! Something that helps with this is to keep it fresh, i.e. make small changes like colors, fonts, graphics.

How do I get people to visit my website?

If you keep updating your website and engaging in the indie web community more and more people will visit your website.

Other than that, here are some specific things that I did that helped with getting the word about my website out there (ordered roughly by importance):

• I have a lot of content, including many resources such as links, coding tutorials and a layout generator.
• I try to update my website every few days at least. (This is good for Neocities' algorithm for the "Special Sauce" suggestions on the homempage)
• I joined several webrings and fanlistings.
• I made cliques that other people can join, which link back to my website.
• I post about my website on tumblr.
• I joined Dimden's NavLink Ads (see my sidebar).

Can I get inspired by / copy your code?

Feel free to get inspired by my code or learn new things from it, but please don't outright copy passages of code or my design. Use your own discretion for this, and ask me if you're not sure.