website builders
are tools that allow the construction of websites without manual code
editing. They fall into two categories: online proprietary tools
provided by web hosting companies, typically intended for users to build
their private site; and software which runs on a computer, creating
pages offline and which can then publish these pages on any host. The
latter are often considered to be "website design software" rather than
"website builders".
Online website builders typically require
customers to sign up with the web hosting company. Some companies
provide examples of fully functional websites made with their website
builder. The range of services varies anywhere between creating basic
personal web pages or social network content to making complete business
and e-commerce websites, either template based or, on the more flexible
platforms, totally design free.
The main advantage of an online
website builder is that it is quick and easy to use, and often does not
require prior experience. Often a website can be built and be up and
running live on the Internet quickly. Technical support is usually
provided, as are how-to video and help files. This makes online website
builders ideal for the beginner.
Sites are generally created using
either HTML or Adobe Flash. HTML is a standard format supported by all
browsers. Flash has a growing popularity, mainly since it has overcome
some limitations such as not being seen by web crawlers such as Google
and Yahoo, and thus being indexed. Flash is more resource intensive than
HTML. HTML tools are divided into those that allow editing of the
source code and those that only have a WYSIWYG mode.
When choosing a website builder software
you must pay attention to the features of the software. You need to
make sure this software can do what you want it to do. Is there any
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors? A general easy to use
interface? How about a step by step guide introducing you to the
software? Definitely it will take some time to learn to use the website
builder but is there a feeling telling you that this is the software you
need? Also, before deciding to spend any money on it see if there's a
free trial version that will let you test the product.