I remember one time in beginning when I was involved in a discussion with a designer who was using another HTML editor and was completely stuck on coding of how to create a simple table. My first thought at time was, using Front Page, that is such a simple task."

* Many professional SEO’s also like to use FrontPage because it’s a program that’s simple enough for their clients to use. So, when SEO turns site back over to client, client can easily make changes with FrontPage without having to know HTML. As Tom Altman with RSM McGladrey, Inc. (http://www.rsmmcgladrey.com) explains,

"Most of folks already have office suite, so they are used to using Word and like. FrontPage is not that much different, and it lets them maintain their own site."

Make FrontPage Work way YOU Want it to!

At Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions Resource Kit, you’ll find links to all of possible ways to make FrontPage work for you, instead of default values after installation.

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/frontpage/wpp/serk/apndx03.htm

Take a Free Course in using FrontPage!

Dave Barry at SmartCertify Direct (http://www.smartcertify.com) created a free course in using FrontPage. Simply register at following URL, and take free course:

http://www.smartcertify.com/seo/register-seo.asp

In Conclusion

As you’ve seen, some very experienced Web designers and search engine optimizers use FrontPage as their "editor of choice." Its ease of use and variety of ready-made templates make it a program that’s easy for beginners yet has functionality that advanced designers need.

It also allows designer or SEO to get a page designed quickly and easily, and time adds up to money for a busy SEO.

As Nancy Nelson with Search by Design! (http://www.search-by- design.com) said,

"Is it a perfect tool? Certainly not, but FrontPage combined with minor HTML knowledge can take you a long way..."

So FrontPage users, don’t be ashamed to admit that you use FrontPage! Some of best Web designers in industry use it, with good reason.

Special Thanks to Dave Barry

Dave Barry with SmartCertify created videos, screen shots, and free tutorial available in this article. Plus, he gave me work arounds for getting rid of extraneous code, and he verified accuracy of content. Thank you Dave ­ there’s no way I could have created this article without your help.

Clear Teal Template, that is a 16 page easy-to-use Web template that lets you easily create a Web site.

Some of more popular Add-ins include:

Scripting/Database Tools, J-Bots Plus 2002 Trail. According to FrontPage site, J-Bots components make FrontPage Web site more customized by adding JavaScript-enabled features, but you don't have to know how to write code or cut and paste. Simply fill in dialog boxes, click Generate, and JavaScript is created for you.

Other Advantages of Using FrontPage

Server side includes are easy with FrontPage. Before we go on, let me explain what "Server Side Includes" are.

Server side includes (SSI's) generate parts of Web pages dynamically on "server side". They allow you to add customization features to your Web pages, such as an e-mail form. Unlike other forms of dynamic content, or content that's created on fly, server side includes have a normal URL that's easy for users to remember and doesn't create problems for engines.

In other words, SSI's embed special commands into an HTML document that tells server to perform specific actions when a user requrests page. The server then creates Web page on fly by merging files or inserting requested information.

How might you use SSI's on your Web page? Let's say you want to add a form to your Web site for your users to complete to sign up for your newsletter. You could create form using SSI's.

For more information on creating SSI's with FrontPage, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/using/default.htm and click on FrontPage Server Extensions.

Dave Berry, who recently created two major sections of Dell Web site using FrontPage, manages 40 to 50 Web site at SmartCertify, and he easily moves back and forth between those sites using FP. With that many sites, there is a lot of duplicity, and he can effortlessly share objects with FP or edit multiple Web sites. With FrontPage, you can cut and paste between sites, use shared borders, and easily drag nd drop files, thus saving a lot of time versus handling each site separately.

If your've ever wanted to experiment with Cscading Style Sheets (CSS), FrontPage also makes using them a breeze. You can even create DHTML using FrontPage.

Dave created a video on how to copy and paste, how to use Cascading Style Sheets, and how to use shared borders with Front Page: http://www.smartcertify.com/seo/frontpage.asp

Author NOTe: When viewing these videos, make sure you have latest version of Microsoft Windows Media Player. To downlad latest version (7.1), click: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q299321. Also, I found that I was unable to view videos if my firewall (Zone Alarm) was running.