#9 Web design programs to make your own website a look at web design software
Tools to build a better web site

Key to website success Tip #9
Software Programs to Make Your Own Website

Put together everything we've told you about how to create your own web site or how to improve your website in tips 1 to 9.

If you haven't already read about page length, site design, keyword definition and keyword usage, meta tags and conventions, stop and take a look at them before you actually create and launch your website.

How to make the web pages for your website

Creating your own website - the final frontier
You'll need a do-it-yourself website design program, so lets take a look at a few.

Comparing web design programs

There are several good website design programs available for the do-it-your-selfer. Website design software usually helps you put all your text content, images- art and pictures into a file that becomes your web pages. You must have all this material ready-to-use when you sit down to make your website. You'll need to know what you're going to include on each page - your plan from tips # 1 and #2.

Dreamweaver is popular web design program because you can do a good job with the program. You can implement all our rules and guidelines using it. Newer versions of this software allow you to see both the code and the visual page simultaneously while creating your web page. It takes some time to get familiar with this web design program and you should have good knowledge or be willing to learn about style sheets, fonts, alignment and other elements from the ground up. There are simpler programs if you don't want the heavy duty approach.

Yahoo offers it's own site builder to use for free when you sign-up for Yahoo website hosting. You enter their web design program on-line. This program allows you to choose colors, fonts, placement and other design elements from menus and lists. You use, but do not own, their web site design software. There is a lot to learn even with this web software system.

Microsoft Word allows you save your page as html- which means it can automatically change the document into a web page, but it really isn't complete as a web design program. It has it's uses as a web publishing tool for converting long documents for use on the web, but that's not what we are focusing on. Often it throws in extraneous code bits that need to be removed before publishing pages. Microsoft FrontPage 2003 (seems like there isn't a newer one) has been around for a while, but our tests with older versions were not particularly satisfactory.

There is a lot of web design software out there. If you are looking at it, consider how - or if the software allows you to implement what you have learned from this website.

Some web design programs are WYSIWYG and some are menu driven.
What is WYSIWIG? It's pronounced wizzy-wig. It mean "what you see is what you get!" You typically pull things from a bar onto an open space on your screen (Also known as drag and drop) and/or click on visual choices for any item then type in information in predefined spaces. Sometimes you can even drag elements (like your title) around in a given space to put it where you like it best on your page. Menu driven web design programs give you choices for almost everything and you only have to pick your preferences for each element in your site. An example would be choices for the title that you see on your web page. It would offer you colors and sizes and fonts and even positioning left or center.. Then you just enter the words for your title - usually in a limited pre-determined space.

We look at web design software separately from web design tools, which is discussed in Website design.

If it seems too great a task to create your own web pages, see our ideas on getting someone to help you.

What do I do when my website is ready?
How do I get people to see my website?

To get your completed site into the Internet, see our page on web hosting explained and launching your website. Often this process is called "publishing" your website.
BUT FIRST:
Once your site is completed and you are ready to launch your website see what it takes to accelerate the process of getting found on the web in search engines -tip #10.

What's the point of following all the tips? You want your (now) great website to rank well in the search engines so your potential buyer will find YOU. Once people find your website, you want them to buy from you. Tip #11 talks about ranking and getting found in search engines.

You are nearing the end of our tips, but you aren't done yet! You'll need to start on our definitions section about specific design and actually making your website!

Read all the Dibbern Keys: Click to each complete tip directly:
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11