Hi ya guys/girls,
I read about this free download software on a tech site and thought it may help me. I have a website made for me already, but it is just a starter page with no bells and whistles. just a picture or two of me. I look at other people's pages and see that they have leopard print or bubbles, etc. really nice looking pages. before downloading this software, I read that I can add designs on an already existing page and opened the software to find I was clueless. is this software for me or should I find another that is tailored to more of what I want to do? any information will help. Thanks!

You have a few choices here...
Do you want to write your own code or would you prefer WYSIWYG software?

Also, are you happy with your starter page and want to continue with it? If so, is it a standard HTML/CSS page, a WordPress template, or something else?

Yeah the main question would be, what software is it that you are trying to use? CoffeeCup has a lot of different types of software so just saying you downloaded CoffeeCup doesn't help us to know what type of program you're talking about.

From there let me tell you one major thing. The only program for web building that CoffeeCup sells that can work on your already created website is the HTML Editor. All the rest of the web building, online shops, forms, etc. can only be used by starting completely from scratch. You can add on to your current site with the Form Builder, and menu maker etc., but you cannot edit your current (if any) form in the Form Builder, nor can you edit your current menu in the Menu Maker. Lots of things you can add to your current site with though, but to actually edit the current site as it sits now you would need to do it using code only, and that would be the HTML Editor.

So, as Paintbrush already asked, are you looking to work with your current site and add on to it, or are you willing to start over and make it yourself? That's really the main question to answer other than "what software are you talking about in your post that you were trying?"

Sounds to me like you want the quickest way to get from point A to point B. The quickest way is to have someone else do the Web work for you, while you concentrate on whatever is the reason you wanted your own Web site in the first place. So I'd recommend you sit down with the creator of your present site, agree on changes and pay to have them made.

On the other hand, if you enjoy learning and like a challenge, try out the no-charge version of the Coffee Cup HTML Editor. You can use it to develop the look & feel portion of a Web site locally, right on your own Windows or MAC machine, without paying for Web hosting. Once you've gotten the hang of HTML, CSS and JavaScript on the client side, you can install a private Web server (Google search for WAMP and LAMP.) on your machine and try out server-side programming with PHP or some other language. Or you might use Coffee Cup's value-added hosting service, called S-Drive.

I will catch flak for this, but I recommend against using Coffee Cup's Visual Site Designer. Though it works just fine, it is limited in expressing design ideas. Paradoxically, though they're textual rather than visual, HTML and CSS allow far wider expressive range and better adaptability to tiny 'phone screens, giant desktop monitors and printers of various formats. IMHO, it's better to make the investment in learning these foundational Web languages than jump in with a WYSIWYG tool such as VSD.

It won't cost you more than a rainy weekend playing around in order to set your course: Work with a Web designer or develop and execute your own ideas? The people on this forum are in the latter camp. You will find them helpful and, I daresay, interesting. It's also worth noting that none of them was born with a mouse in his (her) hand. Most recall their own learning curves and are glad to help people new to Web design.

I think you can relax there, Halfnium. Don't we all agree now, that VSD has got a tad past its sell-by date because of its rigid positioning of elements which doesn't go well with responsive design?

There is a new programme in development, called Responsive Site Designer (RSD) which is supposed to take its place, but we don't know yet when it will be released. But a certain grasp of html and css will still be necessary, so a good starting point is the HTML Editor.

http://gunsmoke.me/cloud/graphics/vsdrsd.jpg

Gunsmoke.
Poor VSD, it ran like a champ, but it couldn't keep up with responsive design.

I agree. By far one of the best web building utilities I ever used. Now I eagerly await the next generation!
Waiting .. waiting .. waiting ..............................