Designing a website is one of the most important parts of operating an online business, but it can often be one of the most costly aspects as well. If you’re in business to make money, then you probably have some reservations about spending a lot of it before you even get started. So if you don’t have the money available to invest, here are some tips to help you design a professional website for free.
Most people know that Photoshop is hands down the best image manipulation software out there. However, you probably also realize that it’s very expensive. If you want a no-cost version, GIMP is fantastic. It essentially gives you 8 out of 10 of all Photoshop features and it won’t cost you a penny. You can design and edit anything your heart desires.
Having a free website, you won’t receive a ton of features from a web host, such as a wide array of php plug-ins and other goodies. One way to make your site stand out as professional is to use some Google tools. Google Voice, for example, is an app that can be installed on your free website, and this gives you the ability to speak with people live from your site.
Loading your files up to the ftp server is crucial for designing, quick fixes, testing, storage, etc. So, how do you access this server if you don’t have a paid-for control panel feature from an expensive web host? You simply download Filezilla for free and enter the address and port number. You have all the free access you need.
Not everyone has the skill to go through and create the actual website code (HTML) to speak the language of the internet. With a paid hosting package, your site-builder is going to translate your actions into code instantly, even intricate aspects. But going the free route, you can get a free program like Kompozer to help you design your elements and create the subsequent code needed.
There’s probably going to come a point in time where your website code needs to be cleaned up. Even if you’re not having glitches or malfunctions, the code could still be implemented in such a way that one subtle change could cause a crash. So think about a program like HTML Tidy to help you keep things clean, neat and arranged.
Camtasia, or Camstudio are fantastic programs out there that help you capture screen images and voice. Camstudio in particular is a free program that operates very simply. You open the program, drag the box out for your video dimensions, and press record. It even has a built-in editor and converter.
Operating a free website or a blog, you’re not going to be able to post your videos to these servers. You’re going to need a third-party host. This is where a site like YouTube comes in handy. The upload process is very simple, and you’ll receive an embedding link to use on your site, and you can even design a different player around the video.
Believe it or not, you can do a lot of cool things on a free website to bring the customers in. Start with using the few tactics listed above to help you save money.
