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Wysiwyg Web Site Design Software
Wysiwyg
web site design software lets you build web pages as easily as
you
would use a word processor to create attractive word documents.
There
is a learning curve, but wysiwyg software is still one of the easiest
ways for a newbie to build their website. They are particularly good
for someone who wants to build one or two websites but
doesn't want
to become a professional webmaster.
You don't have to buy an expensive wysiwyg program either. In fact a
free program may be all you need.
How Wysiwyg Software works
Using
wysiwyg web site design software is like using a word processor.
You work in a design view where you can see the results of what you're
building. Tables look like tables, not lines of code. Headlines show as
headlines, you can indent, make lists, bold words or use italics, use
CSS for styling, and it all looks pretty much the same as how the
finished page
will look.
There are some exceptions. In the normal design view, you'll
see outlines of tables that won't show on the finished page. Often
though, there is a preview mode that will hide the table outlines.
Many
wysiwyg software programs won't show virtual include files. You won't
see them included in the finished web page until your page is live on
the web. That is something you can work around though.
Pros
Wysiwyg
web site design software is relatively easy to use, and it's a visual
process. You can see what you're building as you're building it.
It is easier to make a complicated layout with wysiwyg software than by
writing your page directly in HTML.
It
is easier and faster for an inexperienced person to learn a wysiwyg
program and build a web page than to learn to code in HTML.
It
removes one layer of complexity from the page building process, i.e.
having to learn to code in HTML. When you're building your first
website you have a heck of a lot to learn, especially if you actually
want a successful website, and anything that makes life easier is a
bonus.
Cons
Wysiwyg software has its faults, but you can live with them.
They
bloat the code, meaning the code is longer than necessary, or slower to
load, or wastes resources in other ways. When you code directly in HTML
you can write nice tight code. When you use wysiwyg software the
program controls the actual writing of the code and it's not as good as
hand coding. It's like a person, instead of being trim, taut and
terrific, they may have stacked on a couple of stone and look
a
bit flabby. It may not be pretty, but it isn't fatal.
As part of
the bloated code the programs can add in extra bits of code that you
don't want
in some circumstances. You need to open the source code where you see
the actual HTML, and make changes.
You may not get precise
control over some aspects of your web page, so you may need to look in
the HTML code and make changes.
You will need a bit of
HTML knowledge, but nowhere near as much as coding directly in HTML.
This is knowledge you can pick up as you need, either from a book for
beginners or just by doing a search engine search about the problem you
have.
What To Look For
What do you need in wysiwyg web site design software to build
a website like this one?
There
are a lot of things that any wysiwyg program should have, things like
table controls, list creation, spell check, and a lot more. It's just
like any word
processor should have the same fundamentals.
Then there are a couple of
extra things you should make sure your wysiwyg program has.
One
thing you have to have is the ability to edit the code directly in
HTML.
You may need that for some fine tuning, or to fix a problem. And you
need it to insert code for affiliate programs, which is one way to make
money
from your website.
Your
wysiwyg web site design software should also have a CSS editor. You can
write the CSS file yourself, but an editor makes life easier.
Wysiwyg
Programs
There
are a lot of different wysiwyg web site design software programs
around. I'll just mention a couple that I'm familiar with. If you want
more choices you can do a search and find dozens more programs.
KompoZer is a free wysiwyg program, and it constantly gets
good reviews. You can edit the source code directly, and it does have a
CSS editor. If you're planning on just building one site, or a few
sites for
yourself and they are content based sites like this one, KompoZer will
do the job quite adequately.
Dreamweaver is a high end wysiwyg
program costing around $400 or more depending on where
you buy it. It is better than KompoZer of course, and if you're
building sites regularly then it's worth the investment.
If
you're only building one site and you're willing to spend the money on
Dreamweaver have a look at Site Build It
which not
only has a block
by block site builder that is easier to use than a wysiwyg
program, it has every other tool you
need for a successful website as well. And, it costs a lot less than
Dreamweaver.
Should You Use A Wysiwyg Program?
You need to consider your goals.
If you want to build a small business web site that will bring in new
customers and you want to do it as easily as possible, then my
recommendation would be to purchase Site
Build It and use the block by block page builder.
If you don't mind more learning and slower progress
then wysiwyg web site design software will build a site like
this one quite nicely.
If you intend to become a professional webmaster you need to know how
to hand code your web pages, though you could still use a good wysiwyg
program and tidy the code up afterwards.
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