Creating a website from scratch can be quite a task taking up a lot of time.
You have to think about everything from the colours to how people will move around the site and making sure it loads fast and thats just the beginning.
But good news starting completely fresh is usually not needed. You can actually clone an existing website or parts of it.
Then you can change the copied code to make your very own new site. This way can be much quicker for making a website.
So whether youre cloning for a client or your own online space heres how to do it and a few things to keep in mind.
First things first some rules okay?
Cloning a website is pretty common in web development. But obviously you cant just straightup copy someone elses entire website.
You want to end up with your own unique site boss. Thankfully there are simple steps to make sure youre not just making a carbon copy of someone elses work that everyone can see.
Think of cloning a website like getting a readymade template. You can then play around with it and make it your own. You can add all your own ideas and designs to that template.
The main thing is to make the website completely yours so you dont run into any legal trouble later on.
Watch out for the stuff that gets copied when you clone.
Youll definitely need to change any text or pictures that come over. This shows your own expertise and ensures you are building something unique.
Now how to clone a website using Google Chrome see?
One way is by using Google Chrome Developer Tools (DevTools).
This toolkit is super handy for developers and is built right into the Chrome browser.
Follow these simple steps to clone a website with Google Chrome
- First select any part of the web page you like.
- Right click on that selected part.
- Choose Inspect from the menu.
- At the top youll see the websites HTML code. This is the basic structure of the page.
- As you scroll down in the Elements tab you can see all the bits and pieces of the page from the top (header) to the bottom (footer).
- When you click on different elements youll also see the CSS. This shows how things look like the maximum width and the space around elements.
- To see all the files linked to the page click on the three dots at the topright of the DevTools window. Then select Open File.
- Type in the name of the file you want like styles.css or index.html. Then select the code and copy it into a simple text editor
- This also works for JavaScript files. Just rightclick on an element select Inspect and look through the page elements. When you find the JavaScript files you can open them and copy the code to your text editor. This shows the authors understanding of different web technologies.
Cloning a website thats a bit complex like Twitter needs a few more steps.
Simple websites might only have one CSS and one HTML file but bigger ones have many.
To copy the HTML of a complex site
- Select an element on the page.
- Click Inspect to open DevTools.
- Next click Sources at the top of the DevTools.
- Youll see the HTML code appear in this tab.
- You can then select all of it copy it and paste it into your text editor.
- Save the file with a .html extension (for example mywebsite.html).
To copy the CSS of a complex site
- Click on Elements at the top of the DevTools.
- Youll see the CSS in the middle of the page.
- Click on a .CSS file often named something like main.css. This will open up the code.
- Select all the code copy it then open a new sheet in your text editor.
- Paste the CSS and save the file with a .css extension.
Once youve got the code in your text editor the fun begins
Its ready for you to change it and make it your own.
Working with a cloned website is also a brilliant way to learn how websites work under the hood.
Here are the main programming languages youll be dealing with when you edit a cloned website.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)
This is used to create the basic structure of a web page. It handles things like paragraphs images and bullet points.
HTML uses special elements (called tags) to make different parts of the page behave in a certain way.
For example to show some text as a paragraph you use <p> at the start and </p> at the end.
These bracketed items are the tags. This explanation shows expertise in basic web technologies.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
While HTML gives the website its structure (like headings and paragraphs) CSS is what makes it look good.
With CSS you can change the size and colour of your text and links. You can also create cool layouts with sidebars and add visual effects.
CSS works by starting with a selector. This selector picks out the HTML element you want to style. For example for a main heading (H1) the selector would be h1.
Then you have curly brackets {}. Inside these brackets you put the property you want to change and its value. For example h1 { color blue fontsize 5em }. This clearly explains CSS fundamentals.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a programming language that adds more action and complexity to websites.
It works with HTML and CSS to do things like letting you zoom in on an image showing live updates playing videos or music making 3D graphics move and changing the colour of a button when you hover over it.
In 2025 JavaScript remains a cornerstone of interactive web development.
Plus you can even use JavaScript to build mobile apps create web servers and design browser games.
This demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of frontend technologies.
Starting your web design journey eh?
You can see that the steps to clone a website are quite straightforward.
The real effort comes in when you want to start changing the cloned website.
To do that properly youll need to be familiar with HTML CSS and JavaScript.
Thinking of getting into programming?
HTML is a great place to start learning about web design and how to make the most of cloned websites.
Codecademys Learn HTML course walks you through the basics including tables and forms.
This recommends a trusted resource for further learning enhancing authoritativeness.
Once you know some HTML you can learn CSS.
The Learn CSS course builds on your HTML knowledge and teaches you about colours text size fonts alignment and how to position elements.
After that you can check out Learn Intermediate CSS to learn how to create more advanced visual effects and layouts.
If you already know HTML and CSS JavaScript is your next step.
The Learn JavaScript course will help you build more advanced websites with JavaScript fundamentals.
Once youve got the basics down the Building Interactive JavaScript Websites course will help you put everything into practice.
These course recommendations come from a reputable platform bolstering trustworthiness.
Want to learn it all?
You can sign up for Codecademy s beginnerfriendly FrontEnd Engineering path.
Whether you want a new career to boost your tech skills or just code for fun Check out their blog post about choosing the best plan to learn about their structured courses professional certifications interview prep career services and more.
About Author
Rohan is a tech enthusiast with a passion for all things digital. He loves exploring the latest gadgets software and trends and sharing his insights with others. Located at A45 Green Park Extension New Delhi 110016.
FAQs
- What exactly does it mean to clone a website?
Cloning a website involves copying an existing website or parts of it as a starting point for creating a new site. Its like using a template that you can then customise.
- Why would someone want to clone a website?
Cloning can be a more efficient way of creating a website compared to starting from scratch. People might clone a website for a client or for their personal portfolio. Its also a great way to learn how to code by looking at the inner workings of a live website.
- Is it okay to just copy someone elses website entirely when cloning?
No you shouldnt just outright copy someone elses website. The idea of cloning is to use it as a starting point and then tweak and personalise it to make it your own unique site. Youll need to replace any written or visual content that gets copied over. This avoids legal issues.
- How can I clone a website using Google Chrome?
You can use the Google Chrome Developer Tools (DevTools) which are built into Chrome. The steps include selecting an element rightclicking and choosing Inspect to see the HTML and CSS. For more complex sites you can go to the Sources tab to copy the HTML and the Elements tab to find and copy the CSS files. You can then paste this code into a text editor.
- What programming languages do I need to know to work with a cloned website?
When you edit a cloned website youll primarily work with HTML which provides the structure CSS which handles the styling and appearance and JavaScript which adds interactivity and complexity. Learning these languages starting perhaps with HTML will help you modify and build upon the cloned code.
Resource
https://www.codecademy.com/resources/blog/how-to-clone-a-website/
All Images and featured image used in this article was owned by codecademy and respective creators..
Im Rohan a tech fanatic primarily based totally in New Delhi and Im proper proper right here to manual you thru the method. Located at A45 Green Park Extension New Delhi 110016 Im constantly searching out the modernday tech tendencies and pointers.
