Webpage designer recommendations

[GLaDOS]

Hello all!

So I was hoping to get everyone's opinions and recommendations. My girlfriend's mother (who is very involved in their church) has asked me to redesign their Church's website. I asked for some information about it and they told me that they maintain the site with MS FrontPage but they aren't too happy with it. I was trying to come up with some suggestions for them to replace their software. I would ideally like to set them up with What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) software so that whoever comes in after me can easily edit and maintain the site.

I currently use Serif WebPlus X5 which I like but it runs a little pricey at $100. I did a very quick Google search and the first few I looked at seemed to be priced in that range. I figured it would be best to ask here first.

So what do you use or have you used? Did you like it?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and respond! It is greatly appreciated!

[RicheemxX]

What specifically about FP don't they like? Are there any features that they really need? I've haven't used a WYSIWYG editor in awhile but it was usually FP when I did.

Have you checked out KompoZer - Easy web authoring I used them in their software in the past and it always worked decent enough.

Just to throw this out there. I also have and have used DreamWeaver and like it a bit more than FP just because it seemed to have cleaner code. I've just gotten away from site design and WYSIWYG editors and I've always trended more towards free tools. Personally I've never found much difference between any of the paid tools and something I can get and use free. A few added scripts or add-ons but that's about it.

[nemowolf]

For me, if you think that WYSIWYG is the best choice even if the price is a bit expensive, go for it. Just explain why you have chosen that software and what are the benefits. I'm sure they will understand and wont mind.

Expanding on this, you have to remember that despite the church being ... well a church ... it is still a business. Come up with a proposal discussing the strengths and weaknesses. Offer clarrity on the software's common place in the industry meaning that anyone in the future that they hire to develop on the site can pickup where you/someone else leaves off. Give them a good, better, best scenario and what the cost comparison to features are for the software and why you picked it. See if there is a free alternative or a demo download you can use to help sway them.

[KarmaKiller]

Have you thought about bringing the website to a format with a built in CMS? It would get rid of the need for expensive 3rd party software.
Wordpress is probably the most popular one now a days, and it's fairly easy to use. It's quick and easy to publish a page, make changed to an exsisting page. I've used it for several clients and they really caught on and learned it quite quickly.
Another good one would be Joomla. It takes a bit more to get it setup off the start, but it also provides quick and easy editors that you can do from just a browser.