Get to Know the Best Website Builders

The 5 Best Website Builders

Wix

Wix stands out for its super intuitive and easy-to-use site builder system. The drag-and-drop interface allows even complete beginners to create a professional-looking site, with the help of over 500 templates in over 15 different categories.

Wix highlights:

• Over 500 templates for 15+ categories including design, photography, business, blog, and restaurants
• Extremely intuitive web design interface
• Mobile responsive web design
• SEO tools
• Mobile web editor so you can build your site on the go
• Built-in image editor to include high-quality images in your new site
• PayPal enabled, and a proprietary shopping cart included in the free plan
• 10GB hosting, unlimited storage, and custom domain included in the free plan
• Extensive app store with dozens of free and paid apps

Use Wix for intuitive site building.

SiteBuilder

SiteBuilder is a fully-hosted website builder so you can build and maintain your website on its platform. Its simplicity makes it great for beginners who need a very clear site building process, without too many options.

SiteBuilder highlights:

• Highly-intuitive drag-and-drop interface
• Plenty of modern templates in multiple categories
• Responsive tech support that replies within seconds
• “Save history” feature to save your work
• Extensive image gallery and advanced image editor

Try SiteBuilder for ease of use.

Web.com

If you’re worried about building your own website, Web.com helps you out by explaining every single step. You can also switch between templates without having to redo all your work.

Web.com highlights:

• Setup wizards to help complete novices
• A do-it-for-me option to create your website without any effort
• Switch out templates while saving your past work
• Plenty of Ecommerce options

Start using Web.com to switch templates without losing your work.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy's website building platform is aptly named GoCentral. GoCentral is more than a website builder. It’s a complete toolkit for taking a venture online. GoCentral is unique in that it helps customers create a website, get discovered by reaching audiences across Google and Facebook, and drive results.

Key Features

• Website Builder: Easy to follow creation flow, hundreds of templates, and loads of customization options. Plus, your site is instantly mobile optimized so it looks great on any device.
• Online Store: Everything you need to sell online -- from inventory management to payment processing
• Online Appointment Scheduling: Accept appointments and payments online, 24/7
• Get found on Google: Get keyword suggestions, create a Google listing, and respond to reviews.
• Get found on Facebook: Connect to a Facebook business page, post content and respond to reviews.
• Dashboard: Manage your website, search and social activity from one destination. Get recommendations for what to post on social channels and how to boost your online presence.
• Email Marketing: Send emails tightly integrated with the design of the websiteone support and extensive online tutorials
• Site security through SSL certification and green lock in the address bar
• Aunique domain name for your website (additional fee)
• Ability to manage everything from your phone, tablet, computer
• 24/7 customer support

Go with GoDaddy for scalability with built-in hosting.

Hibu

Hibu is best for owners of small to mid-sized local businesses who are seeking a worry free alternative to do-it-yourself website builders. Hibu will build you a fully-responsive website with built-in SEO tools.

Hibu highlights:

• Detailed analytics to track performance
• Add-on features like online scheduling and payments
• DIY Ecommerce tools to build an online store
• Support available by email, phone, online and chat

Pick Hibu for a custom site built for you.

By understanding what to look for when choosing a website builder; you can pick the optimal website builder for your business’ new online home.

The Advantages of Using a Website Builder

The minimum average cost of a website built by a designer is $2,000, but every time you change your mind, your bill can get larger. You also have to wait until your designer is available to make the changes you requested. And in the end there's a risk that you'll end up agreeing to a website that you're not actually happy with, just because you don't feel that you can afford to ask them to try something else.

Using a website builder is much less expensive. The best website builders offer plenty of choices. You can switch out the fonts, color schemes and templates as many times as you’d like, without paying anything extra. Making changes to your website using a website builder is also much faster. With a website builder, you are in control of everything, from the placement of the call-to-action button, to the font on your homepage.

What to Consider When Choosing a Website Builder Platform

The best website builder is the one that best fits your needs. Ask yourself some of these questions about your new website:

• What type of site will it be?
• What key features do you need?
• Are you running an online store? If so, how big will it be? Some website builders have Ecommerce plans that limit the number of items you can sell per month.
• What is the vibe of your business?

Ease of Use

The most important feature of a website builder is its usability. Try out the user interface on the 5 best website builders listed above by using their trial site builder. This will give you an idea of which one you find the most intuitive and easiest to use. If you do have some knowledge of coding, check that the website builders that give you access to the CSS code, too.

Ecommerce

Hopefully, your business will expand. In this case you need to ask yourself if you need a website builder that can process more online bookings, reservations, sales, or sales inquiries. Similarly, if you decide to transfer your site to a different hosting option in the future, can you easily download the full site?

Templates

You should also check which templates are available. Take the time to check that they aren’t all just slight variations of the same template. You’ll need templates for your business’ specific category, so a builder with hundreds of blog templates but none for restaurants won’t be much help if you’re promoting your corner cafe.

Features

All the best website builders offer a number of extra features to make building your website easier and better. Here are some features to look out for:

• Setup wizards which guide you through the building process
• Drag-and-drop, intuitive interface to design your site
• SEO tools such as editing meta tags
• Marketing tools including email marketing
• Built-in analytics to track visitors’ demographic, location, interests, and more
• Ecommerce tools such as multiple payment processor options, inventory tracking tools, product descriptions, etc.
• Integrated social media buttons to connect your social media networks with your new site
• Mobile-responsive sites that update at the same time as your main site
• Mobile-editing tools which permit you to continue tweaking your new website from your mobile phone

Site Speed and Tech Support

Your website loading speed is also important. You don't want to lose visitors just because your site takes a long time to load. Twenty-four hour technical support is vital if you're creating a website yourself and need help when you get stuck, even if that's the middle of the night. Finally, although pricing shouldn't be the main yardstick you use to measure a good website builder, you don't want to pay too much for a mediocre website builder, so compare prices as well.

Is a Free Builder Worth It?

If you just want to build a basic site without an online store, then free website builders are excellent ways to get started. Usually, the free website builder plans come with much less storage, slower load time, and fewer SEO and marketing tools, if any. Paid plans provide much better technical support and give you an ad-free website that doesn’t have any branding from the website builder. So, if you know that you need Ecommerce facilities, lots of storage space (for high-resolution images, videos, etc.), extra customer support, and/or a lot of webpages, free site builders are unlikely to work for you.

On the other hand, to just test the waters and begin establishing an online presence, a free website builder could give you just what you need to get started. This way you'll have a professional-looking website that unites your social media networks and gives you a platform to present your business without a lot of bells and whistles. You can then upgrade to a paid plan when you need it. This could be when you outgrow your existing storage limit, need more Ecommerce options, or want particular features such as analytics or email marketing that are only available for paid users.