Software tools for building a web site

If you are considering building a web site all by yourself, you will definitely want to take a close look at HTML editors. Everyone knows that one can edit HTML with a simple tool like Notepad, however a more sophisticated editor is the secret to productivity. Some editors are as easy to use as a word processor and one can design and build a web page with little knowledge of HTML. You can start working while you learn.

• NoteTab (http://www.notetab.com): Notepad on steroids. It has a "light" free version and a pro one, very affordable.
• Nvu (http://www.Nvu.com/): Free, what you see is what you get and some great features as templates or file management via FTP, for instance. Anyone can create and manage a website with this free tool; even if those with no technical expertise and HTML illiterate.
• Dreamweaver (www.Adobe.com/products/Dreamweaver or www.Dreamweaver.com): Intuitive and easy to use. This is the preferred tool for most professionals. It has a free trial anyone can build many web pages during that period- and it is likely you will like it. If your are serious about building web sites, you will be willing to spend some money to get the full version with all its additional features.

A different concept that building a site one page at a time are blogs and Content Management Systems that let you build dynamic sites. You would not need them for a simple sales mini site, nevertheless, some are free and so easy to install that it is an option worth exploring. We will explore this in the near future.