Free Webmaster Services

So you have been either; been bitten by the bug and are planning on building your own Web site or you already own a site and would like to make it look more professional. Building your own website can be a very simple task, but it can also be extremely complicated if you do not take the time to plan each stage of the building process. After all there is no point having your own state-of-the-art website if you do not have some server space to host it on, therefore you need to make sure you have all the right elements in place at the start.

So remember planning is the key, it can save you a huge amount of time and effort but perhaps more importantly it can also save you a small fortune financially. That's where we come in - the world wide web is full of free stuff including a large selection of free webmaster tools which when made use of correctly can save you an absolute fortune as you strive to produce a high quality website. We have a large selection of what we consider to be some of the best free services available to webmasters listed in the categories below. So whether you require a simple sitemap script or a full blown content management system (very popular at the moment) then hopefully we will have a solution that fulfils yor need.

Free Affiliate Programs

We have listed this category first as just about every webmaster we know would like to recoup at least their expenses - most of them would of course also like to make a little money if at all possible. But lets be honest this is not easy and can take some considerable time and effort from the webmaster. But once you start to attract a reasonable number of visitors to your site, the display of an advert in the right location can be an ideal way to generate some extra money. This section provides some short reviews on the free affiliate programs that we consider are the most reliable and trustworthy. In order to enasure that you get access to the best programs we would recommend that you make use of several of them. This also makes sense in that you will not be putting "all your eggs in one basket" should one have a problem.

Free Banner Services

One of the simplest and cheapest ways to kick start traffic coming to you site is the use of a banner exchange system. These are particularly handy if money is short and you cannot afford a traditional advertising campaign. In this category we have provided details to some of the best banner exchange schemes available, all of them are easy to get started and as an added bonus all of them are free. As far as programming is required that is all taken care of by the system provider but you will invariably have to include a HTML tag in your pages somewhere.

Free Content Management Systems

So whats a content management system (CMS)? Well the chances are that you have already seen many different types of CMS whilst you have been searching the internet. Certainly most of the 'blogs' that you have come across use one form of CMS or another. They come in all shapes and sizes and are extremely popular, as they are extremely versatile and can be used by individuals with even the smallest amount of HTML knowledge. They enable you to get a relatively professional looking site up and running very quickly. One of the best things about them are that there are lots of free quality systems available that come with their own built in webmaster tools. As a rule they are also very well supported by the open source community so any support you require is also free.

Free HTML and XHTML Editors

As time prgressess and let me assure you it won't take long, you will feel the need to either personalise your website or make it look more professional and in order to do this you will need access to a good html editor. You could of course use notepad that useful little text editor provided with the windows operating system - but unless you are extremelly proficient with html I would not recommend it. A good editor will save you a lot of time and help to ensure that the html you produced meets accepted standards. In this section we have detailed some of the best free editors we could find not just for the PC but also the Nac (something that is often forgotten).

Free Logo Generators

Well just about every site has a logo whether it be a simple piece of text or a fancy image. But unless you are very creative and have access to the right software then their creation can be extremely expensive. However there are a number of websites offering website logo creation facilities free of charge and we have listed what we consider to be some of the best available in this section.

Free Scripts

Scripts are used for a variety of purposes and most websites run at least one or two, even if they don't realsie it. They perform many functions such as; form handling, mailing lists, banner rotation, visit counters etc. Having a script specifically written for your site would not be cheap so thankfully there are a host of open source scripts readily available that you can make use of. This section details a variety of diffent cgi & java scripts that we think you will find partcullary useful.

Free Sources of Advice

Next to planning your website the next major factor you will have to consider is research - you simply cannot do enough. Even if you decide to use a cms - how will you decide which one? Does it have the functionallity you require? Does it have a support base that you like and can utilise? So many questions - thankfully however the web is rich in content and there are a huge number of individuals willing to help you out at no cost to themselves. In this section we have some of the internets premier sources of helpful information for new and budding webmasters to help you get started.

Free Mailing List Providers

Configuring and setting up mailing lists can be a chore, obtaining the right script and messing around with your mail servers can create all sorts of problems. Now however if you want to publish your own email newsletter there is an easy way, just let a third party mailing list host manage the problem for you. Typically they will handle all the mundane aspects of mailing list management such as; subscription requests and requests to unsubscribe, allowing you to concentrate your efforts in ensuring that the content is up to scratch. Most will allow you to publish not just your messages but also newsletters or ezinesmaking them an excellent addition to your box of webmaster tools.

Web Site Promotion Services

Well once you have built your site you will want people to visit it, at least I presume you do? There are a host of different ways to promote your site, but be careful there are also numerous companies out there that are more than willing to take your hard earned money in exchange for completing the most simplistic of tasks, tasks that you can easily do yourself. Here we have provided you with some excellent resorces for your webmaster toolbox as we understand what a problem area this is. At the very least you should definately submit your site to all the top search engines using the free submission tools and research the advice provided on on how to build traffic to your site without spending a fortune.