There are so many website builders to there to choose from today than there were 10 years ago. If you were looking to build a website with little to no programming skills there is really no reason why you cannot have an amazing looking site up and running in less than a day with any one of the website builders available today.
Website Builders are DIY Websites
What is a website builder, you ask? Only the answer to the small business owner’s website dilemma.
Website builders are online software that allows the least skilled person to create a website with easy to use features such as drag and drop or simply choosing a theme and setting up the colors. Website builders don’t require a lot time or commitment. For just a couple of bucks a month, website builders cover your hosting, design and content management systems.
Who are Website Builders For?
Who are website builders generally for? Small business owners with little to no budget and no web development skills. This includes but is not limited to
- dentists,
- mechanics,
- photographers,
- realtors,
- lawyers,
- plumbers,
- cleaners, etc.
Here’s Why
Small business owners have limited time on their hands. They are generally working with little to no staff. Because of this, they do everything from operations, bookkeeping, cleaning, marketing, administrative work, etc. They, pretty much, do it all. There is one exception, however. According to reports, over 50% of small business do not have a website. Small business owners are not engaged in this activity for one of the two reasons – they believe their industry doesn’t require them to have a website or they think a website is too big an expense to bare.
Your business needs a website. Facebook is only going to take you so far. When you want make an offer, where will you send people to accept it? Now that you can put on wup with a website builder, you will make your offer on your own website. A website is a virtual address that has the potential to reach more potential customers than a physical address could with amy foot traffic.
Positive Attributes to having your own site:
- Everyone is online (even your mom)
- You will look credible (remember only 50% of small businesses have a site),
- Expand your market
- Customer Testimonials
- Get discovered
Most of the website builders out today will help with template design, SEO tools, domain name registration and so much more. What makes one a good one is the ease of use and the convenience.
So, without further ado, the top four best website builders and why you should choose them…..
WIX
This website builder is the best out there for small business owners. They have great customer service. Do a quick search on “Wix customer services and you’ll agree. When being a new coming to creating a website, you’ll find that customer service and the ability to ask questions goes a long way.
Why it makes the list:
- There is a free option – no frills but it can be used. If you need more, they have paid packages. The most expensive is $25/monthly – easily manageable.
- Asks you questions to help understand which template may be best for your business.
- There are plenty of templates for you to choose from. To rule or the overwhelming feeling of what to choose, their templates are sorted by category. This makes it easy for you to choose your industry and find the right functions and look for your website.
- It has many ready-made options like contact forms, blogs, events, etc.
- This builder has easy to use drag and drop features that allows anyone with no coding experience to build a beautiful website.
WEEBLY
Weebly is here if you cannot find a template you like on Wix. It’s for those who have a little knowledge on coding a site. If you know enough to be dangerous, you can probably take a Weebly farther than most expect.
Why it makes the list:
- It has drag and drop features but if you need access to the code, its available.
- Of all the website builders with a free version, it has the best on the market.
- They offer several tools to help you develop and design through training tutorial and videos.
- They provide SSL certificates free to their customers as well as $100 in Google AdWords credit. For those just getting started, these two are generous.
- There are many selections on the app market to enhance your site.
SQUARESPACE
Most musicians, artist, and writers generally flock to this website builder. Squarespace is also known as the website builder for creatives.
Why it makes the list:
- Squarespace allows its users to have access to the code if you want to change up a template design to have more originally. This seems to be attractive to creatives.
- An unlimited number of pages, galleries, blogs, bandwidth are available to you with your monthly subscription as well as an SSL certificate and a free domain (12-month subscription).
- Because they focus on providing websites for the creatives, their website templates absolutely POP.
SHOPIFY
When you are looking to sell products online, this ecommerce website builder is one of the best options on the market.
Why it makes the list:
- The customer support is second to none. Shopify has a strong customer support team that is available around the clock just as your store is available to its customers around the clock.
- There are vast choices of high rated free and paid templates to customize to your needs with the drag and drop editor. Easily build your website in a day.
- It has the best WYSIWYG editor out there for website builders. This makes its SEO functionality one competes with that of a site that was developed from code.
- The ability to track order details, sales statistics, website visitors and much more make it attractive to those who sell goods or services.
Website Builders for the Win
If you made it this far, then you are probably going to start a website in the next day or so. This is good. You need to position yourself on the web so you can be discovered and be more available to potential customers. Don’t overthink it. Pick one from this list and get started. Website builders are suitable for beginners or small businesses looking to get a professional and inexpensive website up and running in a short period of time unlike that if you hire an expensive developer that may takes weeks.
If your site is not quite how you like it, don’t let that stop you from making it public. It will never be perfect.
Here’s a little secret that most developers don’t normally talk about: They are always tweaking and adjusting.
Your website is like your little office, store or booth online. You have to take care of it just as you would a physical location. As long as you keep that in mind, you little corner of the internet will be just fine.
