The ancient way to make a website was to write the code in HTML yourself and upload the .html files to a server.  You purchased a domain name from Network Solutions, and assigned it to your web host’s server.

Then HTML editors came along.  The most popular one is Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Dreamweaver CS3, which at the time of this writing sells for $399.   HTML editors are designed to enable website creation without having to deal directly with code.  They have a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface.  They allow you to type text, create tables, insert videos, insert hyperlinks, and change fonts and colors by using buttons/links on the editor’s control panels.   There is still a learning curve to use editors like Dreamweaver, but it’s nothing like having to learn a programming language.  People love it because of its simplicity of use.

Now there are free html editors that you can download to your computer.   They aren’t as comprehensive and versatile as Dreamweaver, but they can still get the job done.  Examples include Kompozer and Trellian.

One particularly interesting free website creator is Blinkweb.   It allows you to drag and drop commonly used website elements such as text boxes, image boxes, forms, and columns onto a working page.  Blinkweb is perhaps the fastest and most “dummy-proof” free website creator and creates surprisingly good looking websites.  However, if you absolutely need to have more control over colors, fonts, and layout it doesn’t give you the versatility to make these changes.  But if you want to put up a decent website really fast, Blinkweb may be the answer.

A website creator that is in a category all by itself  is Sitebuildit, or SBI.  SBI is an all-in-one, web-based “internet business creation” system that takes you from your idea to a full-blown, income producing website.  It has various modules with integrated tools that teach you how to handle common challenges each step of the way.  For example, it even helps you choose a subject/niche to base your website on using the Brainstormit module.  SBI also helps with search engine optimization and shopping carts.  It’s got thousands of loyal followers who help each other out on the forums.