Types of Web Design Software

Start with the simplest website software you need

We found the best reviews of both blog software and the most current web design software at PC Magazine, where reviewers cover the latest versions of the two top-ranked software titles: Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft Expression Web. Reviews at Australian PC World and Britain's PC Pro compare Microsoft Expression Web 2 (*Est. $300, $100 upgrade for previous owners) to Dreamweaver CS3 (*Est. $400, upgrade $200) but not to the newer Dreamweaver CS4 beta. Quite a few other computer publications also review both programs, noting that of the two, Dreamweaver is harder to use.

Expression Web has enormous capabilities, but reviews say it's overkill if you only want to create a simple site. We found two excellent reviews that compare a wider range of web design software. An April 2008 review by David Rodriguez, at WPDFD: Web Page Design for Designers, tests four web design software titles by using them to recreate a site coded in HTML. An older review at Smart Computing comes to the same conclusion, recommending CoffeeCup Visual Designer (*est. $50) as extremely capable and easy to use. Reviews at Macworld identify similarly "fast and easy" web design software for Macs, Realmac RapidWeaver 4.1.3 (*est. $80).

Reviews note that the best blog software is also quite capable. In the blogging software review at Smart Computing, editors recommend using online blog software at TypePad.com (*est. $5 to $30 per month), which lets you publish from any computer or Internet-enabled cell phone. Other blog software reviews note that relying completely on online blog hosts complicates making backup copies. Blog software installed on your own computer is safer, and the best offline blog software -- such as Windows Live Writer (free) -- detects the layout you've selected at your blog host, and lets you preview exactly how your published blog will look before you publish it.

We cover web hosting and domain name registration in separate reports, but one warning is worth noting here. Most free blog hosts are supported by ad revenue, but hosts vary in the amount of control they give you over the ads posted on your website or blog. Susan Mellott, in her excellent blogging software review at All Things Web 2.0, warns that Six Apart Vox and LiveJournal -- both free blog hosts -- give you no control over the ads placed next to your writing. WordPress.com is free and doesn't insert ads, but it doesn't let you earn money from ads either. Blogger.com and several other free hosts use ads but give you some control over them, and let you monetize your blog with ads if you so choose.

The simplest solution to online publishing is to take advantage of free page-building tools available via weblog, social networking or specialized sites. Web-hosting solutions often throw in site-building software free or at minimal charge. The main drawback is that you may find it hard to move your site if the hosting service deteriorates or you find a better deal.

It's a good idea to work backwards -- start by thinking about how you'll publicize your website once you've published it. How will people interested in your information find your site? The vehicles for publicity -- such as specialized online directories, social networking sites or online magazines -- often provide a starting point for publishing a starter page or two that you'll want to leave online even after you publish a bigger site.

If you realize that you'd want to publicize your site by setting up a weblog, for example -- to which people could subscribe via an RSS feed or by e-mail -- consider starting with the blog. Or if you'd publicize your art site by adding a few photos and a bio to the best art directories, consider starting by posting to other people's sites. It's better to start with the simplest solutions, learn from them, and only then expand to a bigger separate website. For example, if you're a photographer wanting a website to show your work, a free or inexpensive photo-sharing service can serve as a "starter website." Similar online opportunities exist for other interests; use a search engine to find directories, social sites and other publishing venues.

The advantages are simplicity plus an expanding network of relationships. You can spend days, weeks or months crafting a website, but without online relationships -- links, search engine and directory listings, and comments in other people's weblogs and social networking pages -- your site will be very lonely (assuming you're building a site for a larger audience than friends and family). By starting your web publishing with a weblog, directory page or social networking site, you can save a lot of time and have more fun learning as you go. Most such sites make publishing photos and text very easy.