SiteKreator: the Mama Bear of small-business site builders
There are several Web-based site-building tools, but many are either too simple and build boring sites or too complex for a nongeek to get productive with in a reasonable amount of time.
A newer tool, SiteKreator, is trying to split the difference by offering both professional and customizable designs and an editing system that will enable a typical small-business person to get a site up and running quickly.
SiteKreator has a small but good collection of business-friendly templates. It also makes it easy to modify the templates without creating a hideous mess. More importantly, it has interactive features, such as a form builder and a message board application, that are easy to integrate into your site. The platform also allows you to register visitors to your site and to restrict some content to authorized people or groups.
The builder/designer interface is nearly WYSIWYG. In the administrator view, there are tiny letters that hover near content elements; they anchor editing menus. You won't remember what the letters stand for, but it doesn't matter: they do a nice job of collecting your editing controls.
SiteKreator builds professional-looking Web sites quickly, but it is not the only good tool for building small-business sites. See also Homestead and GoDaddy's utilities.
Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products, as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe.
