Do you have to be an experienced web designer to make a website?

Not at all, there are developers who couldn’t design a website if their life depended on it, they simply buy a template. If all a person wants to do is be "average," they can always use a free website template for their website that thousands of other website owners have used.

The next level would be “good.” If you only require a “good” website, you can purchase a website template. A website template that must be paid for is less apt to be used by as many site owners.

But when it comes to being "unique" and acquiring more “google juice,” better generic page rank, you must either pay a few hundred dollars and even upwards of a $1,000.00 to a web designer to design your website, or you must learn website design.

The free website templates on the Internet are usually professional in quality, but make no mistake, when you use one of these templates you are promoting the template designer much more than you are your own website.

I will only recommend the use of a free website template to those who have an advanced website builder, you can then manipulate the design enough so you are not penalized for having a duplicate template.

Of course the other option is to use one of those free online website builders. You know, the ones that do not allow you to change the design much! You have to use one of their free website templates and attempt to make design changes that reflect what you have in mind.

I have tried all of these website builders and I would never recommend the use of any of them unless you do not mind having an average website. If you do choose to go this way, grab a bottle of Aspirin, you’ll need it!

Website design comes in many levels. You can design a simple html website, or you can get into really exotic flash websites. If you are going to build a flash template, you will need some training in programs like Adobe Photoshop CS4, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe® Flash® CS3 etc. But my goal in writing these Hubs is to teach the average person the much simpler process of html web design.

One very good reason that I stick with html design for all of my websites is the fact that you will not find as many flash sites in the first few pages of generic web searches. There are many reasons for this, the main one being the length of page load time, google hates it when your website does not load quickly.

To answer my question, is it hard to design a website from scratch? Not if it is an html template, and you have the right tools. Free website builders are not the right tool, that would be like an auto mechanic using a hammer to remove your car window, It doesn't work!

As I have said many times, I have been working online for years, I build all my own websites, and of all the site builders I have used, I have stuck with Microsoft Expression Web. You will not find a better tool for designing a website. The price and ease of use for the beginner are excellent. Get it here; Make a website.

You do not have to take my word for it, go ahead and try several of the free website builders for yourself. After you have tried a few I will not even say I told you so. Go to lesson 1 Build a website.