Introduction
Some people would like to build their own website, but they don’t have the time to learn about coding. In the past, you could not do this unless you were a professional programmer.
The implication is that very few people had the ability to build a website on their own. It was expensive to hire someone to build for you a website.
However, with the invention is website builders, the whole process has become easy. No wonder we have so many businesses that have their own websites.
The reason is that you can use these tools to create a stunning website on your own. All you need to do is get a domain name, and you will be good to go.
The best website builders are easy to use as you don’t want something that will give you the edge to learn how it works.
It is also good to look at the features of each builder and compare them with your needs. You will not fail to get one that is a perfect match for your needs as long as you do your research well.
In this article, we will be looking at the 5 best website builders in the market. Top on our list includes Site123.com, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, and WordPress. We will also look at a buyer’s guide that will help you choose the best website builders.
To start with, let us look at the features, pros, and cons of each product. You will not fail to get a platform that perfectly meets your needs as long as you read this review well.
What is a Website Builder?
Website builders are tools that typically allow users to construct websites with no need for manual code editing. There are two main categories of website builders.
The first one is the online proprietary tools that web hosting companies provide. They are intended to help users build their own private websites.
The second one is offline software that runs on a computer to create pages and can thereafter publish the pages on any web host. The second category is more of a ‘website design software’ and not a website builder.
The Criteria We Used to Select the Best Web Builders
We test website builders in several fields to ascertain the quality of service that they provide. The major categories comprise of;
Performance: In this case, we look at the quality of websites you can create using these builders. It is good to get a tool that will allow you to create a highly functional website.
Features: This refers to the number of resources that a plan provides. You will be looking at the special tools and other bonuses in every plan.
Ease of Use: The time it takes to learn how to use a website builder matters a lot when choosing. We will help you get the one that is easy to use without compromising the website's quality.
Support: Elements like courtesy, availability, support channels, and professionalism matter a lot when choosing the best website builders.
The 5 Best Website Builders for 2021
- Company
- Main Features
- Price
- Rating
- More
- Plugin system
- Theme system
- Publishing tools
- User management
- Custom content types
- Search engine optimized
- From
- $0/Free
- Online store
- Email marketing
- Wix App market
- Optimized mobile view
- 100s of designer templates
- Drag and drop website editor
- From
- $0/Free
- SEO tools
- Video tools
- Free hosting
- Email marketing
- 24/7 website support
- Responsive web design
- From
- $0.00/mo
- Custom CSS
- Gallery blocks
- Audio collections
- Template switching
- Build-in mobile websites
- Responsive image loader
- From
- $12/mo
- 24/7 support
- App integration
- Free subdomain
- eCommerce store
- Domain registration
- Responsive templates
- From
- $0.00/mo
Summary
How to Choose the Best Website Builders
If you are looking for a website builder, you have to make sure that you are getting nothing but the best. However, there are some important things that you need to put into consideration before making a decision.
In this section, we will be helping you to determine how to choose the best website builder. You cannot expect to get the right experience of using a web builder when you make the wrong decision.
Here are some of the things that will guide you through the process of choosing a builder for your website.
1. Determine Your Budget
The first thing you need to do when choosing a website builder is going for something you can afford. Consider the other costs that come with creating a professional website.
All website budgets have to take care of the hosting and domain registration. You will also need to invest in the copy and images of your website as well.
Several website builders have a free plan, but most of them charge a reasonable fee for their monthly plan. Most of the paid plans have features that most business owners will want on their website.
If you have a limited budget, you may save by going for plans that bundle various website services you need. Some website builders come with the hosting, hence removing one line of expenditure from your budget.
The good thing is that you will get everything that you need within the same budget. Make sure you look at all these things when shopping for the best website builder for your needs. The plan may appear to be very cheap, but the additional expenditure will make the expenditure very high.
2. Consider Your Priorities and Needs
Before determining the right website builder for your needs, you should have a rough idea of how you want your website to appear. It will help you clarify your priorities to tell you what you need to look for in your search.
There are some good questions that you need to consider. The first one is the level of experience that you have in website design. In most cases, website builders are meant for people who don’t have a lot of experience in website coding and design. However, it is easier to figure out some website builders than others.
If you are learning from scratch as you move ahead, go for a builder that offers drag and drop design options and website theme templates. The other question is how particular you are in having things done right.
If you need a lot of flexibility and options to design your site, get a website builder with so many templates you can choose from. It is also good to go for more flexible editing options to make extensive changes in your design.
The other consideration is whether you need an online store. If you are building an eCommerce website, it will include a Checkout functionality and shopping cart.
You also need a design that will emphasize getting individuals to undertake the next step of buying your products. As you choose your website builder, check whether they have the right features and templates to support an online store.
3. Types of Media
You should also consider the type of media that you will include on your website. The eCommerce website could include a blog, photo gallery, video, or map showing your website's location. The website builder you choose should support the content formats you want to include on your website.
Whatever the case, you should look for the best way of making your website mobile-friendly. Look for the website builders whose templates are highly responsive. Other options will make sure that your website works perfectly on mobile devices.
4. Look at the Number of Themes
When using a website builder, the design process begins with the themes that the builder offers. You will choose one of the available themes, and it will be the template that you will be customizing and turn into your unique website.
It is frustrating to invest in a website builder just to discover that you have limited customization options. It can be worse to discover that you love none of the themes that the builder has to offer. Choose a website builder with enough themes, which will make an excellent starting point for your website.
All the other things will become much easier if you use a theme that is a perfect match for the website you have in mind. Therefore, don’t ignore the number and types of themes that the website builder has to offer.
5. Ease of Use
Look at how easy the website builder is to use, especially if you are a novice developer. It is much easier to use a website builder to create a website than programming and coding. However, this does not imply that all web builders are easy to figure out.
As we had said earlier, the drag-and-drop functionality makes everything easy. Also, look for a website builder with an intuitive editor to make all the changes easy to complete.
Research the reputation of the website builder when it comes to ease of use. Check whether it is a great option for people who are building a website for the first time.
The best option is to turn to user reviews. People who start using a website builder with a level of knowledge similar to yours know the type of challenges you will likely face. You will be safe once you choose a website builder that is easy to use.
6. Check the SEO Features
After building your website, you have to make sure that you are getting everything right. Therefore, you need to implement the best SEO practices while designing your website. The best website builders come with SEO features that make the process of onsite optimization quite easy.
All you need is an easy way of updating all SEO meta elements on every page. Some of them include the image alt tags and meta descriptions. They also provide your sitemap for the search engines. On-site optimization is just one part of SEO, and having the right website builder will take you a step ahead.
7. Check Out the Support and Resources
Even the most intuitive website builders need a learning period. When a website builder has more features, you will have so much to learn. Before making a choice, make sure that the website builder's resources will help you learn the ins and outs of how the website builder works.
Your website builder will ideally provide both tutorials on how to use the various features and make the major changes you will need to design your site. If you learn better by text or video, check to find out if the builder provides the resources in the format that also works well for you. The best website builder is the one that will help you to figure out how it works.
8. Research on the Customer Service & Reputation of the Company
Learning to use a web builder and ensuring that everything works is much easier if dealing with a brand with an excellent customer support reputation. If something is not working well for you, you need to get in touch with the support team quickly and get the help that you need most.
Look at the reviews of the desired web builders to see what the previous customers have to say. Also, check how often these customers need to contact support for assistance. The best web builder will give you prompt help at the time of need.
FAQs
Conclusion
There are so many website builders in the market, but not all of them are the best for you. It all depends on the type of website you wish to create because what works best for one person will not work well for another. It is good to look for a website builder that is affordable, easy to use and offers the eCommerce options you need.
In this article, I have analyzed 5 website builders that will match the needs of various websites. You will not fail to find the best website builder for your website from what we have covered in this piece of content. When you follow these tips carefully, you will not fail to get the best website builders in the market.