You don't have to know HTML, or break the bank to build a great-looking website. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editors have made it easy and fast.
You're faced with the decision of between a freebie HTML editor (not good) and a mini-site maker that screams, " I'm here to make a quick buck!" Alternative?
All's not lost. Here are some good low-cost (less than $100) website builders that will give you good results: Plus their limitations.
Go Daddy Website Complete: One of the easiest website builders out there. And a darned good one too. If you are a complete beginner, or need to build a website quickly, go for this.
Comes with 400+ templates, plus a large variety of images. Spell checker, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and preview included.
Building a website is as easy. Just type, drag and drop, cut/copy and paste content. Custom buttons easy to create. Image editor included.
You can change templates with a mouse click without loosing your work. Tables and forms easily created and edited. User Guide included, with examples, plus demo video.
Limitations; you cannot create independent pages and Java not well supported. You can only upload with the in-built FTP.
Website Complete has some great features for the ridiculous price of $14.95. Works best with Go Daddy hosting.
http://mercantilecentral.com/godaddy.htm, point on "Website Builders", then click on "Website Complete".
Actual Drawing: The learning curve for Actual Drawing can be overwhelming initially, but after that, you're on the roll. Not as many templates as Website Complete (above) but quite a good variety.
Comes with in-built FTP, Spell-checker and preview. Tables and forms easy to edit, and custom scripts easy to insert. Java well supported and you can build independent pages.
Weaknesses: requires later version browsers, as it uses "layers". The "layers" can be turned off, but you have to use frames to insert images. Its creators didn't bother to explain in detail how to do this. User Guide not the easiest to understand, anyway.
Actual Drawing web pages really do look professional, nevertheless. The Standard Version costs $59 and Pro version $99. There's a free trial version.
http://mercantilecentral.com/actualdrawing.htm
Web Easy Pro: This one will give you some pretty neat results. You can type your content, drag and drop, or cut/copy and paste it on to your web pages. You can also build independent pages.
Web Easy Pro comes with a good variety of templates and images, as well as in-built FTP, forms and tables. Easy-to-understand User Guide included, with examples.
Weaknesses: Requires user to select "custom" scripts from menu, and Java not well supported. Their page naming (example; 002, 003 etc.) is something I particularly don't like. Custom buttons not easy to create, and spell-checker not available.
Overall, with Web Easy Pro you can build a professional quality website several pages long in a short time. Cost: $39.99 for standard version and $69.99 for pro. You can download a free trial version, also.
http://mercantilecentral.com/webeasy.htm
