Choosing the right website builder is an important decision when making a website. For many businesses a website is their first contact with potential customers or clients, it’s where their business takes place and it’s a crucial part of their branding and marketing efforts.
A well-chosen website builder can determine not only how good your website looks but its functionality too, all of which can ultimately help you drive business growth.
Popular website builders like Wix offer a range of features and plans tailored to different business needs. They’re known for their user-friendly interfaces and robust customization options, making them ideal choices for both beginners and experienced entrepreneurs.
When selecting a website builder that’s right for you, there are a number of key factors to consider from design customization, to SEO friendliness to how easy they are to use and maintain. The better you understand these, the more informed your decision can be about which website builder to choose.
What is a website builder?
Before even deciding which website builder to use, it’s important to ask and understand, what is a website builder?
A website builder is a tool that allows you to create a website without needing to write code. It's an intuitive platform where you can design, customize and publish your site using pre-designed website templates and a drag-and-drop editor. This makes website builders super accessible for anyone with little to no technical expertise.
Website builders are designed to simplify the process of creating a personal or professional website. Most also include all of the website infrastructure needed to get your site life and secure it. This includes reliable web hosting, enterprise-grade website security and a domain name.
Popular website builders
Several website builders stand out due to their features and ease of use. Here’s an overview of some of the favorites:
Wix: Known for its flexibility and extensive template library, Wix caters to users who want creative freedom.
Wix Studio: Build for web design and marketing professionals. Offers design customization, responsive templates and collaborative editing.
Squarespace: Offers sleek, modern designs for creatives and businesses focused on aesthetics.
How to choose the best website builder: what to consider
Every business needs different things from its website builder. But when it comes to choosing the right one, there are some common factors to consider that can help you decide which works best for your website.
Design customization
Decide first how crucial it is for your business to have a unique web design. Some builders offer extensive customization, allowing you to tailor every aspect of your site. With Wix you get a lot of customization options built into the editor — fonts, layouts, images, backgrounds and more. Or you can opt for the professional design customization of Wix Studio which includes custom CSS and gradient backgrounds, as some examples.
If design customization is important for you, most popular website builders are designed for just that. And if it's important to create a fast, while making sure it still looks stunning — an AI website builder might be the best choice.
You can also use a website builder to design your site with templates. Pre-designed templates (Wix’s are all professionally designed) are a great way to design a site, even if you’re not a designer. Some popular templates include:
Ease of use
If you're new to website building, opt for a website builder with beginner-friendly interfaces. These often include drag-and-drop editors and pre-designed templates. A no code website builder is great for beginners as it requires no coding knowledge at all.
SEO capabilities
Once you’ve built your site, one of the most effective ways to generate traffic and visits is through SEO — ranking in organic search results. Look for a website builder that integrates robust SEO tools such as bulk meta tags, alt text for images and easy integration with analytics tools.
"Leveraging SEO and integrating it into the website creation process is vital. Various studies have shown that organic search is the single greatest provider of traffic to websites, which is even more pronounced in the B2B context. Additionally, traffic from organic search, when done correctly, is essentially built to last (with proper maintenance over time, of course) and forms a crucial part of a site’s long-term growth." Mordy Oberstein, head of SEO branding at Wix.
Cost and budget
Assess the pricing plans of the most popular website builders and what they include. Consider whether the features offered justify the cost and if there are any hidden fees. With Wix, for example, you can create a website for free or choose from paid plans that start from $17 a month. They include hosting and domain registration. Most plans are renewable once a year.
Website infrastructure
No matter what type of website you plan to create one of the most important considerations when choosing a website builder is its infrastructure. This is what not only gets your site live once you hit publish but it’s what keeps it secure and reliable too.
It includes your hosting, domain name, security and performance. Opt for a website builder that prioritizes robust infrastructure with things such as 24/7 security monitoring (for cyber attacks and other threats) and which guarantees 99.99% uptime.
"What often gets forgotten when talking about choosing a website builder is the capabilities of the infrastructure that’s promised to you—the reliability of the hosting, the level of security in place to protect your visitors’ data and, of course, your site's speed. Even if infrastructure is not the first thought that comes to mind when creating a website, if it’s not robust enough, it can cause major headaches for website owners when trying to scale a website later on." Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix
How to choose a website builder for a small business
When it comes to finding the best website builder for a small business you will need to consider the needs of your business. What functionality do you want from your website? Are you planning on setting up an online store, including appointment booking or something else?
Check if the website builder you want to use includes these as standard or if possible with an app or third party integration, like the Wix app market.
When it comes to making a business website, your aim should be to focus on its functionality and how it can help you scale. For the design, opt for a website builder with a good range of templates by industry.
How to choose a website builder for beginners
If you’re a first time website creator, a website builder built intuitively for beginners is your best choice. Make sure the website builder you choose has:
Drag and drop editor
Pre-designed, customizable templates
Tutorials, resources and support for first time builders
Easy to use, straightforward interface
Should I choose a free website builder?
Free website builders can be an option but come with limitations. Amongst their pros includes the fact that they’re cost-effective and can be a great idea for testing out a website or a personal site. However often they mean you can’t customize your domain name which can be limiting for a business site.
Most free website builders also offer paid plans, so you can trial their free offering and if needs be switch to a more comprehensive plan.