A website builder is a tool you can use to build a website without needing to know how to write website code. With a website builder, you use a drag-and-drop interface to create and arrange your website pages. Behind the scenes, the website builder generates the code for your site. Regardless of your coding experience, a website builder can speed up and simplify the process of building and managing a site.
All websites require hosting, the process of storing your site files and making them available to visitors. Websites also typically have a domain name (e.g., mycompany.com) people use to find and visit your site. All-in-one website builders, All-in-one website builders, such as Wix, often include hosting and domain names as part of their service, alongside picture and video storage and a library of template designs and Wix, often include hosting and domain names as part of their service, alongside picture and video storage and a library of template designs. Some features can cost extra, however. Other website builders are standalone drag-and-drop design website tools you use on top of existing website hosting and an established domain name.
Website builders are an excellent way to get a new website online, and there’s no shortage of choice. We recommend thoroughly researching and testing out website builders before building your site, as some don’t make it easy to transfer your site to a new provider. Below are some of the top things to consider.
The goal of a website builder is to make the creation and management of a website easy and quick. Each website builder offers an interface you use to design and edit your site, and which creates your site’s code. Most website builders offer a free trial, so consider using them to test out a few and find the one that feels best for you. If your goal is to make website updates for your business, looking for the best website builder for you is essential.
If the website builder is complex, there may be a bigger learning curve when building your site. For example, a website builder with many advanced features or a busy interface could take time to get to grips with.
On the other hand, basic website builders, while easy to get started with, might lack the customizability, versatility, and advanced features you may want. Finding the middle ground is key, and use.
Another advantage of website builders is that they offer a range of template designs. Typically, you’ll choose a design and edit certain on-page elements such as images and text to personalize your site.
A website builder with a large library of template designs will be more likely to offer templates that closely match your preferred branding. But quantity doesn’t trump quality, with some website builders offering fewer but higher-quality designs. A content creator website builder can also be really useful for those with a lot of ideas they want to execute for their own ideas with what already exists.
If you plan to sell items through your website, you’ll need a website builder with e-commerce features. Website builders often charge a premium for e-commerce, reserving online store features for higher-tier plans. Many also charge a per-transaction fee or take a cut of sales made through your site, so carefully consider how much you’ll pay in the long run.
Some of the e-commerce features you might want include inventory management, an easy-to-use checkout system, and the ability to accept multiple payment types, like credit cards and PayPal. Many website builders also include options for email marketing and selling through third-party sites such as Facebook, eBay, and Amazon.
Many website builders offer a free plan you can use to get started. Free web building sites plans are great for testing out a website builder, but they are usually limited in their features. You may not be able to use your own domain name, for example, or create many pages. Using a free web site builders or a free web site creator trial can be a good introduction to these kinds of tools for your business. Many plans offer an option to create free website mockups for you to see how your site will eventually look.
In most cases, you’ll eventually need to upgrade to a paid plan. Pay attention to the pricing plans of any website builder you may want to use, as some charge high rates for their paid features.
According to the 2022 HubSpot State of Marketing Trends Report , a typical website will receive around 26% of its traffic from search engines like Google, compared to 16% from social media and 14% from email. It’s important, then, to have a website that performs well in search engine rankings.
Many website builders include features to make your website’s pages appear in relevant search engine results. Some website builders include advanced reporting on where your traffic is coming from, the Google searches visitors are making to find your site, and ideas for improving your content so your site has the potential to reach an even larger audience.
Some website builders offer special features that may be helpful to you. Tools for sending email newsletters can be useful for building brand loyalty, and social media marketing tools can help you bring people to your site from platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Some website builders offer a marketplace of professional website developers who can help you perfect your website, for an additional fee. Many website builders can be integrated with select third-party apps, from lead collection and traffic analysis to social apps and accounting programs.
Successful websites empower their visitors to perform a task quickly and without fuss. The task can be simple, like finding out more information on a product or service, or more complex, like making a purchase order. When building your website, consider the journeys your visitors will take through your website. A successful website makes information easy to find and clearly details the process a visitor must follow to realize their goal. Putting navigation in a standard place, making important pages easy to find, and offering a prominent search feature are all helpful in this regard.
Mobile and tablet devices make up 60% of traffic to websites, on average, so ensuring your website is mobile-friendly is key to success. One way to achieve this is by using a website builder that automatically builds responsive websites. A responsive website is one that both looks great and works well on mobile devices. If your website builder doesn’t build responsive website code automatically, you should test your site as you build it to ensure it displays and functions well on mobile devices.
Building your site is just the beginning. Successful websites require ongoing tweaks, such as improving the customer journey and adding new features that visitors request. Getting visitor feedback, such as through short satisfaction surveys, is a great way to better understand what your visitors like and dislike about your website so you can improve their experience.
A website builder is an excellent option for anyone who wants to create a new website, whether or not they have prior coding experience. You can create a professional-looking website in less time—and often for less money—than it would take you to build a site from scratch.
Using a website builder means there are typically fewer moving parts. With all-in-one website builders, you usually don’t need to worry about setting up a separate domain host, hosting provider, email provider, or software programs. All these things add up in cost, especially if you have to hire staff to manage them on your behalf. The maintenance of a website built with a website builder is easier, too, as the provider often handles website hosting and software updates for you.
Using a website builder usually ensures your site sticks to industry-standard, tried-and-tested design website principles. Your visitors will appreciate your easy-to-navigate site, and if your website builder of choice uses responsive design, visitors will be able to use it on mobile devices without issue. With many third-party plugins and integrations, website builders are also versatile. Ultimately, a website builder may be easier and more cost-effective than building a site from scratch.