Web Design Software
When choosing web design software, you want to be sure that you get the very best software to suit your specific needs. There are a few questions that can be asked in order to narrow down your choices in web design software.
- Who am I in graphic design?
If you are a professional web designer or want to be, and you enjoy building the look or feel of web pages, you may be into graphic art as much or more than the actual web designing. But, if you prefer to build the pages and functions, you may be more of a programmer than a web designer. Determining where your skills and interests are will help you choose web design software that will suit you best.
You may be a small business owner and just want to design and update your company or personal websites, or you may be a beginner that wants to learn more about web development and would like to get your feet wet.
If you are a professional web designer, your needs will be different than a small business, or a beginner. The cost of professional software is more than the consumer-grade software, but the features are more robust and suiting for a professional web designer.
- What is your HTML Skill or Knowledge Level?
If you plan to build your web page, but are not familiar with HTML or programming language, you will want to be sure you get software that allows you to design the pages as you view them, and make adjustments while you view it. Many web design software programs have this capability, and it is referred to as “WYSIWYG” or “What You See Is What You Get” capability.
- Do You Already Have a Graphics Editing Program?
Some web design software includes graphic software as well, allowing you to edit graphics. If you already have graphic editing software, you may not need web design software that has graphic editing integrated in the software.
- Cost
Of course cost is always relevant. Decide your budget and review the features of the web design software that has all the features that you have determined that you need. If you need to keep the cost low, you will probably have to sacrifice on features, so be sure that you prioritize the features that you need in order to have the functionality for your desired applications.
Other Features
Other valuable features of web design software include the ability to edit XML files, non-English capabilities, database connectivity, and CSS stylesheets editor integrated in your web editor. Also be sure in choosing your web design software, that you choose an HTML editor that works on your Operating System.
Some of the most popular web design software would include Adobe, CoffeeCup, Web Studio, and ETAIL. There are also free web design software programs available online, including Intuit, netobjects.com. There are also companies that allow free trials, as well as a free download for limited versions of their web design software.