The era of the low cost DIY website builder

The evolution of website development has come a long way. First there was the dark art era of black magic followed by a refreshing influx of customer friendly account managers armed with pretty looking customised content management systems that promised to revolutionise website owner control. More recently we have seen the proliferation of low cost and even free DIY website builders with built in hosting options. Naturally these push button options come with criticism and are most likely despised by purist website designers and developers. However, with their sophisticated, easy to use interfaces, extensive tools and vast range of templates, these all in one tools are a highly appealing option for the self employed, small business, community and not for profit organisations.

Does this mean the career of a web designer is doomed? Hardly. Just because we have toothbrushes doesn't mean that we don't need dentists. The DIY options fill a niche, but there are projects that call for more sophisticated, unique and customised approach, something that these cookie cutter style builders cannot offer. But if you are in the market for a low cost, user friendly, ready in minutes website and you don't mind the drawbacks, then maybe a DIY is for you.

Here's a couple of low cost and free options to get you started.
SquareSpace
Weebly
Webstarts
TeraPad
Yola
Business Catalyst

For even more see the list compiled by Dibakar Jana on his web design blog