Internet shopping is now commonplace and competition among retailers to draw in potential customers is set to increase. As the high street takes a battering during the current economic climate it is more important than ever for your company to take advantage of the virtual marketplace.

If you currently run your own company and wish to promote the services and products you sell or deliver it is imperative to have a professional looking website. This way your business goes global and the number of your potential clients increases massively.

When choosing which software to use in order to build your website you are advised to opt for one that allows you to create innovative, appealing pages easily, such as Dreamweaver. This product is considered to be one of the leading programmes in terms of web design, as it is created to cater for the needs of first-time and expert computer users.

Novice website creators are likely to find that Dreamweaver suits their skills level as it offers a userface that is easy to navigate. You do not need an in-depth understanding on the structures that make-up websites in order to get started with this programme. The software supplies guidance and tips that are jargon-free, so if you encounter difficulties you can quickly get to the route of problems, in addition you may like to attend a training course that can help you get the best from this versatile programme.

Another advantage to using this programme is that it benefits from What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get editing, meaning you can see your site develop as you are building it. By accessing the Live View option, you can see the immediate impact of changes to your pages, which can help you build a website more quickly.

As well as being able to see your website come together via visual tools, you can also look at your developing pages through the Code View, where you can see HTML codes, which may appeal to those more familiar with programming. In addition, if you prefer, you can also see both the Code View and Live View simultaneously when building your site.

Web users may like to save time and access the software's inbuilt templates when creating their pages, or you are free to start from scratch. Whichever method you choose, you are likely to be applying a format that will run consistently through your website. For instance, you may have chosen a particular font and colour that may reflect those used in your business.

However, if you decide that you want to make adjustments you do not have to access each page individually to do this thanks to Dreamweaver's Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). CSS allows you to adapt your site in one place, so instead of having the painstaking task of making minute changes across your site, this function means you can quickly make adaptations via one location.

In addition to adding text to your files, Dreamweaver gives you the opportunity to add other information from different applications. This can help your website stand out from the rest and may boost the profile of your company significantly. For instance, you can import Adobe Photoshop images into your site and make changes to the image using the photography software.

Also you can combine the advantages of other programmes to get your website looking professional, such as Flash and Microsoft applications.