Webmaster Tools

Essential Web Development Tools

Developing a successful web site takes a great deal of planning and preparation. An important part of your preparation is obtaining the essential tools of the trade.

Note: Web Design Mastery provides you with a complete reference guide loaded with quality resources to assist you.

HTML Editors

An HTML editor is a software program used to create and edit HTML documents.

Although some Internet marketers prefer to write their own HTML code, most prefer to use an HTML editor, as it can greatly simplify a somewhat difficult process. However, using an HTML editor has its disadvantages, as some editors have a tendency to add a lot of unnecessary coding and may not support the latest technologies.

Whether you will be writing your own HTML or using an editor, taking the time to learn HTML is very important. Not only will you gain your independence, but you'll also have the ability to add special effects that many HTML editors don't support.

Here are some popular HTML editors:

Macromedia Dreamweaver
http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/

A popular WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) HTML editor -- great for beginners and advanced users alike.

Coffee Cup
http://www.coffeecup.com/html-editor/

A popular HTML editor that's great for beginners as well as advanced users -- includes a built in browser that will enable you to instantly preview your HTML as you go.

Hot Dog Professional
http://sausage.com/products/index.html

Three HTML editors, including HotDog Junior for children, PageWiz for the novice user and Professional for advanced and budding webmasters.

Text Editors

A text editor is a software program used for editing plain text that doesn't add any special formatting.

If you're considering writing your own HTML code, you'll need a good text editor. Although it will certainly be more time consuming, your code will be much cleaner and can reduce your file size considerably.

In addition to using a text editor to write HTML, it can also be used to edit scripts and write articles.

If you have a Windows operating system, Note Pad is the preferred text editor. It should already be installed on your computer.

Although Note Pad is a great little text editor, it can't handle large files and is much better suited for smaller jobs. You may find that you'd like an editor that is more powerful, such as:

NoteTab Pro http://www.notetab.com/

TextPad http://www.textpad.com/

Note: Web Design Mastery provides you with an informative text editor tutorial that will provide you with some important information in regard to using and selecting a text editor.

FTP

File Transfer Protocol, better known as FTP, is a procedure used to upload and download files to and from your web server.

Although many HTML editors will enable you to edit and transfer pages to your server, an FTP program is still an essential tool, as you must have complete control over the files on your server.

An FTP program will enable you to upload scripts, set file permissions, create folders and transfer files to and from your server.

In order to use FTP, you'll need to download and install a software program on your computer. The most widely used FTP program is WS FTP Pro http://www.wsftp.com.

Note: Web Design Mastery provides you with a complete step by step FTP tutorial with examples and screen shots.

Graphics Editor

A graphics editor is a software program that will enable you to design and edit graphics. Graphic design is an intimidating subject for many Internet entrepreneurs. However, most of us must learn some basic design techniques in order to avoid the high costs of hiring a professional designer.

The most popular program used by Internet marketers is Paint Shop Pro. This powerful program is the only program you'll need to design professional looking graphics. http://www.jasc.com/

Note: Web Design Mastery provides you with a complete step by step graphics tutorial that will assist you in learning some basic design techniques.

Zip/Unzip Software

A Zip file is an "archive" of one or more files compressed into one file for easy distribution.

Zip files are used to compress and transport file archives over the Internet. It is the preferred method used for electronic file distribution, as rather than downloading several different files, you can simply download one Zip file. In addition, the download time will be minimized, as the files within the Zip archive are compressed.

Once a Zip file is downloaded, it can be easily opened and extracted (unzipped) with a

Zip/Unzip software program.

Although there are many Zip software programs available on the Internet, WinZip is the most popular. WinZip makes working with file archives simple. It features an easy point- and-click, drag-and-drop interface for viewing, extracting, adding, deleting and testing archived files.

You can download a fully functional evaluation version here:
http://www.winzip.com/download.htm

Note: Web Design Mastery provides you with a complete step by step ZIP tutorial that will teach you how to create and open ZIP files.

Email

Although most Internet Service Providers include email accounts for their customers, these accounts aren't adequate for an Internet business -- especially if you get a large amount of email. Not only do the email addresses contain your ISP's name, but they are also very limited on features and options.

The two most popular email clients used online are Outlook and Eudora. These programs will enable you to download email from your server and offer features, such as sorting and filtering, and will enable you to easily organize your email messages. What's more, your email address will be your own domain -- not someone else's.

Eudora http://www.eudora.com

Outlook http://www.microsoft.com/

Your webmaster toolbox will play an important part in your success. Take the time to ensure your toolbox contains these essential tools and you'll be well on your way to designing a professional web site.

Note: Think there’s really nothing to learn about sending email? You may be surprised. Web Design Mastery provides you with an informative tutorial that will teach you how to properly format your messages; how to format an email and web address so that it automatically creates a clickable link and more.

The Best Web Design Software

	Amaya 9.3 Amaya is a complete web browsing and authoring environment and comes equipped with a WYSIWYG style of interface 7.41 MB | Windows NT/2K/XP | Freeware
	Yahoo! SiteBuilder 2.2.3 New, improved software makes web site design easier than ever! 10.5 MB | Windows All | Freeware
	Blockstar Website Builder 2.0 Blockstar Website Builder - Create blogs, galleries and web pages with our website building service 5.39 MB | Windows All | Freeware
	WYSIWYG Web Builder 2.7.2 A What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get Web site builder. No HTML knowledge needed 521 KB | Windows All | Freeware
	Portello 1.05.0032 Portello is a plug-in to Internet Explorer that makes your web page editable online 5.16 MB | Windows All | Freeware
	BestAddress HTML Editor 2006 Professional 9.0.1 BestAddress HTML Editor 2005 Professional - Easily create Web sites with full-featured HTML editor 7.25 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	DHE Editor Site Builder 2.7 DHE Editor the Fast and Simple WYSIWYG WEB Editor! 6.85 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	Easy Web Creator 0.6 Easy Web Creator - create a small website as easy as 1-2-3. 564 KB | Windows All | Shareware
	Blueframe Web 3.9.1 Blueframe Web - For individuals and companies wanting to quickly create a professional website 5.69 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	Bitrix Site Manager 4.0.5 Bitrix Site Manager - Powerful tool for creating and managing of the modern web site 14.3 MB | Windows ME/NT/2K | Shareware
	Macromedia Contribute Trial Update content for any HTML website - even those built with Dreamweaver, FrontPage or other editors... 18.1 MB | Windows All | Trial
	WebLight 4.0.6 WebLight is a Website Link and HTML Analyzer 16.8 MB | Windows XP/Unix | Trial
	OverSite 1.0 OverSite allows you to easy define your web site's hierarchy 15.8 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	AzDGDatingPlatinum 1.6.3 AzDGDatingPlatinum - most powerful Dating script working on PHP and MySQL 794 KB | Windows All | Shareware
	Matchmaking Solution 2005 Matchmaking Solution is a convenient and effective web site for online marriage agencies 343 KB | Windows All | Shareware
	Trellian Internet Studio 2 Internet Studio is a range of tools for web authoring, ecommerce and searching 23.38 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	Professor PageCraft 2.0.2009 Professor PageCraft is used to generate content-heavy pages 1.07 MB | Windows All | Demo
	PayPal Shop Builder 1.5 PayPal Shop Builder - Sell your products anywhere with PayPal 5.78 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	Show.kit 2.11 A treat for everybody who needs to create a website in lightning speed 5.41 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	Easy Website Pro 2.01 Easy Website Pro - build high quality homepages in a few minutes 13.5 MB | Windows All | Trial
	WebSmartz 2.1 Website Builder, Flash Intros, & Website HTML Templates Software 9.61 MB | Windows 9X/ME/2K/XP | Shareware
	dbQwikSite PE 4.0.0.5 dbQwikSite is a Free Software to Create Database Web Sites in Seconds 11 MB | Windows All | Freeware
	SiteGrinder 1.0.6 SiteGrinder is a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop that converts Photoshop designs into whole web sites 7.35 MB | Windows All | Shareware
	PowerWebTools 2.0 An exciting new design interface with a collection of scripts 2.83 MB | Windows All | Trial