Free Webpage Design: 10 Tools and Resources for the DIY Businessperson - Business - ECommerce

These days, it is not necessary to pay for website creation. If you don't choose spend thousands of dollars on a premium designer, there are plenty of tools out there to do it on your own. Small businesses and personal bloggers have all the tools they need to make a website for free, and while many designers make beautiful sites these days, it maybe be beyond the needs of the average small company or hobbyist.

Here are some of my favorite free webpage design tools and resources.

1. Free Publishing Software: Wordpress.org

Wordpress has revolutionized web design and most of the advice is based on this program. There are other options available, but in my opinion Wordpress offers the most value. Not to mention that great hosting providers, like HostGator, have made it a simple matter to upload the software to your cPanel with the click of a button.

2. Free Website Themes:

Wordpress offers some basic free themes with their software, but I personally get all mine from this website. They are still free but a world ahead of the standard templates. Get a little experience working in the admin area, and no one will be able to tell you didn't go with a premium theme.

3. Free Graphic Software: Gimp

This tool is brilliant. Download it at gimp.org. They even have an extensive list of websites with thousands of images you can use or customize. Just be sure you check the rights on them, but many are free for any use. I'll warn you that there is a steep learning curve in graphics design, but if you Google around a little bit, you will find some fabulous tutorials out there. Spend a week or two learning the basics and you'll be designing great logos and headers in no time.

4. Free Photos: Flikr

They have plenty of images you can use on your site, even if you are commercial. The advanced search options allow you to easily search through the photos which allow commercial use. Just take some time to get to know how the search function works and how to double check the rights of each photo.

5. Free Advertising:

List your business with Google Yellow Pages and put ads on Craigslist. You should also learn some SEO to take advantage of natural search engine traffic. And get thissome webmasters are now getting massive results by handing out free fliers in the streets that offer something of value to their customers that requires a sign-up onsite.

6. Free email: Gmail

A lot of people give Gmail and other free email providers a bad rap, but I have had email accounts with many different providers, including paid services, and I swear by Gmail. You couldn't twist my arm hard enough to choose a different one. Get to know Google Docs and some other Google features as well, and you'll find they can go a long way in streamlining your online business efforts.

7. Free WordPress Headers: ThemeHeadrs.com.

This site has a lot of nice header designs. I usually just open them up in Microsoft Publisher or Gimp and add some wordart; however, they do customizations for $10 apiece.

8. Free Monetization: Commission Junction Awesome.

Unlike some commission directories, they only support reputable companies, and there are some very high-paying programs available. Just sign up for an account and search in their system for advertising banners that fit your niche.

9. Free Theme Generator: /wpthemegen/

This Wordpress tool is awesome if you aren't happy with the limitations of a preset theme. It does have a learning curve and will be a little awkward to use at first, but if you take some time to play with the different features and experiment on what each does, you can get pretty good. Uploading a custom header is a must if you want it to look professional.

1o. Free Advice: The Warrior Forum

If you want to get serious about internet marketing and webpage design strategies, the Warrior Forum is a wealth of information. I really can't say enough about this place. There is a very positive, helpful atmosphere on the forum, and members get access to a list of free eBooks about internet marketing and free webpage design advice.

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