This is a web page.
===================

There's not much here.

Just words.

*And you're reading them.*

We've become obsessed with fancy designs, responsive layouts, and
scripts that do magical things.

*But the most powerful tool on the web is still words.*

I wrote these words, and you're reading them: that's magical.

I'm in a little city in British Columbia; you're probably somewhere
else. I wrote this early in the morning, June 20th, 2013; you're
probably reading it at a different time. I wrote this on my laptop; you
could be reading this on your phone, a tablet or a desktop.

You and I have been able to connect because I wrote this and you're
reading it. *That's the web.* Despite our different locations, devices,
and time-zones we can connect here, on a simple HTML page.

I wrote this in a text editor. It's 4KB. I didn't need a Content
Management System, a graphic designer, or a software developer. There's
not much code on this page at all, just simple markup for paragraphs,
hierarchy, and emphasis.

I remember teaching my daughter to code HTML when she was 8. The first
thing she wrote was a story about a squirrel [http://bizbox.ca/kidlet/].
She wasn't "writing HTML"; *she was sharing something with the world.*
She couldn't believe that she could write a story on our home computer,
and then publish it for the world to see. She didn't really care about
HTML, she cared about sharing her stories.

*You are still reading.*

Think about all the things you could communicate with a simple page like
this. If you're a businessperson, you could sell something. If you're a
teacher, you could teach something. If you're an artist, you could show
something you've made. *And if your words are good, people will read
them.*

If you're a web designer, or a client who is working with one, I'd like
to challenge you to think about words first. Instead of starting with a
style guide or a Photoshop mockup, start with words on a page.

What do you have to say? If you don't know, there's not much use
in adding all that other cruft. *Just start with one page,* with a
single focus. Write it and publish it, and then iterate on that. Every
time you're about to add something, ask yourself: does this help me
communicate better? Will that additional styling, image, or hyperlink
give my audience more understanding? If the answer's "no", don't add it.

*At its heart, web design should be about words.* Words don't come after
the design is done. Words are the beginning, the core, the focus.

Start with words.

Cheers, 
Justin Jackson 
@mijustin [http://twitter.com/mijustin]

I'm writing a book on building and launching things on the web; you can
find out more here [http://buildandlaunch.net/].

This post was originally inspired by Jason Fried's design of Know Your
Company [https://knowyourcompany.com/].