Website builders (and website creation software) are tools that give you a way to build and design your own site. Website builders are intended to be for the DYI (do-it-yourself) person with little knowledge of programming code like HTML or PHP.
Many website builders are free as long as you use the hosting provider that offers that free service. An alternative is to purchase the software and then you have the flexibility of hosting the site anywhere you want.
According the web builder experts, your website builder should:
– include a good library of webpage templates.
– allow you to add scripts such as JavaScript and VBScript.
– include multimedia such as Flash animation, video and audio.
– offer ecommerce, shopping carts or the ability to sell goods and services online.
– include FTP functions.
– let you edit the HTML code directly, if necessary.
– come with a large selection of images like clip art, animated .gifs, and buttons.
– allow you to optimize, resize, and crop images.
– be easy to use.
– offer a user guide, an on-line knowledgebase and some limited technical support.
I recently read an ad for a web building tool that claimed, “….you can build a new website in minutes!” I just shake my head because I don’t know of any do-it-yourself project that can be completed in minutes. More often than not, overwhelmed and frustrated people call Comstar for help because they’re in over their head using a web builder. Sometimes the web builder was too limited and couldn’t do the things they wanted it to do. Or, they got started and discovered that they just don’t have the time to complete such a big project.
What I hear most from business owners is that they want their site to be easy to manage, easy to update. And they want to leave the web building to someone else! If you’ve reached this point, call me, Bryn, at 262-953-6025 or visit me on the web, www.comstar.biz.