Free Web Design Tools
From LoveToKnow Web-Design
If you're on a budget, but want some snazzy resources for your web site, you may want to turn to free web design tools. From message boards, to free web design software, to free chat rooms, there is a plethora of items that will help your web site look its best and be user friendly.
Best Free Web Design Tools
Some of the best free web design tools are the simplest. There are more web design tools and helps than could possibly be covered in one article, but here are some of the best choices:
Free Browser
If you get serious about web design, you'll likely want to use Mozilla Firefox] browser at some point. Firefox offers a toolbar option for web designers. Some of the features included are:
- Edit Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- Custom site speed reports
- Display of ID and class detail for CSS debugs
- Code validators
These are just a few of the features available, check out the full list for specifics.
HTML Editors and Website Builders
Can't afford Dreamweaver for your small, start-up site? You're not alone. Even successful web designers have a hard time dishing out big bucks for web design software. Some of the free templates can help you understand how to design a web page.There are many alternatives that can help you build your site easily without spending a lot of money. One option is some of the free software available that will help you edit HTML and build websites. Some of the better options include:
Free Banner Makers
Whether you're looking for an animated banner to promote your new site or you want to create banners to sell to others as ad space on your site, you'll find some terrific free resources for creating banners that look professional. Try these sites to get started in website banner creation:
You may also want to experiment with free graphics software that may already be on your computer, such as Paint or PaintShop. You can often pick up inexpensive copies of graphic design software used on sites such as Amazon and eBay.
Open Source
If you have a host for your domain name, it is likely that you have access to many of the Open Source projects out there. Many control panels even offer Fantastico, which can help you install some of these software programs with just a few clicks. The programming language is typically fairly easy to learn and there are a lot of online tutorials and community forums where you can learn more about the software and how to customize to suit your needs. Here are a few of the more popular Open Source projects and websites that will explain open source in further detail:
- Mambo – This software received the 2006 Open Source CMS Award. Perfect for web designers who want an easy-to-use Content Management System. Check it out for a complete website solution. Make sure you always keep backups whenever using any type of platform in case of coding errors. You can always go back to the latest version that worked well in this way.
- OpenSource.org – This site is a large community of Open Source enthusiasts. Not only will you find links to tools you can use as a web designer, but you can visit the forums to get questions answered or read articles on a wide variety of topics.
- WordPress – This software helps web designers create streamlined and interesting looking blogs. Many different templates and plug-ins are available for WordPress to make it even more efficient. You can do everything from blocking spam to adding Google AdSense automatically.
Additional Resources for Your Website
As mentioned before, there are so many free tools for web designers that it would be impossible to cover them all. For a run-down of some of the other items available, you may want to try a Google search. You can also look at sites that compile free software downloads such as:
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