Chapter 2. Creating Your First Page

Web pages are the basic unit of a Web site, and every Web site is a collection of one or more pages. The ideal Web page contains enough information to fill the width of a browser window, but not so much that readers need to scroll from morning until lunchtime to get to the page's end. In other words, the ideal page strikes a balance—it avoids the lonely feeling caused by too much white space, and the stress induced by an avalanche of information.

The best way to get a handle on what a Web page should hold is to look at your favorite sites. A news site like www.nytimes.com displays every news article on a separate page (and subdivides longer stories into several pages). At an e-commerce shop like www.amazon.com, every product has its own page. Similarly, a personal Web site like www.MyUndyingLoveForPigTrotters.com may be divided into separate Web pages with titles like "About Me," "Vacation Photos," "Résumé," and "Top Secret Recipes for Pig Parts."