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Deciding on web design software is an important step towards getting online. You’ll spend most of your time using this software during your web project. Spend quality time choosing software that meets your site’s needs and matches your abilities.

There are many software packages that build web sites, from simple browser-based wizards to Adobe’s DreamWeaver. They range in capabilities, flexibility, price, ease of use and the technical expertise required to use them.

Many people believe they need a professional product. These can do anything, but come at a steep price. Professional software is very complex to learn, understand and use. Unless you’re technically astute and willing to put a great deal of time into learning the technology, you likely don’t want this option.

Basic products are the wizard-based web builders that hosting companies offer. These can work for one- or two-page sites, but they quickly reach their limits and are not appropriate for a business site. Do not use an online web site builder.

Business software features “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) editors that will typically hide the underlying technologies from you. This enables you to concentrate on creating your site instead of on how to force the software to perform. The better ones will accept third-party features; will integrate the components necessary to create and upload the site to the Web; and will automatically manage the hundreds of files involved. Some include hosting, some offer optional hosting, and some even offer domain name registration.

Most web design software is sold on the Web. Read their sites, watch their videos, read customer testimonials, and view sites built with the software. Most importantly, try the software. The better vendors offer a free 30-day trial period. However, some disable their trials. Don’t try disabled software; you need to know how well everything performs. If you find a glitch, call their technical support. You’d be surprised how often a misunderstanding is solved with a quick phone call. If you can’t get help or don’t like the software, stop and try another.

3. Technical Support

Here’s the most important factor in your decision — buying the software and other products and services you’ll need from companies that offer telephone support. You’ll need this not because building a web site is difficult, but because it’s new and different. Most vendors offer free telephone support, some charge, some offer no phone support, and some have no support at all.

Your web site will become a large part of your business. Various aspects of your web site will be subcontracted to vendors you’ve never worked with, and you need to be able to talk directly to them as you do your current vendors.

The host is where your web site resides. You upload it from your software to the host, where it becomes available on the Internet. Hosting is critical to your business — if your host is down, your site isn’t on the Web. Look for reliability, stability and longevity in a host. Forget price. Hosting prices have fallen dramatically. You can get hosting for a few dollars a month. Don’t look for the cheapest.

4. Hosting

Today, hosts all offer pretty much the same features. If you’re going to have lots of videos or sound, you should consult with the host to see what size hosting plan they recommend. For everyone else, 1Gb is plenty.

You also need 24/7/365 telephone support. If your site goes down, you need someone to call immediately. Remember your online store is open 24 hours a day, everyday, worldwide. Look for a month-to-month hosting agreement; not a multi-year plan. If you have a problematic host, you may be reluctant to change because you’ve already paid. At $3.00 per month for two years, switching isn’t a huge loss, it is $72. An unreliable host could cost thousands!

You want a host that’s existed for at least five years and owns its equipment. You do not want a host that’s an affiliate of a larger host. These smaller companies resell the host’s services under their own names, and they may not be able to provide the support you need. Your host will give you information about how to upload your web site. You’ll get an FTP address, a user ID, and a password. Keep this information in a safe place.

5. Picking a Domain Name

A domain name is the address of your web site on the Internet. If your web address were http://www.mysite.com, mysite.com would be your site’s domain name. Get a name that matches or closely matches your business name or service type. There are millions of domain names in use. That means many are taken and unfortunately no two names can be the same. Your host probably provides domain names. Some types of web software offer hosting and domain names from within the software itself. This simplifies things and adds a level of compatibility between components.

Domain names are registered for a period of time. Don’t let your domain name expire, or you could lose it and your online store. Once expired, others can get your name. Only register a domain name with a registrar who has, you guessed it, telephone support. If you forget to re-register and you can’t contact your registrar, you could be in big trouble.

Regardless of where you get the name, you’ll enter the name you want with a .com at the end. You’ll get a list of names that match or are similar to your request. Choose the best or continue your search by entering another name. Keep the contact information about your domain name registrar in a safe place along with its expiration date. It could be a year before you need it next, so make it an obvious, safe place.

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