Web design software

Web design software

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I would like to design a web site for the office.
Any suggestions for the best software. I know MS Publisher can be used but would it be better to use one of the dedicated packages?
Any thoughts on :-
MS Frontpage
Hot Metal
Any others?

I would like to think the site would be of reasonable quality with some attractive effects and features.
Thanks in anticipation.

anon

Replies (8)

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By Accounting WEB
21st Jun 2000 06:16

Go for Adobe Pagemill any time!
Anon,

Go to http://www.adobe.com
and check out Adobe PageMill. It is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) software, less expensive than most and easy to learn.

My advice is stay away from MS (grin) and don't torture yourself trying to save a few pounds by using software not dedicated for creating web sites.

Best wishes
Harry Kafka
http://www.cpamarketingtips.com

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By dclark
06th Jun 2000 09:53

What do users want it for
Although the question was more to do with "which package is best to design a web site" there are some other general issues to consider :

1 will your ISP accept the forms created in your web site. We found that a well known ISP did not accept FontPage 2000 server extensions (hopefully the correct technical explanation) and we had to inser HTML text that they provided. Not much of an issue in the end, but a bit of a surprise

2 if you are thinking of linking a web site (through the use of orders and catelogues) to your accounting system you are essentially faced with three routes.........buy a package that offers proprietory linking software (examples in other messages), buy a package with XML links (see basda.org) so you can design your own website or use a standalone webstore package. There is no right answer

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By AnonymousUser
05th Jun 2000 08:32

Free web page software
You can download absolutely free a web page developer - 1st Page 2000 - from an Australian company called evrSoft. Check it out at http://www.evrsoft.com

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By User deleted
26th May 2000 11:37

Web design software
Try www.freewarehome.com under HTML tools. WARNING- do not use MS Publisher to build your site- the files will be too big and the design will be rubbish.

If you need help- contact me at [email protected]

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By AnonymousUser
31st May 2000 18:59

Care is needed
Your web site will probably turn out to be excellent, but a word of caution is offered here.

Your web site is possibly going to become the first point of call for a prospective customer. It is therefore of paramount importance to make sure your 24x365 advertisement gets the potential customer to the point where they will pick up the phone to speak to you. In this game it is all too easy for a prospective client to form an opinion about a company based upon their first impressions. It's usual to wander around a few different web sites when looking for a supplier (etc), and making a choice on what you see.

Don't be put off by the above, it is quite possible to create an excellent web site without having significant web skills. Artistic ability is way more important than technical skills if you need to persuade people you are a reputable company to do business with. If you aren't technically gifted then I'd certainly offer Microsoft FrontPage 2000 as a super package to get you to the first floor of web development. It isn't all that expensive and it is good at what it does.

One last comment. Having a web site is all well and good, but that's just the start of the ballgame. You have to know how to get people visiting your web site, which means promoting its visibility. Don't be too enthusiastic about these "for 20 bucks we'll submit you to ten gazillion search engines". It's far better to be highly placed in the busiest top 10 search engines, than to have a mediocre position on 10 gazillion engines where no-one will find you. Sure they will submit you as they say, but unless you have a thorough understanding of how search engines strut their stuff then simply submitting your URL to an engine isn't likely to produce the goodies. I offer web site submission as a professional service (I'm not touting for business here, honest), and I can honestly say it is hard work getting client sites towards the top rankings!

Good luck with the web site!

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By Accounting WEB
31st May 2000 11:26

Integrated E-Business solutions
Sage Software Ltd have launched a number of E-Business Solutions, aimed at small-to-medium sized enterprises. These range from FREE website creation tools to more sophisticated site creation and online trading products. The latest releases also integrate with Sage's desktop accounting software, allowing catalogue upload, order download and secure online credit card processing functionality.

For further information please refer to the Web Tools area on http://www.uk.sage.com.

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By Accounting WEB
30th May 2000 13:39

AccessweB
Access Accounting's product AccessweB could be the product you are looking for. It is an 'off the shelf' package designed to help the user design and update their marketing web site without any web design skills.

If you would like any more information then please feel free to get in touch.

Julian Griffiths
Foresight EFG Ltd
[email protected]

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By Accounting WEB
28th May 2000 15:15

Web design software
MS Frontpage is an excellent bet for setting up and updating a web site. It has the advantage of having a graphics module for applying effects to photographs, text etc. It also enables roll over effects on navigation buttons through the use of a range of themes for backgrounds (alternative themes are available on line).

Disadvantage to be wary of is the need for special frontpage extensions on your web server. If you have these then go for MS Frontpage as a superb starter package.

More professional design software is Macromedia Dreamweaver coupled with graphics software - but this runs into hundreds of pounds more.

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