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There are several ways you can create your Web site without spending a dime. No fancy tools are required, though they can make the job easier. In fact, you could create your Web site using a text editor or any word processor that lets you save files in plain text format. But, you don't have to be quite that spartan to be frugal. There are a number of full-featured HTML (hypertext markup language - the "code" Web pages are written in) editors available for free. 

As you start browsing through the available freebies, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, is the editor your considering graphical, or not? Some simply provide an interface for typing in HTML, and to view what your page will actually look like you'll have to save it in and look at it with a Web browser. Other editors (also called site building programs) allow you to view your work in its full graphical glory with the click of the mouse, without changing programs. Unless you're very experienced, look for one of these.

The next thing is, how much help does the editor have built in? Some leave you entirely on your own, while others will go so far as to automagically complete HTML tags for you as you enter them. And unless you have an HTML reference at your side, you'll want an editor that includes a built-in list of tags to help you remember what's available.

A less important consideration is whether the program includes built-in features that enable you to upload your site to your hosting service. Some free programs do include this, but it's easy enough to use an ftp program to do so as a separate operation.

Finally, before you spend a lot of time reading through the features of a particular program and downloading it to your computer, be sure to check that it will run on the kind of computer you have. Many won't run on Apple Macintosh computers, at least not unless your running software to make your Mac act like an Windows computer. Others won't run under Windows. 

Fortunately, coding straight HTML is not very difficult, and even if you're a beginner you'll pick it up quickly. If you decide to build a really complex site, you might want a more advanced tool with extensive site creation and management features, but for almost everyone, one of these freebies will do the trick quite nicely. 

Are you ready to search for free editing tools?