Using Publisher for web sites
When making a decision to use Publisher for a web site please bear in mind that Publisher is not a web design tool nor an html editor. Publisher is a Desktop Publishing Tool (DTP) that supports web design. A lot of the same functionality can be found in Microsoft Word, which is also not a web design tool. Microsoft's web design tool is FrontPage. Publisher cannot be and never should be, compared to a web design tool.
Publishers "design intent" is that it can create a small (10 pages or less) static web site that shares a common "look and feel" with the print material that a small business creates using Publisher. Publisher is "by design" intentionally exploiting the technologies of the Internet Explorer browser.
Web design functionality and methodology differs greatly in each version across versions 2000, 2002, and 2003. The three versions supported here. This means that once you build a site in a version of Publisher you may be best served by maintaining it in that specific version into the future. Always make a copy of your web publication and test it in another version before making a switch.
It is important to note that in versions 2002 and 2003, Office Suite Service Pack releases include improvements in web functionality. So when using these versions be sure to have installed the most recent Office Service Pack applicable to you, that's Office XP for 2002 users, and Office System 2003 for 2003 users.
When using a web design tool, such as FrontPage, you create and maintain the physical html files. They are individual entities and you can directly "handle" the html code. There is an important distinction here. With Publisher you do not create nor maintain physical html files. There is no html "handling". All creation, modification, and management is done in the publisher web publication file, the .pub file. It is Publisher that creates the physical html files, it writes all the code. The html site files are then a separate entity from the Publisher file. The entire site is fully self-contained in the Publisher file. You should make a backup of your web publication file before any modification. My suggestion... make copies using a date naming convention (i.e. mysite_122004.pub). Occasionally burn these to CD for archiving should you lose a hard drive.
By design, by it's scope, Publisher does have limitations and weaknesses. It can however create a quality web site. The most important thing is to recognize the limitations and understand them and have realistic expectations.