If you are new to building your own website and lack the skills of a professional website designer, then you will probably benefit from using a website builder or template. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) software is an application that helps beginner site builders use a web browser to build a new website.
This can be a real jump-start to building your own website, as opposed to learning complex website-building software like FrontPage or Dreamweaver. The advantage is that you can easily build a site, sometimes in very little time, and maintain it yourself.
Some things to consider before starting are:
1. The purpose of your site. Is it e-commerce, advertising your business or someone else’s, selling a product or service? Give some thought to this before starting.
2. One of the first things you will need is a domain name. This is the name of your site, and the first thing is to see if the domain name you choose is available. This can be done through companies like GoDaddy or HostGator. These also have web hosting available, which you will need.
3. Next, you need to consider what type of technology you will use for your site. An HTML site mainly consists of text, images, and, say, a contact form for informational purposes. You could also build an e-commerce site to sell products and accept payments. A database site, on the other hand, is mainly used to interact with visitors. It most likely will require PHP programming. An example would be a login site, a dating site,or a download site.
4. Map out your site on paper first and get a good idea of where you are going with it to avoid confusion and holdups when putting it online. Gather content written by you or a copywriter. Get any images or forms you might need.
Advantages to building your site are:
1. Low cost.
2. No web designer needed.
3. Control and update your own site, which will also give you a sense of accomplishment.
These are a few thoughts that will get you started in the right direction and soon you will be uploading your very own website you can be proud of.