Free Website Design Software
Every single windows-based computer already comes equipped with Notepad, which can be used to create websites from scratch if you’re already adept at manual HTML coding, but since this guide is aimed at beginners, a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor like nVu be more appropriate. NVu (pronounced as N-view) is an ideal starting point as it can be used as a point and click, object-oriented web development software but also offers powerful technical features for advanced users.
NVu website: http://nvudev.com/index.php
Free Graphic Design Softwares
A webpage with no visual design would look bland and will not attract many visitors, so you need an image editing program to create images yourself, or to improve and optimize the ones you already have. MS Paint is serviceable and comes with every windows-based machine, but if you want a more capable program, PAINT.NET would serve as a perfect free alternative to commercial programs like Adobe Photoshop and Paintshop Pro.
Paint.net: http://www.getpaint.net
Free Hosting Service
These days, free hosting is abundant and easily attainable. Most of them even have shortened URLs to make your site easier to remember. You can use the shortened URLs if you can’t or don’t want to spend money on your own domain name.
While almost all free hosting services are supported by advertisement, they always offer to remove the banners or the ads for a nominal fee so you have the option of an ad-free site when you eventually decide to spend more money.
Free hosting sites:
Freewebs: http://www.freewebs.com
50 Megs: http://www.50megs.com
Heliohost: http://www.heliohost.org
Free Content Management System
If you don’t want to create new html pages everytime you update parts of your site, you may need to install a CMS (Content Management System) in your website. Luckily, there are numerous blogging services floating around the net. They even have an option of hosting your site in their servers and provide you with your own subdomain, which gets rid of your need for a separate Web Hosting and Subdomain service. They also come with layout creation wizards with ready-made layout templates that will replace your need for a third party Website Design software.
So as a last ditch effort, if you’re pressed for time or do not want to go through all the trouble of creating a website yourself and just want to have one, you can use one of the numerous free CMS providers like Blogspot and Xanga.
Blogspot: http://www.blogspot.com
Xanga: http://www.xanga.com
The examples of free softwares and services mentioned should be enough to help you start your own website without requiring you to spend a single dollar. Using them, you can focus on expressing yourself through the internet without getting bogged down with finances. You can prove that Web Development can serve as a fulfilling and enjoyable hobby that comes free of charge.
