I thought I knew what I was doing.

Where to start?

[AndrewHill]

Hi all.
So, I'm a new face around here. I'm in the process of setting up a lettings agency in the UK and I'm having a website made for me which will be all set up, including SEO (I almost wrote here what SEO stood for, as if anybody reading wouldn't know).
Now, I know what SEO is for but I'm not sure what factors are taken into consideration in regards to SEO. Is it just the metadata? What kinds of metadata are their?

Long story short, I have no idea of what I am doing.

I thought I knew enough about websites to be getting on with to create my own website or let alone manage one that has been created for me but then I stumbled across this forum and suddenly it dawned on me that there is a lot more than just HTML (the last experience I had with HTML was on Dreamweaver MX back around 2008, I'd have been around thirteen years old; I'm 24 now) and CSS (which I'm not quite sure how it in any way differs from HTML). There's also php (which I've been told has something to do with Python programming language but other than that...)

Times have clearly changed. Mind you, being only 13 when I learned about websites, I wouldn't have been aware as to whether or not the backend of websites (like metadata ... That's backend, right?) existed beyond web design (I remember <marquee>message</marquee> was very popular), website and page titles and descriptions. I'm really unqualified to say times have changed. I guess you could say my time is just beginning (in terms of webmastery).

So, I'd really appreciate some help.

Do you guys have any recommendations as to what should I be learning first?

Also, what languages are used in website building? How are they integrated if multiple languages are being used?

What's the difference between HTML, php and CSS? (I use lower-case for php because I see it as ".php" at the end of some urls... should it be "PHP"?

What's HTML5 and what happened to HTML1,2,3 and 4?

What's metadata? What else is there that might be useful to know in regards to SEO?

Where do I start?


Cheers.

[keyplyr]

Hi AndrewHill and welcome to WebmasterWorld [webmasterworld.com]

Do you guys have any recommendations as to what should I be learning first?

You're in the right place. Just start reading. WebmasterWorld is a vast archive of knowledge.

[topr8]

welcome to WebmasterWorld.

first off (someone's got to tell you) ... you have virtually zero chance of ranking a lettings agency website in the uk ... unless you start learning very quickly indeed or unless you employ somebody who knows what they are doing.

irrespective of the website, the most important thing you need to do is get yourself a google account and a google plus page (for your business, not yourself, don't confuse the two) ... this will enable you to get on google maps, also get yourself on bing maps and mapquest.

go to [google.com...] and set yourself up with a search console. do the equivalent with bing.

>> I'm having a website made for me which will be all set up, including SEO

there is no such thing as having SEO 'set up', SEO is a longterm process, not something you set up.

>>Do you guys have any recommendations as to what should I be learning first?

depends, do you want to focus on being a letting agent or do you want to develop web skills?

>>Also, what languages are used in website building? How are they integrated if multiple languages are being used?

most 'small' people these days would use php, this is because it is open source and there are no licensing fees, thus servers/hosting is cheaper.
some would say other languages are better, but php is almost ubiquitous, so help is always at hand. also for a beginner, it is very easy to get up and running.
(actually most people probably use word press - which uses php - but that is a whole other question)

>>What's the difference between HTML, php and CSS? (I use lower-case for php because I see it as ".php" at the end of some urls... should it be "PHP"?

HTML ... is a scripting language, that is interpreted by a browser and served as pages to the user - every website is made up of html pages (ignore pedantic exceptions)
CSS ... is a way of styling - eg. laying out the pages in an attractive manner, changes fonts, positions items on the page etc ... a lot of people these days don't use css directly but use a framework (a pre made system of ready created styles), of which bootstrap is the most famous, but there are many others, there are also plenty of good reasons to use a framework and just as many arguments against. bottom line it is much easier to use a framework.
PHP ... is one of many server side 'languages', pages, if they never change can be stored on the server as html (no server side language required), however most pages change continuously, for instance, as a lettings agency you will have new listings all the time, and old listings that are no longer available. most sites with changeable data, store this data in a database. generally, on the server a file queries the database, gets the info it requires, does a bunch of manipulation and then writes an html page 'on the fly' which it sends to the user. any server side language can do this, php is probably the most common.

>>What's HTML5 and what happened to HTML1,2,3 and 4?

who cares, HTML has changed as time has gone on ..the current version is 5, what has gone before is of no consiquence. HTML is the language of the web, a web browser needs to be served a html page in order to show it to the user.

>>What's metadata?

i suspect the person who has built your website has told you that metadata is the keywords and description tag in your html pages.
the keywords tag is a waste of time and has been for many, many years.
the description tag is useful but has no relevance on search engine ranking.

there are other forms of meta data, that are much more advanced, which may be a factor in ranking, such as Microformats, Microdata and RDF's ... but these are concepts several steps ahead of where you are right now... there is plenty of info about themon WebmasterWorld if you want to learn.

>>What else is there that might be useful to know in regards to SEO?

WebmasterWorld is a great resource, i'd start reading, there is a lot of info and pointers here. There is so much stuff to know, i couldn't begin to list it.

[lucy24]

Also, how do I edit posts once i've posted them?

You have about an hour before the post is locked. After that, you have to select Report Message on the “Msg#” dropdown and tell the moderators what typo to fix. This is always embarrassing, but they're used to it. (Guess how I know.) It also helps to Preview many, many times before clicking Submit.

[NickMNS]

HTML ... is a scripting language

Hyper Text Markup Language - It is not a scripting language. It serves to markup a document such that a web-browser can interpret it.
CSS - Cascacding Style Sheet, and is used to style the marked up elements in the HTML.
PHP - PHP is a scripting language used to write scripts for the server to execute to serve the pages, such as inject elements into a page or send queries to the Database. Python is not PHP. Python is its own language. PHP is limited in scope and is used almost exclusively for web applications, whereas Python is a powerful high level programming language that is used in wide a range of application including data science, machine learning, and web application. It is easy to learn and extremely powerful. If all you want to do is create a web-page then PHP is sufficient, if you have grand aspiration or delusions then it is probably worth learning Python.
Then there is also Javascript or JS. The language is or will be essential to learn or at least be familiar with moving forward into the modern web. It is client side scripting language that is used to execute code on the user's computer. There are many different frameworks such as jQuery, Angular, React, Node and on and on. The exact one to choose will depend on your goals.
Also lets not forget servers software such as Apache, NginX and others.
Databases, SQL and NoSQL. SQL being the most common, Structured Query Language, this arranges data in pre-defined simply structured tables (rows and columns), all your data needs to be neat and orderly and a single query may need to join multiple queries. Alternatively No-SQL use key value pairs, that {"item no" : "3", "item name": "widget", "item color": "blue"} This allows for more flexibility in how your data is laid out and accessed making very fast.

But all this is moot. In your situation, unless your are planning on becoming a full blown web-developer. Your best bet is to learn how to use a CMS Content Management System, such as Wordpress. A CMS is system that allows you to create web-pages and whole through a simple an easy to use suer interface. This allows you to focus on creating and organizing content without worrying about what is happening in the background. Anything you need that is not included in the basic set-up is likely available in the form of a plug-in.

[keyplyr]

PHP = Personal Home Page

[TorontoBoy]

It looks like you need a crash course in web site tools, standards and development. I started Wordpress dev in 2008. There is a lot of information on the web for all these topics. No matter how generous any single poster is here on WW, there is a lot more, well explained, information out there. The world is your playground. There are online courses, Youtube vids and more. Come back for much more directed questions.

[topr8]

html - yes absolutely, sorry, mark up language ...i was writing in a hurry.

[lucy24]

Calling something a language doesn't make it a language :(

HTML: the building blocks of a page. Paragraphs, tables, lists, headings, images and so on.
CSS: what you want all those things to look like. Size, spacing, borders, alignment, indentation, colors. You can theoretically do all of this within the HTML, but it's horrible and clunky and retro and wasteful and repetitive.
PHP and other languages: can be used to generate the HTML and CSS. Look at the raw source of any web page--which you should definitely make a habit of doing, because it's educational--you should* not be able to tell whether the page was hard-coded or generated by a programming language. (The page extension, such as .htm or .php or .asp, isn't necessarily truthful.) When you use a Content Management System such as WordPress, they're doing it all for you.


* “Should” is prescriptive, not descriptive. If you look at a page's HTML and there are eleven stylesheets, it's a CMS.

[tangor]

The web (when you were 13) worked one way. Today (at 24) it has been supercharged. But it still works the same way.

Site Dev and Presentation.
Site discovery and SERP.
After Landing Action.

HTML remainsl the basic presentation, generated or static, CSS makes it look pretty, scripting makes it interactive (this was not that common when you were 13). Getting discovered and listed is harder than ever as the web is many magnitudes larger than when you were 13, we don't say billions of pages these days, we use the t word (trillions). So the signal-to-noise ratio is incredibly significant (even if localized to UK).

FORTUNATELY, you have complete control of the After Landing result. Be better than the rest, have what the user wants. Give excellent service/follow up if product or service. THAT part you are in charge, all the rest above is a krap shoot.

SEO, these days, probably means "just don't do something stupid", which is not an anagram. The old rules still apply: build good content, keep the user satisfied, and deliver satisfaction. What has changed is the number of routes to USERS has been reduced to a few tech giants and that is where the game is being played right now.

It can be done! Go for it! For some niches use reasonable expectations (in your case use lowered expectations due to the niche). That web site is still important; however, no matter what.

Good luck!

[graeme_p]

Also, what languages are used in website building?

Lots, and lots on the server. PHP is popular around here, I use Python, Ruby is pretty popular as is Java, Javascript (originally developed to run in browsers but now also used by some people on servers), Those are just widely used ones that come to mind - there are lots more.

What's HTML5 and what happened to HTML1,2,3 and 4?

If you want the history, Google specifically for that. In terms of what you should do, just use HTML5.

One comment on SEO: there are a lot of people out there who offer SEO services that will do more harm than good (a temporary boost and then a collapse because you look spammy to Google, lots of low quality visitor). There is a lot of good advicee on the topic on past posts here.

[AndrewHill]

Hi chaps. Some really fantastic replies. I think I'm going to stick to a content management system rather than full blown webmastery, however, I'm certainly going to develop it as a hobby.

Just to clarify, when I say "SEO will be set up", from the initial set up, I'm on my own.

[ipco]

You said

I'm having a website made for me which will be all set up,

then you said

I'm on my own.

If the first is true then make sure you have control of everything:
All accounts should be set up by you/in your name and not the account of your developer.
Can you download the code if you need to change hosts or employ a different developer.
Keep copies of backups locally.
Don't end up in a situation where you are held hostage.

[piatkow]

Stripped down to its basics SEO simply means designing your site so that a search engine will see it as relevant to a users query.

Have you got all the information about properties structured in a way that searches will recognise? Google is much better at synonyms that it used to be but you don't want property excluded because you haven't described things consistently in terms that real people use.

[tangor]

^^^ excellent reminder of what SEO should be about!