DIY How to Design Your Own Website
If you know a little HTML or XHTML, why not have a go at building a website yourself. There are many (x) HTML editors available, simply type "website design software" in your favourite search engine and the results will give you hundreds to choose from.
Two of the most popular are CoffeeCup & Dreamweaver. CoffeeCup web design software is a low budget but powerful editor, it offers a pure code editor and a WYSIWYG editor WYSIWYG, stands for "What you see is what you get" this is the part of the software where you can actually see how the web page is going to look like as you are building it.
Most website designers switch back and forth between the pure(x) HTML code editor and the WYSIWYG interface to check on the progress of a web page. The WYSIWYG element is also used for "drag and drop" features such as simply dragging an image into a web page and positioning it as required the software will then make the code to position the image exactly where its needed.
Both CoffeeCup and Dreamweaver are available as trial software, so you can download the 30 day trial versions free, at their respective websites.
Dreamweaver is the software of choice for many professional website designers it boasts a pure code editor and also a design interface where you can preview your website pages. Both web design packages allow you to either edit the web site pages locally on your computer and then upload them up onto the website via FTP, or alternatively if you are confident in your skills you can edit the pages directly on the server.
Building a website yourself
Dreamweaver & CoffeeCup also allow you to build and upload CSS Style sheets, to keep your web pages uniform throughout the website.
There are many books available to help learning how to build your own websites one of the best and most popular books is The visual quick start guide to HTML XHTML & CSS by Elizabeth Castro. This books covers all three elements of web design so you don't have to buy three separate books. Clearly laid out with color illustrations this book is highly recommended.
Do you have to keep paying for "updates" check this out as some CMS systems have a low initial price, but then charge you every few months for "updates" which you don't necessarily need. Always make sure any extra costs are clearly defined before making your choice.
Are you able to change the code? Rent or Buy. Many CMS systems are a "purchase" so that is that you buy the system and can use or modify it at will as long as you don't try to re-sell it as your own work.
Some CMS systems remain the property of the CMS company and only sell a licence to use the system, you may be not allowed to make even the smallest modification to the CSM, this may not be an issue to many people but always find out exactly what you are paying for, if it is not made clear before the purchase don't be afraid to ask.
Will you need to pay extra for a card payment plug in? Most ecommerce enabled CMS systems or "shopping cart" systems as they are sometimes known come with a payment systems or multiple payment systems already built in, however always check as some systems may require you to lease expensive card payment processing software as an expensive plug in. Please be sure to understand which payment processing options are available and what will be the cost of each.