Designing and publishing Web pages with Microsoft FrontPage is just a matter of a few easy steps.

Microsoft FrontPage is an easy to use software tool that enables users to author Web pages and build professional feature-rich websites without the need to code in HTML or write complex programs. The great attraction of FrontPage is its Microsoft Office-like interface that gives users the luxury of a familiar environment.

Creating the Web pages that make up your Web site is easy enough in the ‘WYSWYG’ (what you see is what you get) environment provided by the FrontPage editor. Simply point and click on the icons and toolbars that generate the text, images, graphics and applications that make up your website. As you create pages, your work appears in the editor’s display window exactly as it would in the Web browser – hence the term “WYSWYG.’

For those users who are adept with HTML, a second way of building your pages involves editing and composing HTML code. The HTML code that builds Web pages are generated automatically by the editor and concealed. Clicking on the “HTML” tab across the bottom of the editor opens up the HTML source code. When operating in this view, users can directly edit the code when building their Web pages and see the corresponding results in the normal display view.

FrontPage even provides templates to assist in the process of building Web pages. On the File menu, point to New and then click on Page or Web. Then in the New task pane, under New From Template, select Web Templates. FrontPage will then display a selection of templates that the user can select from and use to form the basic structure of a Web page.

Web templates are extremely useful for users who do not have a lot of experience designing Web sites. Templates are basically pre-designed Web pages that have a basic page layout prepared and set up for the user. The user is left with the simple tasks of filling in the content, links and images that make up the Web page. Being able to utilize Web templates is a FrontPage feature that simplifies the Web design process for users.

Publish Sites Directly

FrontPage not only simplifies the Web design process, but it makes publishing your Web pages just as easy. The great thing about FrontPage is that you don’t have to utilize a separate FTP client to upload your Web page. You can use FrontPage to publish your Web site directly to the Internet in a few easy steps. Point your mouse on the File menu and click Publish Web. Then in the Publish Destination dialogue box, type the location of a Web or FTP server. Then Click OK and specify the pages you want to publish.

The Publish Web dialogue box even has an Options tab in the lower corner where you can instruct FrontPage to publish only the pages that have been changed, or alternatively, all pages.

As is evident, building and publishing Web pages with FrontPage is really as easy as 1, 2, 3. The combination of templates and direct publication make FrontPage the ultimate Web publishing tool.

Now all you need to do is get a FrontPage hosting account…