Perhaps you've determined that hiring a professional web designer (or developer) is not necessary, or too costly, for your site. If you've got some time, there are other options.

For basic web design, several software packages are geared toward the amateur web designer. These packages will allow you to design, build, post, as well as manage your web pages.

If your only objective in creating a web site for your business is informational, consider a simplified web design software application like Adobe Pagemill 3.0. It's priced under $100 and does not require the user to learn HTML.

More advanced web design programs will cost you a little more (they typically range between $150- $400). But these programs will help you integrate more complex elements into your web site, such as e-commerce storefronts, online catalogs, personalized content, or any database-driven information.

Some popular packages are Microsoft's FrontPage 2000, Adobe GoLive 4.0, and Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0.

FrontPage is only available for the PC platform, but both GoLive and Dreamweaver are available for both the PC and Macintosh computer platforms.