Is it better to use standalone website design software or online site builder?

With more and more business owners looking for online presence, many software developing companies have come to realize the increasing popularity and usefulness of easy-to-use website design software.

If you are a novice in designing website and don't wanna spend hours learning HTML and Flash for just building a single website, website builder software is your choice. There are a wide variety of powerful web design software available in the market that allow you to create a professionally-looking, feature-rich website without hassle. What's more, the template-based software enables users to create a website in a fraction of the time it would take them to do from scratch.

While choosing a website builder software, you can take your pick between the web based ones and the standalone PC based ones, based on what suits your needs. If you do not have a webhosting account yet, go for an online site builder where free domain hostings are offered to the users. In case you have a slow internet connection that often goes awry, going for a locally-installed website builder software that doesn't need you be online while creating your web pages should be the ideal solution.

However, many users still prefer using the standalone web design software to the online website builder. Here are a few reasons explaining why:

No need to worry about losing the website: Online site builders require users to create and save all their web pages and files online. That means your entire site will be gone if you forget to pay the monthly renewal fee or the server crashes. By using standalone website builder where the website files are stored on your PC, there is no need to worry about your website will be removed unexpectedly.

Compatible with any web hosting providers: If you decide to switch to another webhosting provider, again your website pages will be lost. That means you need to manually copy your pages and settings to your PC first, then rebuild your pages again when you set up your site at new web hosting provider. This is very labour intensive! Using PC-based website builder, you can upload your site to the Internet with the built-in FTP feature to any web hosting providers.

Build unlimited websites: Most online website builders limit you to build only one website. If you want to create another website, most likely you have to purchase another account. One of the main advantages of standalone website builder is that you can build as many website projects as you like by just paying a once-off fee.

Customizable: Many elements in online website builder are not customizable. You are locked into their own format and can't modify it. Compared to online site builder, the PC-based one gives you the flexibility to customize the template any way you like.

Given the overwhelming advantages of locally-installed website builder over the online builder, get started now and download a free trial version to create your website complete with pictures, video clips, music and more in just a few short minutes.

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