I have a question about website layout. Why do some websites only use up the center portion of the screen and leave lots of empty space to the left and to the right of all the content?
A few websites I have seen take up the entire screen which is kind of how I would like mine to look so I need to know what makes the difference? It is the hosting site you choose?
I currently have a domain name thru godaddy but no hosting service.
Any advice you can give me to get started would be greatly appreciated!!

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Karen
:daisy:

Hi Karen,

It is the (X)HTML/CSS coding behind the scenes that does this. You might see "template-driven" sites that are basically a box centered in the middle of the page at a specific width (most generally using tables [which I don't recommend]). Using (X)HTML and CSS you can design sites that let you think outside the box, so to speak.

I use BlueHost for all my domains and hosting, so I'm not limited to templates and use HTML/CSS for my sites (well, except for my new VA site which I am using WordPress - but (X)HTML/CSS are still behind it, not tables ).

Gosh...did I answer your question?

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Jules, SunRise Virtual Solutions - WordPress Customization & XHTML/CSS Web Sites

Thank you Jules. I had a feeling that a template had something to do with it. Since I am new at this I was probably going to need to use a template but maybe I just need to learn about HTML and CSS. I am leaning toward bluehost too as I have seen many recommendations for it on the forums.
Thanks for the explanation - I appreciate it!

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Karen
:daisy:

Isn't it also true that many people don't have wide screens, so if you limit the width of the webpage, you're making it visible to more people?

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

Originally Posted by virtual writing

Isn't it also true that many people don't have wide screens, so if you limit the width of the webpage, you're making it visible to more people?

Mary, you can actually use a "liquid" layout that widens with the width of the screen (most aren't as concerned with height because you can scroll vertically much easier than horizontally). You should set a max width, though. Some of the really wide screens might still see some outside area. I think the most used screen size is 1024x768, but you can use a liquid layout that stretches well for any resolution, from 800x600 (min) to 1280x1024 (max).

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Jules, SunRise Virtual Solutions - WordPress Customization & XHTML/CSS Web Sites

Verrrrry interesting, Jules! My 'something new' I've learned today. Time to catch up on web design.

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Mary H. Ruth/Virtual Writing & Communications
http://www.writingVA.com

Jules - I may be seeking more advice from you soon! You seem to know your way around website design! Thank you!

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Karen
:daisy:

Originally Posted by txbestva

Jules - I may be seeking more advice from you soon! You seem to know your way around website design! Thank you!

You're very welcome. If I can be of any help at all please don't hesitate to contact me, Karen. Not saying I'm a total expert at web design, but I do have quite a bit of experience under my belt. Plus, I love what I do, and I always make room to learn, learn, learn!

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Jules, SunRise Virtual Solutions - WordPress Customization & XHTML/CSS Web Sites