Do you really need a website?
If you don’t currently have a website you might be asking yourself if you really need one. Maybe the majority of your sales are in-person and your business is doing just fine without an online presence.
But the truth is, you’re likely missing out on a lot of revenue if you don’t have a website.
An estimated 2.14 billion people are expected to shop online in 2021. More importantly, a recent survey indicates that well over half of consumers (59%) actually prefer to shop online.
And even if you don’t sell physical products there’s still plenty of incentive to get online. Nowadays, consumers are most likely to perform an online search to find the services they need. And 88% of people who search for a business on their smartphone visit or call that business within a day.
Luckily, with the right website builder you can create a business site in a matter of days.
What is a website builder?
As you can see, websites are essential for any business to reach its full potential. Unfortunately, this critical marketing tool hasn’t always been readily available to small businesses and independent entrepreneurs.
But website builders are changing that. These tools let you quickly and easily design a website without the need for coding. You can edit text, add and remove sections, upload photos, and more. They’re designed to be user-friendly and very intuitive, so you don’t need a technical background to operate them.
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The best website builders let you create professional-looking websites all by yourself. This is especially useful if you're on a budget, as some of the best website builders offer affordable pricing plans that let you start small and grow. Because you aren’t hiring any developers the process is much more affordable, and you have complete control over the design.
The old way to build a website
Before website builders, your only options were to code a website from scratch or hire a developer to do it for you. Unfortunately, this presented a number of problems for business owners:
- If you didn’t know much about the process of coding/designing a website then it was difficult to know what to look for in a developer. There was also the risk of being overcharged.
- Even if you did find a good developer to build your website it was usually very expensive. Custom websites often ended up costing $5,000 or more.
- Building a website from scratch takes a lot of time. It often took months before you could see a working prototype. Then you’d have to provide feedback and wait even longer while your changes were implemented.
- There was always the risk that you would pay all that money and end up with a website you weren’t completely happy with.
Because of all these issues, many small businesses put off getting a website or never got one at all. For many, the hassle and risks just weren’t worth it.
The new way to build a website
With website builders, the problems discussed above are no longer an issue. Now you can simply subscribe to your favorite builder (or try it for free) and start creating your website all by yourself.
It's important to note that each builder is a little different, which is why you should try a few different options to see which ones work best for you. Some of the best website builders allow for free trials, so you can test the features without commitment. That being said, most builders offer a wide array of editable templates and use a drag and drop interface to allow you to make changes.
With this in mind, here’s the typical process for creating a site with a website builder:
- Sign up with a website builder or start a free trial.
- Choose a template that suits your business. Many builders offer industry-specific templates designed for certain types of businesses (coaches, authors, restaurants, etc.)
- Use drag and drop functionality to add, remove, and move various elements to create your ideal design.
- Add images (your logo, photos of you and your products, etc.)
- Edit text to define your products, services, and business.
- Publish your site to the web.
With these builders, you can create your entire site in just a few days (or even quicker depending on the size of the site you need). Best of all, it’s simple for everyone and eliminates most of the barriers to entry that previously existed with websites.
How much does a website builder cost?
The price you’ll pay for a website builder varies depending on a few different factors:
- The provider: Each builder has its own pricing structure. So make sure to shop around to ensure you’re getting the best deal.
- The pricing tier: Most builders offer various plans with different features. The more features your plan includes the more you’ll pay.
- The subscription: You can often choose between a monthly or annual subscription. While annual subscriptions cost you more upfront, most of them come with a discount. So over time, an annual subscription will actually cost you less.
Of the website builders we surveyed, monthly subscription costs for providers’ cheapest plans range from $1 all the way up to $49. The average standard subscription costs $12.49. However, if you opt for a more advanced plan you can expect to pay more.
It’s also important to note that there are free builders available. In fact, some of the builders on our list offer free versions. Just be aware that these free offerings have extremely limited feature sets and a few drawbacks that we’ll get into later.
What is the best website builder?
The best website builder for your business will depend on your unique requirements. As we mentioned earlier, each option is a little different. So, you'll need to review all of them to determine which ones have what you're looking for.
Below is a list of the 24 most popular website builders. We’ve included what types of businesses they’re ideal for, whether or not they have a free trial, and the cost of their cheapest plan so you can easily compare them and find the best website builder for you.
Note: The pricing information included in the table below was last updated on December 8, 2021.
Website builder reviews: our top picks
We want you to find the very best website builder for your business. That’s why we’ve provided detailed reviews of all 24 builders below. In this first section, we’ve highlighted our eight favorite builders for you to consider.
Leadpages
Initially launched as a landing page builder, Leadpages expanded to also offer a website builder in 2019. Implementing the same popular features and services that made them a leader in the landing page space, this builder has quickly become a favorite amongst small business owners.
One of the first things you’ll notice about Leadpages is the large library of professionally designed templates. They have some of the best template designs for many different industries, including coaches, consultants, authors, and more. This makes it easy to find a template that works for your business. From there, you can make changes to customize it exactly the way you want.
Once you start editing your page, you’ll quickly realize that Leadpages’ Drag & Drop Website Builder is extremely user-friendly. Changing text and images is very intuitive and you can easily move, add, and remove elements from each page. They even offer predesigned sections like About, FAQ, and Call to Action that you can swap in and out, making it simple to customize any template.
What really sets Leadpages apart from other builders is their focus on conversions. As their name suggests, Leadpages is all about generating leads, and they’ve carried that mentality over to their website builder. They offer customizable pop-ups, alert bars, and contact forms to help you attract and find new customers. Best of all, the Leadmeter provides you with real-time data-driven conversion tips as you create your site.
Finally, we can’t talk about Leadpages without mentioning the exceptional customer service. They offer phone, email, and chat support, and all their agents are extremely friendly and helpful. On the rare occasion that you have an issue, you can be sure their support team will resolve it for you.
Overall, Leadpages’ excellent templates, user-friendly interface, and focus on conversions make it one of the best website builders for small businesses.
WordPress
WordPress isn’t a traditional website builder. In fact, it’s more of a content management system (CMS). However, they do offer editable templates and it’s one of the most popular ways to build a website, which is why WordPress makes our list.
The number one benefit of WordPress is that it’s free. Well, sort of. While the software is free you’ll need to purchase hosting a domain name from a third party. Depending on your hosting plan, this will cost you anywhere from $5 - $30 a month. Still a reasonable price, but definitely not free.
This set-up does provide one advantage though: if at any time you wish to change hosting providers you can simply move your site somewhere else. This isn’t the case if your website builder is also your host.
WordPress is open-source software. As a result, there are thousands of themes created by a wide range of developers. Many are free while others you’ll have to pay for. There are also plenty of plugins available. These are apps designed for WordPress that add additional functionality to your site.
Because WordPress is a CMS, it’s great for blogging. Adding, editing, and publishing new posts is easy, which is why it’s the platform used by most bloggers.
The biggest downside is that it doesn’t offer much customization. Editing text and images within a WordPress template is simple enough, but changing the actual design is far more difficult. In most cases, if you want to adjust the way certain elements look you’ll need to edit the template’s code. So, if you’re not comfortable coding make sure to choose a template with a design you’re already happy with.
Squarespace
Squarespace began as a blog hosting service back in 2004 and has grown to become one of the world’s most popular website builders. Its simple interface, large selection of templates, and ecommerce functionality make it an excellent choice for non-tech savvy individuals and small businesses looking for an easy way to get online.
Perhaps the best part about using Squarespace is their templates. They all look very professional and clean, giving you a great starting point for your website. There are templates for a wide selection of uses and industries, making it easy to find one that fits your needs.
One common complaint is that many of their templates look similar, which is true. So you’ll need to do some editing in order to set your site apart.
When it comes to their editor, there really isn’t much to critique. Once you select your template you can add additional pages as needed. You can also choose from a wide array of pre-designed sections to make each page unique. The number of customization features Squarespace has is impressive. Any existing elements can be edited, moved, or removed, and you can add additional elements as needed.
Squarespace also offers ecommerce functionality. While their ecommerce platform doesn’t offer the same number of features as Shopify or BigCommerce, their builder is easier to use which makes it a great choice for smaller stores.
The drag and drop builder is pretty user-friendly, but it’s not without its issues. Tasks generally take more clicks than other builders and the lack of an autosave feature means you have to manually save all your changes. Finally, while Squarespace’s templates look great, they don’t always score well when it comes to page load speeds.
Wix
Wix has the largest market share of any drag and drop website builder, with over 4.5 million websites being created with its software. It’s certainly a popular builder and has a lot of great features, but depending on your needs there may be better options.
Let’s start with their template selection. Wix offers over 900 templates to choose from. Some are suited for a wide range of businesses, while others are more industry-specific. There are definitely some great-looking templates here, but you’ll notice some are beginning to look a little dated. Also, keep in mind that once you select a template you’re locked in and won’t be able to change it down the road. So, make sure you’re happy with it.
After you choose your template and jump into the editor, you’ll find Wix offers a lot more customization than most other editors. Every element is editable and can be dragged and dropped anywhere you like. If you want complete control over how your page looks then Wix might be for you.
However, this level of customization can lead to issues. For example, if you’re not careful when moving text elements you may cause them to overlap an image. Most other editors would never let you do this. This unstructured environment also frequently causes issues with the mobile version of your site, and you might have to edit that version separately to get it to look the way you want.
In addition, it’s important to note that Wix offers a pretty solid ecommerce platform. Like Squarespace, it’s better suited for smaller stores. The big difference between Wix and an ecommerce builder like Shopify is the number of apps. Wix only has about 300 while Shopify has over 6,000. But if you like the Wix builder and aren’t creating a large or complicated ecommerce store then Wix should be fine.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is one of the biggest domain registrars and web hosting companies in the world. When most people think about buying a domain they think of GoDaddy. So, it’s only natural that they eventually added a website builder to their services in order to keep all of their customers’ web services in-house.
Their website builder functions like most other popular builders on the market. You start by selecting a theme that works for your business, then you can use the builder to edit the theme to your specifications. This includes changing design features like colors and fonts, adding and removing sections, and adding additional pages.
Naturally, as part of their offerings GoDaddy provides domain names and hosting services. If you choose to purchase your domain through GoDaddy you’ll get it free for the first year. That being said, if you already have a domain through another provider you can connect it to your GoDaddy site.
While GoDaddy’s builder is fairly easy to use, the biggest drawback is its limited customization features. For example, you can’t edit the size or font of your text individually. Instead, any changes you make to your text will be implemented across your entire website. You also can’t add new elements (like additional text blocks) to your template. All you can do is simply toggle existing elements on or off.
The other big feature GoDaddy offers is ecommerce functionality. However, their ecommerce tools are extremely limited and not suited for large sellers. For example, checkouts aren’t hosted on your site (they’re hosted on mysimplestore.com) and you have to apply taxes manually, which is extremely time-consuming.
Shopify
Shopify is the clear market leader when it comes to ecommerce websites. If you’re building an online store you’ll definitely want to consider this builder, as they offer the most options and tools for ecommerce businesses.
Before we get started, it’s important to note that Shopify is strictly for ecommerce websites. If you’re just looking to build a blog or standard business website you’ll want to use one of the other builders on this list.
Shopify offers ten free themes for you to choose from. If you want a little more choice you can buy additional themes from third-party providers. Some of these themes are available through the Shopify theme store. Any themes found here are reviewed by Shopify to ensure they meet their standards. You can also find themes for sale on other marketplaces. Just know that any theme you buy somewhere else hasn’t been vetted.
Where Shopify suffers is their editor. You don’t have as many options for customizing the look of your website and the interface feels a little clunky. Some changes (such as changing your font color) even require you to edit the code of your website. So, when you select a theme make sure you’re already happy with the overall design.
It’s clear that Shopify has devoted most of its resources to developing its product editor, which makes sense as it’s geared towards ecommerce businesses. Adding and editing products is easy and very intuitive compared to other ecommerce builders.
Shopify comes with a wide range of features already installed. This includes tools for adding products, dealing with customers, handling orders, and monitoring analytics. Most of what you need is already there. For more specific use-case scenarios, there are over 6,000 apps available in the app store. No matter what type of functionality you need, chances are there is an app that will allow you to do it.
Elementor
Elementor is a drag and drop website builder plugin for WordPress. So, if you like the features of WordPress but want a drag and drop builder to edit your pages with, Elementor might be for you.
As we mentioned in our WordPress review, there are thousands of WordPress themes available. Unfortunately, not all of them work with Elementor. To make sure the theme you choose is compatible, your best bet is to use one of Elementor’s themes. There are roughly 150 free themes and 300 paid themes available.
To use the Elementor editor, follow the same steps you would when setting up your WordPress site. This includes buying a domain and hosting plan, and installing WordPress on your site. Once that’s done, simply download and install the Elementor plugin, select your plan, and you’re good to go.
Elementor works similarly to other drag and drop builders. You can edit existing elements, move them to different areas of the page, or add new elements such as text, images, and YouTube videos. It’s important to note though that the free version only lets you edit content areas. If you want to edit other areas, like headers, footers, and 404 pages, you’ll need to opt for the paid version.
There are also plenty of integrations for Elementor, including MailChimp, ConvertKit, HubSpot, and more. This makes it easier to build your funnels and develop more sophisticated marketing strategies.
Overall, if you’re set on using WordPress then Elementor will make designing your website easier. However, the builder does have a few downsides. For one, it comes with a limited number of SEO tools to help you improve your Google rankings. Customer support is also a common sticking point amongst users. The free version doesn’t come with support, and the support that is offered to paid users doesn’t always provide the best solution to customers’ problems.
Weebly
Weebly has been around since 2006, making it one of the more well-established website builders on the market. Interestingly enough, Weebly currently offers two builders: their classic Weebly builder as well their Square builder, which is geared more towards ecommerce businesses.
As with most website builders, you start by choosing your template. Weebly offers around 70 templates for many different industries. While the majority of their themes are well-designed and very professional, their selection lags behind other top builders.
The Weebly editor is one of the easier ones to use, especially for those with limited experience building websites. One of the best features is the way it hides other elements when you’re editing a particular section so you can easily focus on the area you’re working on. That being said, it has limited customization options, especially when it comes to editing colors. For example, if you want to change the color of your footer you’ll need to edit the code of your website.
The Square editor, while also user-friendly, is far more limited. It works by letting you add or remove pre-designed sections. You can turn different elements on or off, but you can’t add new elements to sections, which is a bit restrictive. Of course, the main point of the Square editor is to help you build an ecommerce store, and it definitely succeeds at that. Adding and editing products is super simple, and there’s also a great email editor for creating customer emails.
Weebly offers plenty of integrations that allow you to use your favorite marketing tools with your website. However, two notable integrations that aren’t available are MailChimp and Constant Contact. So, if you use these tools to send emails then connecting them to your site will be more difficult. Or you’ll have to use Weebly’s own email provider, Promote.
Website builder reviews: other options
Of course, the eight website builders featured above are far from your only options. To ensure you’re educated on all the choices, here are 16 other options that may work for your business.
Web.com
Web.com is one of the oldest hosting companies and website builders around, dating all the way back to 1999. They offer a simple drag and drop builder that works well enough when it comes to making simple edits. Unfortunately, performing more complex and creative changes is more difficult.
The number of templates is also lacking. To start, you select what type of business you have and then they serve up three different templates for you to choose from. That said, Web.com comes with a large library of stock images, which is very helpful when customizing your site.
Hostgator
Primarily known for their hosting services, Hostgator recently launched a website builder to make it easier for their customers to get online. This tool offers everything you’d expect from a modern builder, including a selection of attractive templates, a user-friendly drag and drop platform, and a catalog of free stock images.
Hostgator’s builder isn’t perfect though. To start, while their plans are affordable, there’s no free trial. Editing images is also difficult and their app store is lacking compared to other builders.
Zyro
Zyro is an effective website builder that’s easy to use for both beginners and those with more experience building websites. They have a decent selection of templates (130) and ecommerce options for those looking to create an online store. Zyro’s best feature though is its AI-powered tools. Its AI Writer helps you create copy while the AI Heatmap predicts how users will interact with your site.
Unfortunately, there’s no free trial that allows you to try the software risk-free. There also aren’t a lot of options for editing photos. However, the biggest drawback is the inability to switch templates once you’ve built your site.
1&1 IONOS
Like many hosting companies, 1&1 IONOS has added a website builder to its services. It’s certainly an effective tool for creating websites, although your customization options are limited unless you opt for their Creator plan. If not, you won’t have complete control over where elements are placed on the page. They offer plenty of features though, like SEO and ecommerce tools.
1&1 IONOS provides 24/7 support to all customers, but only by phone. There are no chat or email support options, which should be a given nowadays.
Constant Contact is known primarily for their email marketing services, but they recently added a website builder that integrates with their email offerings. Unlike traditional builders, that have you choose a template and then edit it, Constant Contact auto-generates a website for you based on how you answer their initial questions. Once your site is generated you can make changes using their editor.
Unfortunately, many of the designs you end up with are underwhelming and a little dated. There’s also virtually no support for SEO. One bright spot is their ecommerce platform which is surprisingly robust.
Jimdo
Jimdo is a German website builder that’s been around since 2007. When getting started with this tool you have two options: let Jimdo’s AI build a site for you based on the information you give them, or build the website yourself. Using the AI is certainly fast but gives you less creative control.
If you opt to build your site yourself you may feel more in control, but their customization options are somewhat lacking. There also aren’t many template choices, and the designs lag behind many other builders on this list. The builder works well enough but often feels clunky and slow.
Network Solutions
Network Solutions is a hosting company that’s branched out to include a website builder and web design services. Their website builder plan starts at just $2.95 for the first month. However, nowhere does it say how much subsequent months will cost. Even more troubling, their refund policy is extremely vague.
The builder works reasonably well but can be confusing at times. It’s also surprisingly tough to find their template library and a list of features you get with each plan.
Zoho
Zoho is a well-rounded website builder that’s suitable for a variety of businesses. The builder is well designed and the interface is very organized, making it easy to get the hang of the software quickly. There’s also a free library of images that you can use for your site.
Unfortunately, there are only 44 templates to choose from, and you need to upgrade to the Pro plan to access 12 of them. If you opt for their starter plan it’s important to note that you only get 500 MB of storage which could run out quickly if you’re not careful.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a website builder designed specifically for ecommerce businesses, making it one of the main competitors of Shopify. It’s a great option for larger online stores that are in need of more advanced options, like real-time shipping quotes, abandoned cart recovery, and product search filtering. And unlike Shopify, they don’t charge platform fees or commissions.
While this is a powerful ecommerce site builder, a common complaint is how difficult it is to set up. Also, though they don’t charge you commissions they do force you to upgrade if your revenue exceeds certain limits. This could be an issue for businesses with tighter margins.
Fasthosts
Fasthosts’ website builder offers features for bloggers, ecommerce stores, and small businesses. Perhaps the best thing about their service is their free trials. If you choose their Essential Website Builder plan you can use it free for a month, and if you choose their Complete Website Builder plan you can use it free for three months. Compared to other more affordable builders, Fasthosts offers a solid amount of customization when using the editor.
The biggest limitation is that their plans only include one website. You can add more websites if you want, but you’ll have to pay additional hosting fees. It’s also important to note that Fasthosts’ uptime rate is far below average.
Bandzoogle
There are website builders for virtually every type of business, and now Bandzoogle has developed one specifically for musicians and bands. Like most builders, you’ll start by choosing one of their templates which are broken up into many different categories (rock, classical, urban, etc.). Editing, adding, and removing content with the builder is easy. There are also tools to help you sell your music online, which is critical for musicians.
Compared to other similar builders, their plans can get expensive. But that might just be the premium you pay for using a builder specially designed for musicians. There are also limited security features, which are important for any type of ecommerce site.
Duda
Duda is a sleek website builder that works well for a variety of applications. They offer 110 different templates that are professionally designed, clean, and responsive. The builder features an intuitive layout, and the drag and drop features are smooth and responsive. It may take you a little while to get used to how things are done in Duda, but once you do it’s a solid builder.
Just keep in mind that once your site is finished you can’t change your template, so be sure to choose one you’re happy with. It also lacks a selection of third-party integrations that many other popular website builders offer.
Webflow
Webflow’s website builder gives you a great amount of flexibility and customization options. There are over 100 templates to choose from, all of which look clean and modern. Add in its ecommerce tools and it should be a suitable builder for most businesses.
However, the editor will likely be intimidating for beginners. The interface looks more like graphic design software than a drag and drop site builder, and it’s a little more difficult to use than the other options on this list. Support is also only available via email.
One.com
One.com is a website builder designed for businesses on a budget. It offers a user-friendly drag and drop builder, ecommerce tools, and all the other basic functionalities you’d expect from a website builder. And you get all of this for only $3.14 per month.
While One.com offers blogging functionality, your blog must be hosted on a subdomain. You’ll also use a different editor when creating your blogs, which is an odd choice. 24/7 support is offered, but customer reviews suggest the quality of support received isn’t always up to par.
Site123
Site123 is designed to help you get your business online fast. After answering some questions, the service generates a customized template for your business that you can edit and make your own. While you can make changes to your site, the interface isn’t drag and drop. Instead, you use a menu to select what page elements you want to change.
While Site123’s builder is straightforward, it’s rather limiting for those who want more creative freedom. Making larger changes to templates is difficult, adjusting the menu is virtually impossible, and you’re unable to edit the layout.
Webnode
Webnode is a solid website builder for those looking to create a simple site. Their drag and drop editor provides for a decent amount of flexibility and creativity while still remaining easy to use. What really sets Webnode apart is their ability to support 20 different languages, which is a huge plus for businesses that sell to international customers.
While it’s very affordable, it lacks important features like social likes and marketing integrations. Although it offers blogging and ecommerce services, both are basic and not suitable for users with more advanced needs.
How to choose the best website builder
With so many builders available it’s completely understandable if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed. How exactly do you take our list and choose the best website builder for your business?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
What’s the purpose of your site?
The first thing you need to figure out is what you’ll be using your site for. As we’ve demonstrated above, some builders work better for certain applications than others.
Are you looking to collect leads and grow your mailing list? Then Leadpages is likely your best bet. Do you want to start a blog? Then WordPress is a good choice. Are you building an eCommerce store? Then a platform like Shopify will work well for you.
Once you determine exactly what you’ll be doing with your site you can create a shortlist of builders that are suited for the task.
How much time do you want to invest in building your site?
Are you looking to get a simple website up as soon as possible? Or do you want to take your time to create a larger, more robust site?
Some builders and plans are more suited for quick builds. They offer limited features but allow you to publish your site in a very short amount of time. Other builders give you a lot more ways to customize your site and provide advanced integrations and features.
If you understand how much time you’re willing to invest in creating your website then it will make it easier to choose the best website builder for you.
How much control do you want to have over the design?
Depending on your needs, you might be fine with picking a template, changing some images and text, and hitting publish. Or you might want complete control over the look and feel of your site.
If you’re someone who’s not picky about how your site looks you can opt for a more basic option. However, if you want to customize every aspect of your pages you’ll need to choose a builder that allows you to do that.
Do you need ecommerce functionality?
Not all website builders are equipped with ecommerce functionality. So, if you’re building an online store you’ll want to choose a builder that supports that.
Builders like Shopify and BigCommerce are designed specifically for ecommerce businesses, but there are many others that offer ecommerce features. For example, Leadpages Checkouts integrates with Stripe and allows you to process transactions on your website.
Do you want a blog?
Blogging is another factor to consider. While virtually all website builders support blogging in one way or another, some options make it easier than others.
Do you plan to only publish a few blogs a year? Then pretty much any builder can accommodate that. However, if you want to keep up a weekly publishing schedule you should choose a builder that’s designed for that, like WordPress.
What’s your budget?
Finally, before you start looking for a website builder you’ll need to decide what your budget is. As we’ve seen, website builder pricing varies between both providers and plans.
Once you have your budget, you can quickly narrow down your options to ones that fall within your price range.
Free website builders vs. paid website builders
When considering your budget, you may wonder if a free website builder would be suitable for your business. While these builders are extremely cost-effective, it’s important to be aware of the downsides.
Here are a few things to consider before using a free option:
- Advertising: Most free builders will force you to display advertising on your site.
- Limited features: You likely won’t have access to options like integrations, ecommerce functionality, or analytics.
- Limited customization: There usually aren’t many ways to make your website your own, leaving you with a site that looks the same as many others.
- Limited storage: If hosting is part of your free website builder don’t expect a lot of bandwidth. This can cause your site to slow down or crash if you get a lot of traffic.
- Limited customer support: Companies generally focus their support on paying customers, so you likely won’t get a lot of help if you’re using a free service.
Of course, if you don’t have the budget for a paid website builder then a free one is better than nothing. And if you’re just looking for a simple website this option might be fine.
However, if you can afford a more advanced builder you’ll be better off in the long run. A good quality website builder will more than pay for itself with better templates, conversion tools, and advanced analytics, all of which will help you grow your business.
Website builders vs hosting: what’s the difference?
Some people confuse website builders with website hosting. Many website builders offer hosting, and a lot of hosting companies also offer website builders (it’s no wonder people get confused). However, these are actually two separate services.
We’ve already discussed website builders in detail. These are tools that allow you to build your website. So, what’s hosting?
Well, once your website is complete it needs somewhere to live. A hosting plan gives you a place to store all the files associated with your site. When someone types in your URL they’re connected to your host, who then shares your website’s files with the user’s browser.
There are a few different types of website hosting available. Some force you to share server space with other sites. This is more affordable but results in less bandwidth and longer load times. There are also options that provide you with your own server, which offers a number of advantages but is also much more expensive.
As part of building your website you’ll need to secure hosting, whether that be through your website builder or a third-party hosting provider.
What’s a domain name and how do I get one?
This is another common question that comes up when people build their own websites. Your domain name is the address for your site. For example, the domain for the Leadpages’ website is leadpages.com.
There are many different types of domains, such as .com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info. There are also country-specific domains like .uk, .ca, and .de. We recommend choosing a .com domain for a few different reasons:
- They look more professional: Most companies use .com domains and it’s what customers expect from a reputable business.
- They’re easier to remember: Because they’re the most common they’re also easier to remember.
- Google favors .com domains: These domains are generally seen as more trustworthy by Google, making it easier to rank your site for important keywords.
So, where do you get a domain? You can purchase a domain name from any hosting provider. Many website builders also come with a domain name. For example, when you sign up for a Leadpages account you’ll get a free custom domain registration for one year from Hover.
The best website builder for small businesses
While all the builders listed here will more or less get the job done, if you’re a small business owner we firmly believe that Leadpages is your best choice. Our Drag & Drop Website Builder, conversion tools, dashboard, and analytics were all built with small businesses in mind.
Here are a few reasons why Leadpages is the best website builder for small businesses:
- User-friendly: We’ve designed our Drag & Drop builder to be easy to use for everyone. You don’t need to know anything about coding, design, or building websites. Just choose a template and start editing. You can be online in less than a day.
- Conversion-focused: A beautiful website is great, but it’s no good to you if it doesn’t get people to take your desired action. That’s not a problem with Leadpages. All our templates are designed with conversions in mind. We also offer real-time data-driven guidance while you’re building your site to make sure it’s fully optimized.
- Renowned customer support: Our journey with you doesn’t stop when you sign up for a Leadpages account. We’re there every step of the way. Our team is always standing by to answer your questions, resolve your issues, and help you grow your business.
- Affordable: Leadpages starts at just $37 a month, and our Standard plan is packed with everything you need to successfully promote your business online, including unlimited landing pages to supplement your new website.
Think Leadpages is a good fit for your business? Take it for a test drive! You can try our website builder, and everything that comes with it, free for 14 days.
Beautiful websites with the full conversion power of Leadpages
Experience the only online website builder that lets you easily create a high-converting website with code-free customizations.
Frequently asked questions
We’ve covered a lot in this guide, but it’s totally understandable if you still have questions. Here are the answers to some of the most common questions we receive about website builders:
Do I need to know how to code to use a website builder?
No. Most website builders (including Leadpages) are designed for regular people with no coding experience. So, even if you’re not very technical you won’t have any trouble using these tools to build your own website. That being said, many builders give you the option to add HTML code to further customize your website. However, doing so is completely optional.
How long does it take to build a site with a website builder?
This completely depends on the type of website you’re building and how much you want to customize it. If you just select a template and change some of the text and images you could create a one-page website in a matter of hours. But if you’re building a multipage website and want to personalize the design it will likely take you a few days to a week to get everything exactly how you want it. Either way, the process is way faster than hiring a developer.
Are website builders a good option for small businesses?
Absolutely. In fact, we’d argue they’re the best option. Small businesses often have smaller budgets and tighter deadlines than larger companies. Website builders offer a quick and affordable way for you to get your business online, plus they allow you to have more control over your brand.
Can I try a website builder for free before I sign up?
Yup, most website builders offer free plans or a free trial so you can try them out before having to pay anything. In fact, you can try Leadpages completely free for 14 days to determine whether it’s right for your business.
Are you ready to build your own website?
You need a website for your business, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Website builders allow you to create beautiful, professional, high converting websites with no coding required. All you need is an idea, a product or service, and the drive to make it happen.
So, what are you waiting for? Review our list of the best website builders and find the ideal one for your business. Then start creating your dream site so you can find new customers.
