3 Website Builders (and their Benefits) to Consider When Starting a New Business.
Let's Find Out The Best Website Builders For Small Businesses
Are you starting a new business? If so, congratulations! It’s an exciting time, but it can also be daunting. There are many things to do, and it can be hard to know where to start. That’s where digital marketing comes in.
We’ve outlined the benefits of the top 3 website builders for small businesses to consider when launching a new business or re-designing your website! Need help with ensuring you’re selecting the right platform? Send us an email, and we’ll be happy to help!
1. Need a new website - great! Ask yourself these questions before creating your own website...
Before even opening your browser and looking at your options – you need to sit down and ask yourself what the goal of your website is. What are the tools you’ll need to make website visitors become clients? What automation would you like to have to help your business’s operations?
We’ve compiled the following questions for you:
1. What’s your website’s optimal goal?
– sell products/services online
– showcase services/offerings
– educate and inform (content-focus)
2. How much time and money do you have to invest in your website for maintenance and upkeep work?
3. What kind of automations / tools / app integrations do you need to run your business?
4. How quickly do you need to get your website up and running?
2. Things to consider when evaluating which platform is best for you.
Ease of Use
The website builder you choose should be easy for new users to understand and use if you aren’t tech-savvy. You need an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and powerful editing tools with customizable design options that make it simple enough.
Pricing
It’s important to look at which website builder offers the most value for your money. We ask questions like: does it come with a free domain? SSL certificate and business email account too! If not – how much extra do I have to pay as an entrepreneur when signing up?”
Design & Feature
Are you hoping for a neatly designed website builder that has the ability to add Google Analytics, CRM and other marketing tools? Or are you going to hire someone who can build a website for you that has the website design and development knowledge so you don’t have to do it?
Customer Support
Website builders are an excellent way to get your website up and running quickly, but they’re not perfect. That’s why it’s essential to look at their customer support for any problems you might run into when using their software.
Short Term VS Long Term Plan
Are you hoping to do a quick and easy website to get your business up and running quickly? Or is it important for you to invest in a website that you will build upon and grow throughout the years? What are your long-term plans for your website? Is the website you create today good enough for your business in 5 years’ time?
3. Squarespace (portfolio & online store)
Pros
- Started as a website builder for creative portfolios (branched out and strengthened their eCommerce options more recently)
- Great, simple, minimal designed templates
- Drag and drop website builder
- Offers domain registration and hosting within the platform
- 24/7 customer support
- Gmail integration (cost $$$)
- Integrates with industry-standard POS like Square, Stripe and PayPal.
Cons
- Limited customizability
- No access to backend
- Dependent on Squarespace’s platform
- You do not own your asset completely
Squarespace is the perfect platform for entrepreneurs who want to build their own design and content-driven websites with just a few products or services. With its one-stop-shop feature, it’s an excellent choice!
4. Shopify (online store)
Pros
- started as an eCommerce platform and has been a prominent leader in the industry for years
- offers domain, hosting and eCommerce all in one space
- manage high volume of products, inventory and customer profiles in one unified platform
- great premium templates to get a ‘custom’ look
- Integrates with industry standards POS like Square, Stripe, PayPal, as well as 100s other options
- 24/7 customers support
- access to backend codes to optimize for SEO (organic rankings)
- Growing to international markets is possible with them
Cons
- Limited customizability without the help of a developer
- You do not own your asset
- Easy to build a store, but harder to create content focus pages
If you want to launch right away and have a flexible platform that can scale your business, Shopify is for you. It’s powerful yet easy to use, so it doesn’t require much time or expertise to make things happen on this site! Plus, its customer support team has been known never to give up until they find an answer – meaning no more worrying about maintenance tasks from here on out.
5. WordPress (advanced custom website builder)
Pros
- you can buy a custom-designed theme already created by experts
- you can use a website builder like Elementor or Divi to help design your site
- You have complete control and ownership of your website data
- You can optimize your website for better organic rankings with SEO-friendly plugins
- You can find a ton of plugins available to add to your website’s functionality
Cons
- it needs monthly maintenance performed manually
- you are in charge of securing your website (SSL certificate)
- it can be an overwhelming platform for non-web designers
- it can be more expensive to use if you need a lot of pro plugins
WordPress is an excellent option for those who want to build an online store with the functionality of an advanced platform. It offers robust content management system (CMS) capabilities, giving you complete control over how your website looks; in addition, it’s SEO-friendly which means better rankings on search engines like Google!
6. Review of the top 3 best website builders for small businesses
Squarespace is ideal if you need a content focus website. It has a reasonable price point, requires little to no maintenance, and allows you to write new content easily.
Shopify is ideal if you need to sell products online with its easy website builder. It also allows for customization in its back-end, making it a strong competitor to platforms like WordPress.
WordPress is ideal if you need a custom design website and can handle the tech-savvy backend needs to maintain it.
Pro Tip: make sure to map your customer’s journey online (conversion paths) to understand how they will interact with your site and how you will receive any information they send. Automation is key here. More knowledge coming your way during next’s month’s topic!
We’ve taken the time to review the leading top 3 best website builders for small businesses, but many other options are available. If you select a different website builder than Squarespace, Shopify, or WordPress, ensure to read reviews about their software!
If you need help with any of these steps, don’t hesitate to contact us for support. We would be happy to help you get your business off the ground and soaring high in no time. You can also review our Website Design & Development services.
Thanks for reading, and good luck on your entrepreneurial journey!
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