I have been creating websites for a number of years and the technology has advanced considerably. It is now possible to create a professional looking website using online tools and to have it published for free without having to know anything about html or other programming languages. It is also possible to create interactive websites known as blogs and wikis using a similar process. I have included a separate page to look at Wikis and Blogs so on this page I am going to focus on more traditional websites. That said, some of the new website makers allow you to include interactive elements such as blogs or message boards in your pages.

1. Moonfruit - This is one of my favourite website makers and I have been using it for a number of years. You can create a website for free and it will be hosted with advertisements for as long as you want. The one condition is that you must visit the site every couple of months to keep it active. I use Moonfruit to host my own Department Website and pay arounf £40 per year to keep it advert free. I use the free sites for students to make their own sites which we often do as a group project with each pupil completing a page. Students can collaborate by simply logging in using the same user name and password. Some students have liked the software so much that they have gone to create their own sites for school sports clubs etc. Click here to visit my Department Website which is illustrated below. Perhaps the one weakness with Moonfruit for some is that it is a bit limited in terms of the widgets you can add. Although, if you are using it in a classroom setting such widgets may be a distraction from the main aim of the website anyway.



2. Jimdo - Quite a good site which gives a nice finish. There is a wide range of templates to choose from although I found it difficult to visualise what the changes would look like while I was editing. As this is quite a new tool you can fairly easily insert up to date widgets such as Youtube or Slideshows. My one tip for this is the tool for addding text, images etc for the page does not automatically appear on the screen. Rather you must run your mouse over an existing text on the page and a panel will pop up. You will see a + sign, click here and it becomes fairly straightforward. However, if the first thing you do on a page is to delete the existing text then you also delete the easiest way to find the editor.

3. Freewebs - Does exactly what it says on the tin although was very slow the day I used it.

4. Edicy - I just didn't get it! I didn't find it particularly easy to use and gave up in the end.

5. Webnode - Simple Log in procedure and very easy to use menu allowed me to create a web site in a few minutes. You can keep it simple or make your site much more interactive with one of the widest range of widgets I have seen on offer. My only gripe is that I found the image tool quite difficult to use when it came to altering how your images look on the website (size etc.) Still, one I would recommend.


6. Webon - Still in Beta, has a simple looking menu but the site kept freezing. Could be worth a look in a few months if the glitches are ironed out.

7. Weebly - Very easy set up and fast intuitive menu helps to build websites very quickly. Not as much flexibilty as some, for example, I could only place the image left, right or centre, not anywhere as with Moonfruit. On the other hand the upload facility for images was probably one of the simplest I have seen. I also liked the Manage Pages section which was very clear and helpful in putting together the menu. Overall, lacks the sophistication of some of the others but would be very good for publishing a simple website with text, pictures, video etc. I think the easy menu system may be particularly suitable for those that are not overly confident with ICT or perhaps younger students. The free version comes add free which again makes it particularly useful for school groups.



8. Comfy Page - E-mail must be validated to log in. A reasonable range of templates to get you started. The basic site is set up at the beginning by running through a series of questions. There is not a great deal of flexibility about the layout of the page. The menu was a bit difficult to use and parts of it disappear until you have saved the page, most noticably the edit button. Issues such as this may appear trivial but they can make or break a successful class if your students get stuck. Overall, left me a little cold.

9.Blinkweb - You do not need to validate your email to begin which can be useful in a clas as confirming e-mails before use takes up valuable time. Easy layout and helpful video tutorials. One intersting feature of Blinkweb is the ability to import previous websites into Blinkweb for editing and hosting. I didn't try the function but if it works as well as the rest of the site then this is something you may want to investigate if you are considering updating an existing website. I hit a hurdle in trying to use this site as it didn't work on Internet Explorer 6. It suggested there may be issues with explorer 7 and really I should use Firefox or Google Chrome. In my own experience most schools in my part of the world are using Explorer so likely to be an issue.

10. Wix - Every now and again you come across a tool that you can't put down. Wix is one of them! Some interesting templates or you can build your own from scratch. It was a little slower than some to load up but this is probably due to the high quality of the tool. There are several flash based tutorials which are clear and very helful. If you want your website with extra bling this is the site for you!! You could make a fantastic school site using this, the only downside for student use is they will probably get carried away with the effects you can add. Then again, there could be a useful lesson of less is sometimes more.



11. Doodlekit - A little bit slower than others I tried but still very acceptable for use in school. Most changes are made by way of a template menu. The problem with this is that you can't see how your changes look until you go back to the page you have been editing. If you don't like them then you need to go back into the templates. Simple Blog is added to the pages but otherwise fairly standard website. OK if you want a simple no-nonsense website with few distractions.

12. Roxer - 10 page limit on the free version may be problematic for some. Very visual way of editing pages by simply dragging and dropping text and images to anywhere that you want them. You must run through a short tuturial before starting which can be very useful if you have an entire class to teach. The first page it takes you to is a little deceving as it appears there are no templates. This is great if you like your webpage your way, but for many pupils a blank page may be a bit intimidating. However, if you click on the wizard you will find an add page button which gives you acccess to the templates. Hyperlinks appear only to be possible for text and not for images. Still in beta but could become quite interesting.


13. Site Kreator - Limits you to a choice of 5 designs on the free version. The site begins with a set of flash tutorials and links to videos. The editor is not the most flexible. You edit text and images in the same box which gives you less control over the layout of the page. Just OK if you are looking for a website with text and images.

14. SnapPages - Email confirmation is required to start the account. Very professional looking editor. There is a small range of themes to get you started but a clever feature is that you can edit some of the themes to make the page more personal. There is an image library with a photo editing tool. Only simple photo editing is currently available but better than most other sites offer which seem to believe the photo should be edited before upload. A good choice for video, text and images but not much flexibility to add other widgets. I was a little disappointed with the finished website given the quality of the editor, perhaps if you spend a bit more time with it you will get a better result.

15. Thinkquest - While the sites you can create are quite basic with Thinkquest, what makes this site stand out from the others is that it is designed for educational use. Once registered, your class can make their own websites which are hosted within a safe environment. In addition, Thinkquest regularly run their own competitions for your students to enter.



16. Synthasite - This is a new site recommended by one of our visitors. It seems to produce a clean, crisp looking site and promises to be free with no adds. I haven't had a chance to try out the editor but worth including on the list.