Compare web design packages available in 2011

Let's face it, every business needs a website these days if it is going to keep up with the competition. While there are many professional web design services available, they naturally come at a cost. A cost-effective alternative is to do your own website design. While there are some fantastic packages available at a price, in this article, we will be comparing web design packages that can be bought for under £50.

Visual site designer

Produced by Coffee Cup software, this package incorporates an intuitive WYSIWYG interface as well as a FTP client. This allows you to easily upload changes directly to your site. While Coffee Cup charge for technical support via live chat, they offer a free email support service. This combined with the easy WYSIWYG functionality and detailed HTML editor means this package is ideal for beginners.

Web Easy Professional 8

Published by Avanquest Software, this package will help you to create a website without having to resort to weeks of studying aspects such as graphic design or HTML. The programme is effective but simple and comprises over 400 site templates. In addition, the drag-and-drop functionality is great. On the downside, being unable to add videos in the multimedia section is a limitation, but at this price this can be expected.

Evrsoft First Page Pro

This package from Evrsoft is a 100 per cent reliable HTML editor and web design programme. The First Page Pro incorporates a handy colour-coded language highlighting as well as an excellent live preview mode. However, due to its relatively complicated applications, this package is more suitable for those with at least some web design experience.

HTML-Kit Tools 300

This lightweight package produced by HTML- Kit is smooth, reliable and offers a wide range of features to suit web builders at all levels. Incorporating macros, customisable hotkeys and plug-ins this package can be converted into an individualised IDE, making it ideal for all types of web projects. In addition, the package includes a very useful, active community forum in times of need. Some knowledge of markup languages is required to use this package in its entirety. UltraEdit v. 15.00 Finally, this package from IDM Computer Solutions Inc. offers extensive customisation options as well as an intuitive layout. Technical support is also always readily available. While the range of features is impressive, their complexity can often be a little baffling for beginners, so this package is ideally suited for relatively experienced users.