Your First WebMatrix Website

One of WebMatrix’s best features is that it offers myriad options for creating a new website. You may choose to start simply, with just a “normal” site (a single HTML page, some CSS, and perhaps a layout) or choose one of the many popular open source packages, such as the .NET-based Umbraco or DotNetNuke Content Management System (CMS), or even PHP-based solutions such as Joomla!, which are mere clicks away. Since you're still learning your way around, choose the basic “Empty Site” option.

After WebMatrix has created the new site, you will see a dashboard containing some information about your new site and displaying several options available to you.

The File List View

The File List view is where you will most likely spend the majority of your time in WebMatrix. This view lists the content of your site on the left side and opens up an editor on the right, allowing you to modify and customize your website. Since we selected the “Empty Site” template earlier, you’ll notice that the file list is currently empty except for a single robots.txt file.

Tip

The robots.txt file provides website developers the opportunity to describe their sites to search engines like Google and Bing. This is part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - a set of techniques that helps drive traffic to your site through better search rankings.

Finally, it is time to create your first web page using Razor! The easiest way to add a new page to a WebMatrix site is by using the “New” button ...

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