A Beginner's Guide to the Best Web Design Software

A website can don many faces. For some people, it is more about personal expression, for example, ablog. For others, it serves as an advertisement for their business, as it provides all relevantinformation that one would seek about it. And for those who are involved in an e-commerce venture,it is the very front of their business. Whatever be the purpose, creating a website that is appropriateis the actual challenge. The good news is, there is more than one road that can be taken along thepath to building your website.

Some web design software/tools are simplified to such an extent that all one needs to do is drag anddrop the various elements around in a readily available template. Other software follow the what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) mechanism, where one can format their work the same way asone does in a word processor, and they get to see these effects in real time. Some web designingsoftware even provide templates so that one just needs to modify content. We have featured bothvisual-based web designing software, as well as powerful editors.

Before you embark on the task of picking an appropriate web design software to meet your needs,here are a few tips for aspiring web developers who are just getting started.

We have provided you with a glimpse into the various options you have, and the best software youcan take the help of, especially if you are a beginner. While not all these software are free-t--download, all of them are definitely very easy to use.

? This program is part of a software suite that provides an all-encompassing solution to superior webcreation, developed by CoffeeCup Inc. However, by itself, this software is quite capable, andprovides a number of handy tools for aspiring web designers.

? There are two versions available for download; the Free version, and the Full version, which costsUSD 69. Purchasers of the Full version can have access to advanced features, while basic featureshave been made available to those who download the Free version. However, the striking features ofthis software (Open from Web, Tabbed UI for different pages, etc.) have not been denied to thosewho are using the Free version.

? Versions of this software are available for Windows Vista and above, as well as Mac OS X.

? The key features of this software are;

Learning Environment:- The software comes with an easy-to-understand user guide, and interactivelearning capabilities at every step of coding.

Code Completion:- For inexperienced HTML coders, code completion prompts you with a validsyntax as you type, which helps to minimize your code debugging time.

Moreover, the software comes with an HTML Validator, compliant with W3C standards, thatautomatically tells you where and how to fix coding errors.

Availability of Templates:- This software allows you to choose from a wide range of templates, that

can give you a head-start, as opposed to designing the layout from scratch. You can view how thetemplate looks beforehand selecting it for your page.

Advanced Support:- Professional or experienced web designers are provided inherent support formultiple programming languages. It even comes with a CSS menu builder. Also, unlike in othercoding environment, repetitive code can be modified just once, and the changes will be reflected inall instances of it.

Open from Web:- A unique feature of this software is that it allows you to open a pre-existing page(even if you aren't the author) off the internet, and use it as a base template, where you can makechanges and edit content.

This software helps you organize various pages on your website very efficiently in a tabbed interfaceformat.

? Click here to download this software from the official website.

? PageBreeze is a WYSIWYG-format HTML editor, and it is one of the best available software forbeginners in web design. It provides excellent tools to build simple, professional-looking web pages,and is thus favored by experienced web creators too.

? It comes in two variants; a Free version and a Pro version that is fully licensed for commercial use.While the free version is primarily designed for personal use, or otherwise for the purpose oflearning, whereas one can purchase the licensed software for use in a for-profit environment, forUSD 49.99.

? The major drawback of PageBreeze is that Mac users cannot benefit much from it, as it is designedonly for Windows, and is compatible with most versions of Windows. It also requires InternetExplorer 7.0, or higher to be installed on the user's computer.

? The following are the key features of this software that makes it so popular with aspiring as well asseasoned web designers;

Visual Mode:- Since the WYSIWYG mechanism is supported in this software, one does not need tohave much prior knowledge of HTML coding, and it is quite simple to go back-and-forth from Visualto Source Modes. Changes made in one mode are instantly reflected in the other mode.

Multi-platform Support:- The latest version, PageBreeze 5.0 (and updates), supports the latest HTMLstandards, and in the Pro version, web designers are even provided support for Flash and PHP. Thebasic version even provides web-form-generators, which can help one create web forms without theuse of scripting or style sheets.

Templates:- A variety of web page templates are provided in even the free version (obviously,additional templates are made available to licensed users), for ready creation of web pages.

Web Page Preview:- One can preview how their page will look on an actual browser, as InternetExplorer and this software are integrated.

Ease of Use and Support:- Help topics and online support, where users' queries are answered, areconstantly provided for this software.

The Pro version comes with other advanced features like built-in FTP Publishing, that too oversecure FTP, and Multiple Editor Windows, a feature that allows one to edit more than one web pageat a time, and copy-paste content, and formatting, across them.

? PageBreeze can be downloaded here for free, and you can purchase the full, licensed version here.

? Almost everyone who has decided to embark along the road to web page development has heard ofthis software at least once. Dreamweaver was first developed by Macromedia, and was lateracquired by Adobe. It is a part of Adobe's Creative Cloud (CC), and it is absolutely the best webdesign software available for both beginners as well as veteran designers.

? The interface is user-friendly, and the software interactive to make it easy enough for beginners tolearn, and optimum for professionals to create masterpieces on. Since Dreamweaver is quite popularin the web designing software, there is no dearth of available web tutorials and videos to come tothe ready aid of beginners, and Adobe themselves offer downloadable PDF files with in-depthtutorials and explanations for each and every available feature.

? There are versions available, that are compatible with both Windows as well as OS X.

? The only real drawback of this software is its whopping cost. For an individual user, DreamweaverCC costs USD 19.99 per month for an annual subscription, or USD 29.99 for a single month.However, some argue that this price is worth paying for the superior experience, features, andlearning environment that one can avail of with this software.

? The key features of this software are;

All the basic features of a web design software, such as Syntax Highlighting, and Code Completionare present with other unique features as well.

Live View:- Taking the WYSIWYG mechanism to a whole new level, this mode splits the screen intotwo, with one being your source code, and the other being a browser view of your web page, andallows you to literally see changes made in one mode reflected in the other in real time. What'smore, you can restructure, copy-paste, and drag-and-drop elements even in the visual mode.

Element Quick View:- You do not have to physically peruse through many lines of HTML code, as this

mode displays the elements in a very clear manner. One can also apply CSS in this mode, andrestructure, copy-paste, or delete elements.

Multi-Platform Support:- Dreamweaver not only allows you to edit HTML and create and edit stylesheets, but it also allows you to work with CSS, Javascript, and server-side frameworks (PHP,ASP.NET, etc.) Text input can be in any language; it even provides support to type in Arabic (or anyright-to-left script language) in the coding mode.

Sophisticated Style Sheet Editing:- The support for CSS in this app is unparalleled. Dreamweaver CCcomes with a completely amazing CSS Designer, that not only allows you to add and edit effectsusing a visual tool, but also to select and copy preferred styles and paste them in other elements,giving you systematic control over the process.

This software also allows you access the library of Adobe Edge's Web Fonts for free, that can beused in your design.

? Click here to visit the official website, and get information about the various plans available topurchase this software.

? Reviewed to be amongst the top five web design software for beginners by a number of surveysand tech magazines, this software was developed, and is being marketed, by Avanquest Software,and is favored mainly because of its ease of use.

? It is a Windows-based software that works with Windows XP and upwards, and costs USD 49.95.

? The key features available to users are;

When it comes to design, all kinds of features are available, such as direct insertion of Buttonslinking to social networking websites, a built-in Spell-Check, Support to Integrate your Website withPayPal, the ability to display Online Photo Albums, and much more.

Availability of Templates:- More than a thousand templates are available to users, and one can easilymake websites on their basis. The templates are completely customizable, and have built-in workingnavigation links too.

Drag-and-Drop:- While using this software, one can easily use the simple drag-and-drop features, toadd content, images, or elements (forms, etc.), which are customizable, and also, all effects can beadded from a visual interface, with no requirement of prior knowledge of coding languages. Thismakes it even more appealing to beginners.

Support for Custom Requirements:- This software provides customizable support for features relatedto personal requirements, such as, if you wish to build an e-commerce website, you can choose fromspecific custom layouts, or if you want to perform search engine optimization (SEO) for yourwebsite, tools are available to help you.

Web Hosting/Publishing:- Unlike many other web design tools, this software provides support rightuntil your website is published for the world to see. From providing personalized domain names topublishing your site from within WebEasy itself, assistance is provided at every step.

? The official website for this software, from where it can be bought, can be reached by clickinghere.

? Move over, Windows-based web design software. This one is especially for Mac users.RapidWeaver is an excellent web design tool, developed and optimized for the Apple environment,by Realmac Software Ltd.

? Reasons to opt for this software are its simplicity of understanding, visual interface, convenience ofuse for even people who do not possess any prior coding knowledge, and the beautifully designedworkflow.

? RapidWeaver 6 costs USD 89.99, and the upgrade from previous versions costs USD 39.99.

? The key features of this software are:

The Markdown Feature:- One does not physically need to write any code. They can use page buildersof different kinds, including photo albums, and blogs, and the code will be dynamically generated bythe software.

Autosave, and Versions:- Something that many contemporary software with the same premise havenot thought of, RapidWeaver saves your project dynamically, and also allows you to revert toprevious versions with ease.

Themes and Add-ons:- Unlike other web design software, there are no limitations. One can easilydesign custom themes for the workflow and web pages, and in fact, there are a number of third-party companies who do exactly that. Templates are available in plenty to choose from. Moreover,the functionality of this program by itself, which will hence result in more options for web design,can be increased with the help of add-ons, such as plug-ins.

All the basic features, like Coding with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, Support to Design ResponsiveWebsites, a Workflow Organizer, and so on, are available, and one can even publish their websiteeasily from within RapidWeaver itself.

? Visit the official website to purchase this amazing software here.

? WordPress is celebrated as the most widespread blogging website/tool/software available today,and there are very good reasons why it can be used as an excellent web design tool for beginners.

? With flexible hosting and subscription options (both free and paid), a wide range of themes, ortemplates are available. Of which many are free, while others fall under the 'premium' category, andare thus chargeable. The facility to extend functionality by using plug-ins, which again come in bothcharged and free variants, not to mention the wide audience this platform reaches out to, WordPresshas an extremely favorable environment for both amateurs and professionals to build websites.

? A basic wordpress.com blog (hosted by WordPress, and thus carrying a wordpress.com domainname) can be created for free, and one can have access to a whole host of free themes. The themesare all-encompassing, and fall in different categories, thus having appropriate layout, styling, andsupport for links. If you wish to use premium themes, or if you wish to modify the CSS styling on thethemes, you need to subscribe for a premium upgrade, which costs USD 99 per year for a Premiumaccount, and USD 299 per year, for a Business account to access still more advanced features.Premium upgradation also allows you a custom domain name, amongst other benefits.

? Plug-ins can help to turn a simple blog-format page into a comprehensive website with a differentfunctionality. You can add forms, or email/chat support, payment options for visitors (in cases such

as, if you are building an e-commerce website), image galleries, embedded videos, and much more.

? Creation of a website using the WordPress software, requires you to invest in hosting, andoptionally in premium themes, and/or plug-ins (which is not even required, given the wide range offree themes and plug-ins available). However, the software is free to download, and supports theWYSIWYG mechanism of web designing, with a two-tabbed interface, having a code editor on onetab, and a visual interface on the other.

? What's more, someone familiar with coding using MySQL or PHP, in addition to HTML, CSS, andJavascript, can also do so on this platform.

? Being open-source, a lot of support is provided to new users to familiarize themselves with thisplatform, and hence, it is the perfect stepping stone for aspiring web developers to successfullymake a mark on the internet.

? Visit the wordpress.org website here, to start using the WordPress software, or else, create yourwebsite for at wordpress.com

? OpenBEXI is an open-source WYSIWYG-format HTML editor that has a GNU general public license.It is very user-friendly, and is a very handy software for budding web designers with little or nocoding experience.

? Since it is open-source, it is free-to-download, is being constantly updated, and there are readilyavailable tutorials to understand its working.

? Its key features are:

Easy Visual Editor:- Since the WYSIWYG mechanism is followed, users can easily see how changeswill appear in the browser view if it was an actual published website.

Publisher:- With a built-in publisher, web pages created on OpenBEXI can easily be made live, usingthe OpenBEXI Publisher.

Widgets:- Adding components to the page is very easy, without requiring prior coding experience orknowledge, as photo galleries, charts, forms, and various other elements can be easily added to thepage. It also integrates tools that allow you to add dynamic elements (such as dynamic charts, grids,etc.), form input validators, and so on, to your page.

? Visit the official website here to get started.

? The selling point of this software is its friendly user-interface that makes building websites forbeginners or novices very simple. However, it is only available for Windows.

? It comes in two variants; the basic version costs USD 49.99, while the Premium version costs USD99.99, and has advanced features.

? The key features, that make the Xara Web Designer software so appealing, are as follows.

Drag-and-Drop:- Adding elements to the web page you are designing involves a simple drag-and-dropfeature, which is what makes it so appealing to those who are unfamiliar with coding languages.Restructuring, resizing, shifting components around, and determining properties, such as the effect

of a mouse-over action, text-wrap, or adding a hyperlink, can also be done with ease.

Interactive Support:- The software provides a quick overview of all the features it possesses in thebeginning, and later too, there is interactive support provided at every step to help beginners.

Beautiful Themes and Templates:- This software comes with a wide range of themes and templates,to help you build any kind of website, and these have stunning layouts. Meanwhile, you can addelements like photo galleries, widgets for e-commerce sites (integration of web services like PayPal),social networking widgets, location, and much more.

? The software can be downloaded from the official website here.

? Yet another open-source WYSIWYG-based web editor, BlueGriffon was developed by DanielGlazman, and runs on Gecko-the same engine that powers Mozilla Firefox.

? The operating systems for which it is available include Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

? While the software itself is free-to-download, since it is open-source, out of the various add-ons thatare available for it, some are charged.

? The key features of this software are:

Wide Support for Languages and Formats:- Not only can you create, open, or edit pages that havenot even been created on BlueGriffon originally, but this software supports HTML5, CS3, and letsyou create and edit vector graphics with a supported SVG Editor. Using MathML, any mathematicalformula can be created in the proper layout. It also supports multiple languages.

Unbelievable Extensibility:- Everything from obtaining template layouts (for beginners withminimum coding experience), table (and other format) generators, professional CSS editing, webpublishing, the Active View mode (that lets you see previews in real time), eye dropper color picker,workflow manager, and even a word count, is possible by using add-ons.

? The official website can be visited here.

? Microsoft has been one of the pioneers of computer software, and true to that reputation, thecompany has developed the Visual Studio software suite, which contains a handful of applicationdevelopment tools, including one for web design. The Visual Studio Express suite is also,additionally, free and lightweight, and the software it contains can be downloaded as per one'splatform or specific requirement. Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express is one of these tools.

? Beginners will find this learning environment quite conducive, because of the depth of supportavailable, and ease of understanding. The need for coding knowledge will seem like a drawback atfirst, but the software is designed to help amateurs learn professional web designing easily. Forexpert coders, especially those well-versed with working on the ASP.NET framework, this is a verypowerful, and capability-packed environment.

? The key feature of this software include:

Using this software, you are given the ability to create and/or edit absolutely any kind of website,web application, and server-end web page. One can even create a website on a remote FTP server towhich one has access.

The software supports web designing using both ASP.NET as well as HTML. For this, it has a built-inweb designer.

Design Mode:- This is a WYSIWYG-format interface, where one can make changes in a more visualinterface. A Source Mode is also available for direct coding, and in this mode you have the benefit ofauto-correction of code, spell-check, and a code validator

Availability of Master Plates:- These are templates that are customizable in terms of styling. In thedesign mode, one can change CSS properties of any element using an easy visual interface.

? You can visit the official website here, and download this software here.

Since web designing is a dynamic process, and at the end of the day, the beauty of the web pagedepends solely on the vision of the web designer, how effective your site turns out to be is entirelyup to you. While the cost and complexity involved with even the

software may make the task seem daunting, the truth is, the more you experiment and learn, thebetter your page turns out to be. And most importantly, although it is tempting, do not completelyignore the merits of familiarizing yourself with the basics of web designing language tools (such asHTML), as in the long run, this is what will help you design better websites.