This page is your launchpad! Everything you need to begin crafting your own personal corner of the web lives right here; from tools and guidance to creative sparks that will help you bring your vision to life. Feel free to use the table of contents below to help you more easily find what you’re looking for.
Lastly, if you find this page valuable, don’t forget to bookmark it so you can return to it later!
Table of Contents
Beginning Your Web Mastery Journey.
DEFINITION: Web Mastery refers to the skill and expertise in creating, managing, designing, and optimizing websites. When you create your own website, you become a Web Master.
Becoming a Web Master is an incredibly empowering journey! Whether you’ve chosen this path to break free from corporate control, big tech’s privacy invasive web culture, or simply just want to create a space that is fun and personal for you; becoming a Web Master gives you the freedom to create on your own terms, color outside the box, and create a space that’s as weird, wonderful, and as unique as you are!
Web Hosting
The first thing you’ll need to get your personal website online is a website host — essentially, a space where your website’s files, images, and code will “live” so others can access them on the internet. Think of it as your website’s home.
There are several different ways to host a website, and the method you choose will depend on your comfort level with technology, your creative goals, and how much control you want over your site.
Managed Hosting Platforms
These are services that handle most of the technical setup for you. You just sign up, pick a template or upload your files, and you’re good to go. They’re great for beginners who want to focus on content and design without worrying about servers or code — but they often come with limitations and paywalls on customization, and may not give you full ownership of your data.
If Managed Hosting sounds like your jam, here are some popular platforms to help get you started.
► [*]This is an affiliate link! I only recommend products or services I personally use or truly believe are reputable and helpful. Should you choose to make a purchase using my affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps cover my own website’s hosting costs, so thank you to anyone who chooses to support me in this way!
WordPress
► [*]This is an affiliate link! I only recommend products or services I personally use or truly believe are reputable and helpful. Should you choose to make a purchase using my affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps cover my own website’s hosting costs, so thank you to anyone who chooses to support me in this way!
Carrd
► Wix
► MMM.page
► Straw.page
► Hotglue
Self-Hosted Solutions
This gives you more control and flexibility. You rent space from a web host and upload your site files, often using tools like cPanel, FTP, or a CMS like WordPress.org. This method requires a bit more technical setup, but it gives you greater freedom, especially if you want to build something custom or use your own domain name without restrictions.
Self-Hosted Solutions is the path I personally chose for myself and highly recommend it. It’s given me flexibility, freedom, and control over my own website, and also a security blanket. I don’t know how many times I’ve nearly wiped my entire website and my hosting provider has always come to the rescue to fix it. They won’t do everything for you, but a good hosting provider will hold your hand and guide you in the right direction. If you’re a seasoned beginner or intermediate at website development, this is a great option.
► [*]This is an affiliate link! I only recommend products or services I personally use or truly believe are reputable and helpful. Should you choose to make a purchase using my affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps cover my own website’s hosting costs, so thank you to anyone who chooses to support me in this way! Hostinger
This is the hosting provider I use. I’ve been with them for 5+ years, best customer service, highly recommend. Hostinger has their own website builder, as well as a WordPress installation setup (what I use).
Static Hosting
If your site is made with simple HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — no backend or databases — you can host it for free using services like GitHub Pages, Netlify, or Cloudflare Pages. These platforms are fast, reliable, and often used by coders or minimalist creators. You may need to learn how to use Git or drag-and-drop upload tools, but once you’re familiar, it’s one of the most empowering (and affordable) ways to host a site.
If you’re reading to get your hands dirty and code a static website from scratch, here are some reputable static hosting providers.
► Neocities
► Nekoweb
► Marigold Town
► Leprd
► Teacake
► Ichi
► Codeberg Pages
► Github Pages
Self-Hosting at Home
For the ultra-sovereign route, you can even host your website on your own hardware — like a Raspberry Pi or a spare computer. This gives you complete control, but it requires technical know-how and consistent internet uptime. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a powerful choice for those who value digital independence and want to learn how the web really works.
Whichever method you choose, the most important thing is this: your site is yours. Hosting is just the foundation — what you build on it is entirely up to you.
If you’re interested in getting started with hosting a static html website from home, or even a wordress website from home, check out the following links to get started.
► Guide to Self Hosting
This is the first thing you’re going to want to do before setting up anything else.
► Simple Port Forwarding Guide
Port forwarding comes up briefly in the previous guide but doesn’t go into much detail. This guide will give you a bit more direction on how to access your port forwarding settings. Once you’ve successfully accessed your port forwarding settings, continue following the instructions in the first guide.
► LocalWP
LocalWP is a super easy solution if you want to first develop and preview your WordPress site before you put it online for the world to see.
► Visual Studio Code
If you intend to code your website from scratch and create a static website, I highly recommend using Visual Studio Code. It’s fantastic for programming in a variety of different languages and even has a preview mode so you can easily see how your code functions live.
Domain Names
Depending on which web hosting route you’ve chosen to go with, you may or may not need to purchase a domain name. A domain name is your website’s address. It is the URL people will type in their browser to go to your website (ex. my domain name is thecozy.cat).
With many managed hosting platforms and static hosting platforms, users often will receive a free subdomain to host their website, saving you the cost of having to purchase one. However, if you choose to self host, whether that be via renting from a hosting provider or choosing to self-host from home, you will likely need to purchase a domain name. Hosting providers often come with promotional offers that bundle a domain into a deal with their hosting plans. This is great and saves you from having to purchase one separately. If they do not, however, or you choose to self host from home, you will need to purchase a domain from a reputable registrar.
Luckily, I have already done the leg work for you. Below are some highly praised, reputable domain registrars to help you get started.
Building Your Website.
Foundational Resources for Static Web Building
Now that you’ve chosen your web hosting and domain name, it’s time to start actually building your website! If you’ve chosen to build a static website (as opposed to using a CMS such as wordpress, or a drag-and-drop website builder) you’re probably going to want to learn how to code a little bit! Learning to code HTML and CSS may seem like a daunting task, but it’s incredibly easy to get the hang of with a little practice. Below are some great HTML/CSS coding resources if you’re interested in learning. Don’t be afraid to utilize chatGPT too if you have any code related questions or need help building something!
► Interneting Is Hard
A well-structured, beginner-first resource that balances conceptual clarity, practical examples, and a gentle introduction to the modern craft of web development. Ideal if you’re learning from scratch or brushing up on HTML/CSS fundamentals.
► W3 Schools
W3Schools is a free, enduring, and accessible portal great for learning basics, practicing with live examples, and getting started through hosting. It’s not a deep dive resource, but it’s an exceptional launchpad into the web world.
► Udemy
If you prefer a more structured learning style, getting a cheap HTML/CSS course on Udemy is a great learning path. Upon completion, you even get certified; allowing you to potentially turn web development hobby into a career!
Accessibility
Website accessibility means designing and building your site so that everyone — including people with disabilities — can use it easily. This includes people who are blind or have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, have mobility or cognitive impairments, or use assistive technologies like screen readers, keyboard navigation, or speech input. Given the nature of building personal websites, it isn’t a requirement to make your website accessible. However, you’ll reach a lot more people if you do!
► Accessible Net Directory
Pinkvampyr hosts an impressive collection of resources in their Accessible Net Directory. This is a great starting point to learn more about web accessibility and how to start implementing it on your website.
► Accessibility Testing Tool
ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector) is a free accessibility testing tool. It provides automated detection of accessibility issues, reveal what a screen reader should say for interactive elements, and give practical suggestions to improve accessibility and check 508 compliance.
Building your first layout
If you’re ready to start diving into laying down the bones of your website, it’s time to start building a layout! If you aren’t sure what kind of layout you want, feel free to site hope across personal websites and get inspiration from others! There’s no shame in taking creative ideas from other people, you just have to give those ideas your own unique twist to make them your own.
► sadgrl’s Layout Builder
If you’re not very experienced with coding, no fear! Sadgrl has created a really awesome responsive layout builder that you can use and customize to your liking.
► Templaterr
Eggramen has created a bunch of free layouts and stylesheets for folks to use. This is another fantastic resource if you’re new to coding and want a layout that’s ready to go.
► CSS Grid Generator
Start creating your own CSS Grid Layouts simply and easily with this magic tool. Define your grid, select the areas and get the code!
► CSS Flexbox Layout Guide
This complete guide explains everything about flexbox, focusing on all the different possible properties for the parent element (the flex container) and the child elements (the flex items). It also includes history, demos, patterns, and a browser support chart.
Customizing Your Website
Here’s the fun part – decorating your website! There’s a lot of ways you can customize your website and truly make it your own. A big part of that is the use of visuals and graphics. Below is an extensive library of websites, tools, and widgets that are free for personal use.
Mixed Graphics
► StarlightMKS (archived)
Mixed free-to-use resources: backgrounds, banners, glitter text, dolls, etc.
► DollieCrave (archived)
Mixed free-to-use resources: quotes, tumblr themes, cursors, backgrounds, and graphics.
► CommentsLive
Free-to-use backgrounds, graphics, and image generators.
► Glitter Graphics
Free-to-use backgrounds, blinkies, dolls, dividers, gifs, and various other graphics.
► Simple-Repeat
Free-to-use repeatable background patterns.
► CuteKawaiiResources
Free-to-use icons, emoticons, wallpapers, and other graphics.
► Tenshiikisu
Collection of 500+ free-to-use backgrounds.
► EasyDoll (archived)
Free-to-use backgrounds, dividers, blinkies, doll makers, and other graphics. Also has some useful tutorials.
► Beetlecraft Freebies
Free-to-use background tiles and other graphics.
► Lukovrurshldr
Free-to-use backgrounds, blinkies, avatars, button templates, and other graphics.
► Cute Web Graphics
Free-to-use mini backgrounds. Many other free-to-use graphic resources planned as well.
► Sadgrl BG Tiles
Free-to-use tile backgrounds.
► Glitter Groovy
Large collection of free-to-use glitter graphics, blinkies, and gifs.
► Reshot
Free Icons & Illustrations. Design freely with instant downloads and commercial licenses.
► Open Clipart
An online media collection of more than 160 000 vectorial graphics, entirely in the public domain.
Free Stock Images
► Unsplash
One of the most popular free stock photo sites, offering a wide variety of high-quality images.
► Pexels
Another widely known platform, offering free photos and videos with a large collection that is free to use without attribution.
► Pixabay
Provides over 2.4 million stock photos, videos, and music, all free for personal and commercial use.
► Burst (by Shopify)
A free stock photo platform for entrepreneurs, providing high-resolution images with a focus on business-related photos.
► Stocksnap.io
Offers a massive amount of high-resolution free photos, categorized and searchable.
► Gratisography
Known for its quirky and fun free stock photos, offering creative options that are more artistic.
► Kaboompics
Offers a wide range of free stock photos and color palettes, making it perfect for design work.
► Foodiesfeed
Specializes in high-quality free stock food photos for food bloggers, restaurant owners, or food-related projects.
► Picjumbo
A popular free stock photo site offering a wide range of categories, including business, nature, technology, and more.
► New Old Stock
Offers vintage photos from public archives, free to use and ideal for nostalgic or historical projects.
► LibreShot
A collection of free high-resolution photos for commercial and personal use.
► Life of Pix
Features high-resolution photography donated by photographers, free for both personal and commercial use.
► ISO Republic
Provides high-quality free stock photos and videos for creative projects.
► Styled Stock
Offers free feminine-themed stock photography, ideal for lifestyle and business websites.
► Skitterphoto
Provides free high-resolution photos taken by amateur photographers and available under the CC0 license.
► Openverse
A tool that allows openly licensed and public domain works to be discovered and used by everyone.
► Public.Work
A search engine for public domain content. Explore 100,000+ copyright-free images from The MET, New York Public Library, and other sources.
Gifs
► GifCities
GifCities is a special project of the Internet Archive to celebrate 20 years of preserving the web.
► Gif Neconomicon
A spooky collection of gifs. Great for Halloween!
► CoolGifs
A scrolling page of gifs. Save your favorites before they float away!
► Cute Gif
A collection of cute gifs in various categories.
► GIPHY
The content on GIPHY’s website, app, and API is all of the best and most popular GIFs on the web, along with content created by talented GIF artists and world-class brands. Includes a Gif search to help you find what you’re looking for.
► Momg
A collection of gifs displayed to look like an art gallery. As of the time of this writing, Momg currently houses 99,969 gifs in their collection.
► 99 Gif Shop
An online catalogue of gifs designed to mimic a web store. It hosts a fairly large collection of gifs.
► PicGifs
PicGifs hosts a large collection of gifs, wallpapers, avatars, and other graphics. It also includes a search to help you find what you’re looking for.
► Blingee
A free online photo editor known for helping people make fun animated graphics.
Doll Makers
Stamps, Buttons, Blinkies
► Raining-Starss Stamps
► Y2K Stamps
► AllyRatWorld Stamps
► DeviantArt Stamps
► Gligar Stamps
► Internet Button Archive
► Anlucas Buttons
► Internet Bumper Stickers
► Button Wall
► Suppi
► BlinkiesCafe
► MyBlinky
► Blossom.nu
► Netlify
► Animated-Gifs Blinky Maker
► Blinky Hoard
► Blinkies
► BlinkiesYay
► Adians Blinky Collection
► Hekate Button Maker
Image Tools
► Dither Me This
Use this tool to reduce the file size of an image… but in a stylish old-school way. It uses dithering to reduce the colors in an image, and places dots to emulate the missing shades. Dithering is used to display images on screens with limited colors palettes — it has the modern advantage of making web pages load faster.
► Dithermark
Do you love pixel art, needlepoint or retro video games? Dithermark uses the magic of image dithering algorithms to let you easily achieve a similar effect using your own photos, right in your browser.
► Online Image Editor
The Free Online Image Editor lets you Resize or Crop all (animated gif) images, Merge, Blend and Overlay Images, Add Text with your own fonts to an (animated) image, and much more!
► Imgur
Imgur is an online image host. Simply upload your photos, copy the image links, and use them on your site.
► Gif Maker
Gif Maker allows you to create animated gifs, slideshows, and video animations with music online freely and easily, no registration required.
► EZGif
Ezgif.com is a simple, free online GIF maker and toolset for basic animated image editing.
Here you can create, edit and convert GIF, APNG, WebP, MNG and AVIF animations.
► Wobble Paint
Wobble Paint allows you to create animated drawings that ‘wobble’.
► Cloud Paint
Cloud Paint is an online art and image editing tool for both painting and photo editing that functions similarly to Adobe Photoshop.
► JS Paint
JS Paint is a clone of the old Windows 98 paint program. You can draw and download your creations.
► Photopea
Photopea is a free online photo editor that works similarly to Adobe Photoshop.
► Piskel
Piskel is a free online pixel art creation tool.
► LoSpec Pixel Art Scaler
This tools helps you scale pixel art to bigger sizes without filtering for game development, social media or personal uses.
► PixilArt
A safe social platform for everyone. Create beautiful pixel art, share, collaborate, shop and more!
► Pixlr
The suite for all your creative photo and design editing needs directly in your web browser, on your smartphone, or on your desktop, all free. The only limit is your imagination!
► Remove BG
No matter if you want to make a background transparent (PNG), add a white background to a photo, extract or isolate the subject, or get the cutout of a photo – you can do all this and more with remove.bg
► Patternico
Create cool pattern images and backgrounds!
► ACA Button Maker
A handy 80x15px button maker you can customize for all of your tiny button-making needs.
Text Generators
Widgets
► Status.Cafe
Status Cafe is a micro blog that you can embed on your website. If you know how to use RSS/Atom feeds, Status Cafe uses Atom so you can follow your favorite feeds, and others can subscribe to yours as well.
► iMood
A simple mood widget you can embed on your website to share with others how you are feeling.
► WebNeko
A cute cat widget that chases your cursor around your web page.
► Microblog
A script you can use on a web page to create your own microblog that is RSS reader compatible.
► MF2FM
Fun Javascript and DHTML effects for your page. Give your page some extra pizazz!
► Zonelets
Zonelets is a simple, free blogging engine for everyone.
► Dantendo DSI
Interactive bio widget that looks like a Nintendo DSI console.
Get Connected: Make it Social.
You’ve put a ton of love and effort into your website, but one question still remains; how the heck is anyone going to find it? How is anyone going to see what you’ve made? On social media, there are algorithms that sometimes boost your content to be seen in front of other people. But here, on the Sovereign Web it works a bit differently. We don’t have algorithms here or hashtags that will launch our content in front of the eyes of other people. And let’s face it, while having a personal website is fun on its own, it can get a little bit lonely if it’s never seen.
Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Below are a list of proven strategies to help you get your website out there and seen by others.
Webrings
A webring is a collection of websites linked together in a circular structure, like a ring. Each site in the ring includes a small widget or set of buttons (usually at the bottom of the page) that lets visitors navigate to the next, previous, or a random site in the ring — or view a central hub listing all member sites.
Webrings were super popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s — especially on personal sites, fan pages, and blogs — before social media became dominant. They helped people discover like-minded creators, niche communities, and hidden gems across the web. On social media such as Facebook for example, groups are generally used to bring people together over common interests or niches. Similarly, a webring’s purpose is the same. They’re generally focused around a specific interest or niche, and they link together a bunch of websites that share that common interest/niche.
Webrings are one of the many great ways to create a sense of community without the need for centralized platforms.
Join A Webring
► Brisray’s Webring List
THE BEST webring archive I’ve stumbled across to date is Brisray’s. He keeps a fantastic archive and is very active with seeing which webrings are kept up to date and which webrings are no longer active. A highly valued resource and will likely be your #1 go-to for finding active webrings to join.
► Free Speech Webring (I host this webring)
This webring is dedicated to everyone who supports free speech. We come from all walks of life and believe everyone deserves a voice, even the unpopular opinions!
► The Book Ring (I host this webring)
This webring is for bibliophiles everywhere. Whether you love reading OR writing fiction, fan finction, classic literature, poetry, manga, and everything bookish inbetween, this webring welcomes you.
Make A Webring
If you have the motivation to actively maintain a webring, I highly recommend making one! Making a webring and hosting it on your site is not only a fantastic way to bring more visits to your site, but also meet and connect with people who share the same interests as you.
► Webri.ng
This platform gives creators the ability to create, and manage their own webrings, without needing to worry about the difficulties of developing the platform, or the complexities of hosting their own infrastructure.
They provide a simple control panel that webring owners can use to add sites to their webring, and provide useful, short links that they can give to users to navigate their webring. A fantastic choice if you’re hosting a webring for the first time!
► OnionRing
This is what I currently use to host my webrings. OnionRing is a self-hosted webring system that’s composed of a few javascript files you download, edit, and upload to your website. It is very simple to maintain and a great solution if you prefer to self-host your creations.
► Netlify Webring
From my understanding (I’ve never used this webring system before), the Netlify Webring system is a serverless webring manager you can host on Netlify. Instead of running a complex server, everything works using Netlify Functions (a.k.a. AWS Lambda behind the scenes) and JSON data files.
► Maxboeck Webring Starter Kit
A lightweight, GitHub‑based webring template for static websites (built with Eleventy or other static site generators). It uses a simple JSON file and a small JavaScript embed to create navigation between sites. This system may be a bit complicated for those unfamiliar with Github, but it is a fairly popular webring system.
► RainRing
A no-frills, community-led static webring platform (hosted on Demon‑Sushi.com) using a JSON list of sites, simple JS for nav logic, and an embeddable banner snippet. It supports site-to-site hopping via “Prev/Next/Random” links, and membership is handled through edits to the shared repo.
► Viatrix / Cuddler Ring
Viatrix provides a user-friendly tutorial specifically for creators using Netlify and Git-based workflows to build a lightweight, modern webring. It mirrors systems like Brob’s Netlify Webring but includes more guidance for deploying and managing your own ring as you grow.
► Intro to Webrings
Brisray offers some fantastic information, resources, and even more webring systems you can try.
Directories & Cliques
Many webrings have their own members directory, but not every directory has a webring. Standalone website directories are another great way to discover cool websites, gain organic visitors to your website, and easily find webmasters with similar interests.
Alternatively, if you’re artistically inclined, you might be interested in joining or even starting a clique! Cliques are a sort of club in which each member creates a unique button centered around a specific theme. It’s common place with personal independent websites to partake in these cliques as it’s just a really fun, creative way to share other people’s websites and get discovered.
Join A Directory
► Big List of Personal Websites
A fairly large list featuring a variety of personal websites. You can also request to add your own to it!
► Indieseek
A small human curated, searchable, directory of web links to both websites and to individual web pages. They try and list pages that are informative, fun, classic and useful.
► Gossip’s Web
A directory of handmade webpages.
► Link Lane
A regularly maintained directory of personal websites and blogs. Well established, has been around since 2004!
► iWebThings
A curated directory of indie and non-commercial websites by Joe Jenett.
► Non-Profit Bloggers
This directory provides a space for people who find joy in writing to share their blogs.
► Ooh Directory
A place to find good blogs that interest you. Explore the categories, search blog details, flip through random blogs, or submit your own blog to the directory.
► Personalsit.es
This site was built to share and revel in each others’ personal sites. You can submit your personal website to this directory by opening a pull request in their Github. If you have never used Github, pull requests may be a bit confusing.
► 1MB Club
A growing collection/directory of performance-focused web pages weighing less than 1 megabyte.
Join A Clique
Coming soon!
Small Search Engines
Many folks are over Google. Google has a lot of privacy invasive practices and monopolizes off of private user data. And truth be told, most personal websites are probably deeply buried in Google’s algorithms anyways. Below you’ll find independent search engines designed to help you discover others who make websites for fun. You can also submit your website to these search engines so more people can discover you!
► Wiby
The Wiby search engine is building a web of pages as it was in the earlier days of the internet. In addition, Wiby helps vintage computers to continue browsing the web, as pages indexed are more suitable for their performance.
► Marginalia
Marginalia is a niche search tool focused on non-commercial content, and attempts to show you sites you perhaps weren’t aware of in favor of the sort of sites you probably already knew existed. Marginalia also features a neat website explorer where you can randomly discover other websites that are part of the Small Web.
► Search My Site
Search My Site is a niche search, focusing on the “indie web” or “small web” or “digital gardens“, i.e. non-commercial content, primarily personal and independent websites.
► Kagi Small Web
Kagi’s mission is to humanize the web and this project is built to help surface recent results from the small web – people and stories that typically zip by in legacy search engines. This search engine is built like a blog roll that allows users to stumble upon and explore various websites and blog posts across the small web.
Other Ways To Get Connected
The Sovereign Web and similar movements are very decentralized movements, and with decentralization means we need to get a bit creative in how we discover each other and be discovered. A lot of people, when they first come to these movements, quickly end up feeling isolated because they don’t know how to get seen. It is a very different structure here than on modern social media, where algorithms largely distribute content. But if you’re willing to take the time to deploy the methods mentioned in this section, I promise you’ll start noticing a difference very quickly.
Here are a few more ways to get connected with others across the independent web.
Add A Guestbook
Guestbooks are a little old fashioned, but they are still widely used on personal websites and enables visitors to interact with you and leave a message.
► Atabook
Atabook provides a simple, free guestbook service. You can create a guestbook for your website, blog, or social media profile in minutes.
► Smart Guestbook
Smart Guestbook provides a free guestbook service you can use for your website
► YourWorldOfText
An infinite text wall that can be edited by your site visitors. To implement on your website, use an iframe. This makes for a really fun alternative to a guestbook.
Add A Chat Box
If you want to be able to chat live with folks currently visiting your website, adding a chatbox is a great way to encourage more interaction! Placing one of these on your index page will land you the most interaction.
► Chattable
Chattable by Xobyte is a FREE, fully customizable, live chat tool for your website.
Add a Button Wall Page
Most people who own a personal website also have a 88px x 31px site button for others to share. If you don’t know what a site button is, below is my personal site button as an example. (tip: click my button to be redirected to my button wall page for inspiration!)
If you have your own website, you absolutely should consider make a button for it as well and include a text area with a hyperlinked image code. This will enable people to share your button on their websites!
And this brings me to the topic of button walls. If you own a personal website, you should consider making a button wall. A button wall is simply a page where you share other people’s buttons. If you stumble across some sites you really like, add their buttons to your button wall! You can even encourage reciprocation by leaving a comment in their guestbook letting them know you love their site and you added their button to your button wall. Sometimes – not always – but sometimes, people will appreciate the gesture and add your button to their button wall as well! And Voila! You’ve just made a neighbor! Try not to take it personally if others don’t reciprocate the gesture though. Some will, some won’t, and that’s just how it goes.
► Datakra.sh Button Maker
If you’re ready to create your very own site button, here is a fantastic free 88x31px button maker.
► sadgrl’s Button Maker
Here is another great 88x31px button maker, created by sadgrl.
► Hekate Button Maker
I found the ease of use for this button maker a bit more difficult, but this is a decent alternative if the other two button makers aren’t to your liking.
Be Engaging.
It goes a bit without saying that in order to get visits and engagement to your website, you must also visit other websites and be engaging yourself! Site hop around, discover new personal websites, and leave a comment in people’s guestbook! Many will reciprocate the gesture if you leave a link back to your site in your guestbook post.♥
Another way of being engaging is to join relevant forums and communities you resonate with across the independent web! Interact with posts, and participate in community discussion.
If you’re interested in joining a community within the personal website building niche, below are some great communities worth checking out.
Follow + Create RSS Feeds
If you’re unfamiliar with RSS or ATOM feeds, they are essentially ‘news feeds’, similarly to Facebook news feeds. But unlike Facebook, what you see in your RSS / ATOM feed isn’t limited to only seeing posts from the platform you are on. Instead, you can create feeds from ALL across the internet! So long as a website has their own RSS or ATOM feed, you can subscribe to it and see their latest posts! Pretty cool, eh?
One way to stay engaged and make friends in this decentralized system is to follow RSS feeds from your favorite sites if they have them available. That way you always see your favorite webmasters latest posts!
You can even create your own RSS / ATOM feed so others can follow you. If you’d like to learn more about RSS / ATOM feeds and how to create your own, I made a very comprehensive guide on it below.
Share Your Site
Something important to keep in mind is that if you want your website to be discovered, you have to share it. You have to put it in places that people will discover it in the first place.
Share your website link or your hyperlinked website button everywhere. If you are part of a forum/community, insert your website link/button in your forum signature.
Share your site on social media. If you have a Facebook/X/Instagram/Mastodon/etc. put a link to your website in your profile bio. If you have a 1 page link site, such as a linktr.ee or Carrd, share your website there too.
When you leave guestbook comments on other people’s websites, leave a link to your website in there at the bottom under where you sign your name. You’d be surprised how many folks site hop while visiting other people’s guestbooks!
These are all really great ways to share your website and have it be easily viewable by other people without being spammy. Simply allow yourself to be visible.
Provide Community Service & Resources
What goes around comes around. One golden tip I will leave you with today to conclude this section is that if you want to build consistent organic traffic or even a ‘following’ in this movement, is to be of service to others. What is something you can provide that will help others get their start here? OR What is something you can provide that can help others grow?
You don’t have to break your back and become a hardcore content creator, posting a 129823478234 word essay every single day. But, consider ideas that you can invest a little time into that are made to help other people.
Maybe you’re really great at making layouts! There are tons of folks who don’t have a clue about building layouts but want to build a personal website. Making a few pre-made layouts to help people get their start is such a valuable resource.
Or, maybe you’re amazing at making background art! Having a page of backgrounds to offer for free use is another great example of a valuable resource.
Building communities of your own is another valuable resource! Whether that be creating your own webring centered around a specific niche, a directory, or even a resource forum. Being pro-active in building communities to help people connect with each other is incredibly important and valuable.
You could even build a resource website (such as this subdomain!) with in-depth posts such as this one around topics you’re personally knowledgeable in.
There are so many ways to provide community service and resources. ♥ You’ll help others, AND people will return to your website again and again because you have valuable offerings that genuinely help people and keep them coming back, or even sharing your website with other people for those resources! When you create space to help others, ultimately, it becomes not only a win for them, but a win for you as well.
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If you have any questions or would like to suggest some helpful resources to add to this page, leave a comment! Thanks for reading!