How to Choose the Best Business Website Builder
1. Identify your website goals and objectives
It’s important to be clear about your website’s purpose and what you expect it to accomplish before creating a website for your business. Your site’s objectives will define its content and how you’re going to frame your message.
2. What features do you need to have?
Website builders specialize in different things. There are platforms meant for a small business website while there are also those whose features are better suited for blogs and personal websites.
3. Consider your needs
Some people tend to be intimidated by the thought of building small business websites on their own while others are perfectly fine with a little coding. Understand that site builders may come with a learning curve. If you have no web design and development experience, it’s best to go with a small business website builder that has a drag and drop user interface.
4. Think about your growth plan
Even with a free business website, you should be creating your site with the view that you will be expanding it eventually. The best free website builder for small business should be able to accommodate you as your website grows in scale.
With that being said, let’s move on to the best website builder for small business.
Top Small Business Website Builders
1. Strikingly
Best free all-in-one platform for small business websites
Strikingly is the clear frontrunner when it comes to free and scalable small business website builders. Where many site builders tend to lock certain features out for free accounts, Strikingly equips startups and budding entrepreneurs with all the tools that they need to create fully-functional websites. For instance, even on a free account, users are able to create an online store on this platform - a capability that is typically exclusive to premium accounts on other website builders.
2. Wix
Great customization features and intuitive website editor
Wix is another popular small business website builder because of its AI-powered website editor and wide range of site templates. On a free account, you should be able to produce a decent looking website with its customization options and drag-and-drop user interface. eCommerce is restricted to paid accounts, however, so you if you want to try your hand at creating and managing an online store, you will need to upgrade your account first. Also, once you start building your business website out of a template, you can’t switch to a different one if you change your mind mid-way.
3. SITE123
Reliable design assistance tool
If you’re looking for a no-frills website builder, SITE123 might just be the platform for you. It may not have a wide range of templates like Strikingly or even Wix but it does have a reliable design assistance tool that is great for beginners. The platform chooses the template according to your web design and content needs but you do have a bit of freedom to customize your site according to your branding.
4. Weebly
Easy to use business website builder
One of the strengths of Weebly is its easy to use website editor and integrated SEO tools that help users get started on making their sites search friendly. On the free plan, you don’t get a lot of features available for you but if you’re building a site with a view to scale up soon, this platform gives you plenty of room to grow. Its website templates covers most niches and they are all mobile-responsive.
5. Jimdo
One-and-done simple website builder for small business
If you have tried Strikingly or Wix before landing on Jimdo, it’s reasonable to find this platform a bit limited in terms of features. But the reason we’re adding it to this list of must-try free business website builders is its ability to simplify web development and design. You get to set up your own business website real quickly and not be overwhelmed with the choices. It gives you a one-and-done website with a bit of room to scale up if you need to create an online store later on
Check out our blog for more advice on how to build successful small business websites.
