Numerous website builders exist in the market with the primary purpose of aiding beginners and small business owners establish an online presence. With the help of these web builders, you can create professional-looking, fully functional websites without spending a lot of money. In the olden days, the only way to create a website was by hiring a web designer at expensive rates. However, with the advent of website builders, you won’t have to throw away your hard-earned money and can create a website easily in a budget-friendly fashion.
In today’s day and time websites have become essential in promoting businesses. Let’s take a look at this article that sheds light on a very important question: How to choose the right website builder for your small business?
How to Choose the Right Website Builder for Your Small Business?
Assess Your Requirements When Choosing a Website Builder for Your Small Business
To choose the right website builder for your small business , the first and foremost step is for you to determine the goals and requirements of your business. There are numerous website builders in the market that cater to different businesses specifications and budgets. Before settling down on a website, it is of vital importance that you take your budget and vision into consideration.
To choose a platform that will best fit your needs, ask yourself the following questions first:
What is the Pivotal Purpose of Your Website
First of all, determine the purpose of your website. You might want to create a basic company site or start a blog to promote your business. Lucky for you, the website builder market is brimming with possibilities and there are suitable platforms available for different kinds of websites.
For example, if you are looking to establish a website boosting e-commerce functionality then you should look for a platform that offers robust e-commerce tools like Wix. In case you are gravitating towards a portfolio website then you might want to consider a platform housing beautiful templates and design freedom like Squarespace.
What is Your Spending Limit?
The next important question that you should ask yourself is how much money you are willing to set aside for your website. Different website-building platforms offer different prices, some are even free. However, the free web building plans offer limited features and are mostly inclined towards those who wish to get a basic idea of the website builder. Before reaching a conclusion make sure to compare different website-building platforms, take into account the features that they are offering, and also read the customer reviews.
Note: We have compiled together reviews of the top ten website builders in the market and have compared aspects like features, subscription plans, and pricing.
Do You Wish to Scale Your Business?
Scalability and security should be your number one priority if your business is on a track to rapid growth. For example, you should select a platform that can protect your website from cyber-attacks. It is of pivotal importance that you select a website builder that helps support your growth. HubSpot is the best platform when it comes to scalability as it houses a customer relationship management platform and marketing suit.
What is Your Comfort Level When Learning to Use a New Platform?
Even though most of the popular website builders are beginner-friendly, easy to use and require no technical or coding knowledge. However, some are a bit more complicated than others. Therefore, it is important that you select a website that falls within your comfort zone. If you are a complete novice, it is better to select website builders like Wix and IONOS, as both of these are solely targeted towards beginners.
How Much Storage Space do You Require?
Your storage space requirements depend on the kind of content you want to upload on your website. If you are aiming towards a website that houses downloadable content and videos, it’s best to select a website builder with higher storage space to prevent lowering your website’s performance. Take Wix as an example. The website builder offers numerous subscription packages with various video bandwidths and storage spaces.
| Subscription Plan | Storage Space | Video Bandwidth |
| Connect Domain | 500 MB | 1 GB |
| Combo | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Unlimited | 10 GB | Unlimited |
| VIP | 35 GB | Unlimited |
| Business Basic | 20 GB | Unlimited |
| Business Unlimited | 35 GB | Unlimited |
| Business VIP | 50 GB | Unlimited |
What Should You Look for in a Website Builder?
There are tons of factors that you need to consider when looking for the right website builder for your small business. These factors range from the customization level you prefer to the web builder’s customer support options.
The website builders that are considered ideal for small businesses are budget-friendly, user-friendly, and come with a plethora of beautifully designed templates. Take IONOS and Wix for an example. IONOS offers an extremely easy-to-use platform that is also budget friendly. Whereas Wix offers more than 800 beautiful templates that present an ideal means for creating a visually diverse website.
Five Key Features to Look Out for when selecting a Website Builder for Your Small Business.
Customization
If you are looking for a website that allows you to unleash that creative beast within you, you should look for a website builder that offers more design and creative freedom. As most website builders are easy to use, they don’t offer a lot of design freedom. However, there are some like Squarespace that will give you the freedom to get creative.
E-commerce Capabilities
If you are planning to add an e-commerce store to your website, then you should settle on a website builder that offers robust online shopping features for example, Wix. Some e-commerce features that you should be on the lookout for are:
- Social Media Integration
- Customer accounts
- Easy and secure checkout process
- Built-in shipping calculators
SEO Optimization
SEO optimization can help enhance your website’s rank on the search engines, boosting your site’s traffic. If you are looking for a website builder that offers a plethora of robust SEO tools, then look no further as Wix has got you covered. Wix is an ideal website builder when it comes to SEO as it offers add-on applications that can aid you in assessing site leads, interacting with visitors, and monitoring clicks and site traffic.
Mobile Responsiveness
Most of the people these days prefer to use their mobile phones to surf the internet. Therefore, over 54% of global traffic comes from mobile devices. This means that making a mobile responsive website can make or break your site’s user experience. Most website builders on the market house mobile responsive templates and create a mobile-friendly website automatically. However, this is a crucial point that should be kept in mind when looking for a website builder.
Customer Support
Another important feature that you should consider before settling down on a website builder is customer support. Website builders aren’t always easy to navigate, and we all could use a helping hand once in a while. Therefore, having customer support that is friendly and helpful is of pivotal importance. Many top-notch website-building platforms give you numerous ways to contact them such as email support, live chat, and phone support.
5 Tips for Selecting the Right Website Builder For Your Small Business
Once you know what you are looking for, choosing a website builder for your small business isn’t as complicated or daunting. Please read the tips given below. They will aid you in making the right choice.
1. Clearly define your Vision, Needs, and Requirements
Once you have a clear picture in mind and know the purpose of your website, you can easily identify the tools that you will need to manage it successfully. Depending on the type of website, some vital tools that you need are:
- Robust, built-in analytics tools
- Integrations with other platforms and applications
- Product management for large inventories
Compare your vision and requirements with the features and tools offered by various web designing platforms before reaching a conclusion.
2. Compare Subscription Plans and Set a Budget
Most website-building platforms offer various subscription plans and have flexible pricing to suit different budget needs. However, there are a few things you need to check before selecting a subscription package.
- Make sure that the plan you are choosing has all the tools and features you require.
- Check if the renewal rates are steep. Some website builders put up cheap introductory prices to rope customers in. Therefore, make sure that you check the renewal rates first.
3. Test a Several Web Building Platforms
Many top-notch website builders offer a free plan or a free trial that allows you to test its tools and features. Test out different platforms to determine which one has all the tools and features you require. Make sure to settle on a platform that is user-friendly, intuitive, and offers diverse templates and various customization options.
4. Have a Chat with Customer Support
Another important factor that you need to consider in a website-building platform is how helpful its customer support is. Therefore, during your free trial contact customer support to determine how fast and efficient they are.
5. Check Reviews
Before selecting a platform make sure to check what the people are saying about it. Read the customer reviews and online feedback. Compare them with the reviews of other platforms to get a clearer picture.
Elevate Your Business with the Right Website Builder for Your Small Business
Website building isn’t as daunting and expensive as it used to be. You just need to take some time to choose a platform that best fits your needs. Once that’s done, the rest of the process is pretty straightforward and easy.
As a small business owner, it is vital that you select an intuitive and user-friendly platform that houses all the tools you might need to promote and sell your products. In today’s day and time, when online shopping is immensely famous, having a professional and fully functional website will surely boost your audience and provide you with more customers.