When Bootstrap was introduced, creating a website using it was quite a difficult task because developers were expected to create websites with different features for both web browsers and mobile devices.
However, thanks to recent technological developments making websites with Bootstrap is now an easy task.
Whether you are creating a website from scratch or trying to modify an existing website, Bootstrap remains one of the best tools.
Bootstrap is easy to use and fast. Here, you will find a detailed guide on how to use Bootstrap.
Stage 1: Overview and Setup
The first step to take before you can make use of Bootstrap is to integrate the web design tool into your web page or development environment. Find below the necessary steps to follow:
- Create an HTML Page
Here, you will need to design an HTML template that will serve as a base to use with Bootstrap. You can achieve this by creating a folder on your serve or PC for all your project files.
- Load Bootstrap Using CDN
Thanks to a content delivery network (CDN) access path, you can load both header and footer directly on your website.
- Host Bootstrap Locally
Another way to set up Bootstrap is by downloading the toll directly to your hard drive and locally access the files.
- Add jQuery
For Bootstrap to function optimally, you will need to include jQuery library. This can be done either by hosting it locally or remotely.
You can either download and load it to your working library or by including a line of code.
- Load Bootstrap JavaScript
Next, you will need to load the Bootstrap JavaScript library. While you can download it, you can also load it remotely. It is important to note that you will need to load it in a different style sheet.
- Put them Together
The final step in the Bootstrap set up stage is to put all processes together.
Stage 2: Design Your Landing Page
This is the stage where you give your site a form by adding relevant features to it. Here are a few features and functionality you can add.
- Navigation Bar
It is important to add a navigation bar at the top of your website. The navigation bar will help to make access to various sections of your web page easier. Visitors will be able to access any section of the website without having to go through all sections.
- Custom CSS
Although the page comes with a default styling, you can also make changes by adding your custom CSS files which then overwrites the current styling.
- Create a Page Content Container
A page content container is where you intend to place the content for each section you have created in the navigation bar.
- Add a Custom JavaScript and Background Image
This is where you can add a background image for the page header. The image should be full-screen to cover the entire screen
- Add an Overlay
If you want to make your chosen background image stylish, this is where you get to do it. By adding an overlay, you are able to create a design into the existing one.
- Add a Page Title and Body of Text
This is where you add relevant information to your page. So that visitors can easily know what your website is about without having to navigate to any section.
- Create a Call To Action Button
The essence of a landing page is to make visitors take a particular action. This is where you add a call to action button that will direct visitors to where or what you intend.
- Upload Your Website to a Hosting Service
This is the stage where you now host your website on the internet. To make it accessible to others, you will need a domain and web host.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, Bootstrap is one of the best front-end development and open-source tools that you can use to create a responsive website.
Bootstrap allows you to create websites and model other pages with only background knowledge of jQuery, CSS, and HTML.
In this article, we have been able to provide you a detailed guide on how to use Bootstrap to create a web page.
