Can you build it? Yes, you can: Popular website builders for business owners
Websites are essential for any small business, yet not everyone has the skills and knowledge necessary to build one from the ground up. From coding to designing, crafting a website from scratch can seem daunting. However, there are several website-building services available that offer a wide range of ready-made templates to use. Many of these are beginner-friendly and still provide a professional-looking product.
Read ahead to learn about some popular and accessible website builders.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy starts at C$11.99 per month. The builder offers free domain registration for one full term. Users are provided with a pre-built site based on their specific needs or a template to start with. There are hundreds of available templates, each allowing users to edit text, colour and fonts. It also includes an appointment booking tool for service-based businesses.
The downside of GoDaddy is that live chat support is not always available, and customer service can be inconsistent. The pre-made templates also have limited customization options. In addition, plan prices increase upon renewal.
HostGator
HostGator is one of the most affordable site-building services, starting at US$3.75. This builder is beginner-friendly with its drag-and-drop editing tool, allowing users to place anywhere on a page. HostGator also allows for online sales, though users are limited to having three products on their site with the lowest-priced plan.
While easy to use, some of HostGator’s templates can seem outdated and overly simplistic, so it’s not ideal for users who want more complex designs. However, this simplistic nature does allow for more flexibility in site customization, as the templates seem almost like blank slates.
Shopify
At C$51 per month, Shopify is one of the more expensive website builders available. Shopify is primarily geared towards e-commerce businesses, so all paid plans come with built-in shopping carts and several marketing features. It allows users to sell across multiple channels, including Facebook and Instagram. Shopify allows websites to be customized from templates or built entirely from scratch.
On top of its already high plan costs, Shopify offers limited free templates. Users can purchase premium templates, but they typically run for over C$100. In addition, since Shopify mainly focuses on e-commerce, it does not include some built-in features that other website builders have, so extra applications may need to be purchased.
Squarespace
Squarespace starts at US$16 per month and has many useful features. The marketing features alone include email and social media support. Professional designers create templates optimized for desktops, tablets and mobile devices.
Though the template designs are impressive, the basic editor doesn’t allow the user full access to customization. In addition, the editor can sometimes be too manual. For example, work doesn’t autosave, so users need to manually save their websites each time.
Weebly
Starting at C$7 per month, Weebly is another one of the cheaper website builders available. It also offers a free plan with more limited features. Weebly provides helpful SEO guides to learn more about concepts like coding and keyword optimization.
Site customization is limited, and users don’t have much control over creative aspects compared to other website builders. In addition, the templates aren’t as contemporary as other site builders. Weebly’s mobile optimization also isn’t very advanced, meaning websites won’t look the same on mobile devices.
Wix
Wix starts at C$15 per month. It also offers a free plan, but the site will be on a subdomain and contain Wix display ads. Wix offers one of the largest template libraries, and its drag-and-drop editor makes it beginner friendly. It also allows for a lot of creative freedom, so users can customize their websites however they want to.
Once users have selected a template and published their site, they can’t change it without starting the website from scratch. Also, more advanced functionality and tools require extra payments for third-party applications and premium plans.
With so many website builders available, every business is bound to find one that is right for them. Make sure to research all options before committing to payment plans, and check user reviews to see how others’ experiences have been with each site builder.