The question of how to build your website can seem intimidating to people wanting to build their first site. Most people don’t know HTML programming, and they don’t have any experience in what goes into designing a successful site. The good news is that these days there are a couple of options that make knowing HTML redundant.

Website design software includes programs like Microsoft’s Frontpage, and Adobe’s Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver is quite an expensive package, though it is the preferred software for many designers.

Website builders range from a monthly subscription that includes your webhosting, like SiteBuildIt. Or standalone packages that you pay for once and can use on as many websites as you want. These include the excellent XSitePRo, Rapid Niche Websites, as well as a few newer, CMS-based systems (CMS stands for content management system).

I prefer website builders even though I know HTML. They are usually very easy to use, and you can get a good looking website up quickly. Many of them, such as XSitePro and SiteBuildIt, have inbuilt SEO facilities which make checking your on-page SEO factors a breeze. This can be a particular advantage if you are new to site building as it means you don’t have to invest in an additional learning curve - at least not straight away! You actually never ‘need’ to, but it’s a good idea to start to develop some understanding of search engine optimization.

Because SiteBuildIt is a monthly subscription (paid annually), it can get expensive over the course of a website’s life. They do offer a lot of other facilities, and the fact that many of the things that you will need are all under one roof can make it ideal for people just starting out. The only drawback with SiteBuildIt is the fact that you don’t have access to upload scripts, so you lose an element of control that may become more important as you become more experienced. But my first two sites were originally made using SiteBuildIt, and they are a great way to learn the ropes.

I use XSitePro a lot. I actually recommend it as the best site builder both for beginners and more experienced marketers. I wrote about its’ many SEO benefits here.

Website builders are designed to be easy to use, and XSitePro is no exception here. They feature a “what you see is what you get” editor (known as WYSIWYG). This allows you to see exactly what your website will look like while you create it. You will not need to know HTML at all. When you look at the editor, you will see something similar to a word processing screen. You simply type away and are able to apply text formatting, insert pictures, and more. What you see on your screen is what your website visitors will see when they pull your website up into their browser.

Most website builders will come loaded with various templates and graphics that you can use. These are very easy to modify. In XSitePro you can select what color each element of your site structure will be, and easily choose what elements will be on your page.

While web design software programs will usually have some templates or themes installed, they do not usually come packaged with any graphics. If you want to include pictures on your website, you can use stock images found online.

A stock image is an image that has been submitted to a website by the photographer or illustrator who created the image. There are some very affordable stock image websites, but there are also some expensive ones. If you plan on using lots of graphics, using a website builder could potentially save you some money.

Website builders will also include some type of technical support. This may include phone and email support, or just one of the two. Either way, it will be much easier to get in touch with them for help, rather than calling Microsoft for help with FrontPage. The support for XSitePro and SiteBuildIt is excellent. I’ve used both, and they are both very prompt and helpful. There are also forums for both systems where active internet marketers share their advice and questions.