4 Best Website Builders For Small Businesses

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For a business to attract the modern consumer, it needs to have strong online credibility. According to a 2021 report from Visual Objects, 76% of consumers say that they first assess a business’s online presence before visiting in-person stores.

Additionally, 45% of consumers say that they will be more likely to visit a company’s physical store when they see a strong brand presence online. Today, online channels such as websites and social media can also act as de facto storefronts, which can convert curious onlookers into paying customers.

Given all of this, it’s clear that a well-designed business website can give your potential customers a glimpse into what they can expect from your physical store.

And for businesses that operate exclusively online, the website replaces the physical storefront entirely as the primary location for customer interactions. By building a website that contains all relevant brand information arranged in a way that’s pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate then, you can ensure a positive customer experience.

Now here’s the good news: Today, it’s very easy to make a business website! Online website builders enable users to design their own pages without having to learn complicated codes or scripts.

A functional site can be built in a day, and it doesn’t take too much longer to have it in pretty good shape. With this in mind, the following tool can help you create a beautiful business website that will appeal to modern audiences and thrive on search engines alike.

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1. Shopify

The e-commerce-focused website builder Shopify has supported some of the biggest names in fashion and beauty. Kylie Cosmetics, Colourpop, Decathlon, Gymshark, and Peak Design have all used the platform to build and support their websites.

Shopify lets businesses showcase their products through a wide selection of customizable templates, while additional tools help streamline day-to-day operations.

Ultimately, it is Shopify’s extensive business tools that help the platform stand out against other website builders.

According to an AskMoney analysis on Shopify’s popularity, the platform’s interface comes with built-in blogging and search engine optimization tools that help businesses attract new customers. The platform’s performance analysis tools also show businesses their real-time store activity, including detailed reports about website visitors.

The main disadvantage of Shopify is its pricing system. Many businesses find Shopify’s pricing plans too expensive. Basic plans cost $29 each month, while advanced plans can go up to $299. Template customization is also rather limited compared to Shopify’s counterparts.

2. Squarespace

The popular website builder Squarespace recently made headlines with the release of its now-viral Super Bowl commercial. Spider-Man actress Zendaya plays Sally, a seaside saleswoman using a Squarespace site to sell seashells, in a fun modern take on the classic tongue twister.

Through this setup though, the commercial effectively demonstrates Squarespace’s capabilities: As a drag-and-drop website builder, Squarespace streamlines the web design process, allowing business owners to focus on expanding their offerings.

Like Shopify, Squarespace comes with an extensive library of customizable templates. Unlike Shopify however, Squarespace supports businesses beyond the e-commerce industry as well. And thanks to the platform’s built-in blogging capabilities, businesses can use content marketing to boost SEO and provide additional value to their customers, no matter what kind of site is at hand.

However, Squarespace still lacks a lot of the marketing tools present on platforms like Shopify and WordPress. Additionally, Squarespace templates tend to score low on Google’s Page Speed Tool, which can negatively impact your website’s SEO rankings.

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3. Wix

Wix is another platform that uses an intuitive drag-and-drop builder. The platform’s template collection includes a whopping 500 customizable website design templates. Furthermore, defined template categories (like health, fashion, tourism, and business) allow users to select designs that best suit their respective industries.

One comparison between Wix and WordPress revealed that Wix comes with two design tools: Wix Editor and Wix ADI (Artificial design intelligence). Where Wix Editor allows users to edit their website designs using the usual drag-and-drop tools, Wix ADI simplifies the process even further. This feature will automatically design your website based on your answers to questions about preferred styles and features.

Like Shopify, Wix’s main drawbacks are its limited template customization options and costly pricing plans. Free Wix plans are available, but will force a lot of Wix’s branding onto your website.

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4. WordPress

WordPress is an industry leader in website development. Released in 2003, the platform is one of the most established website builders on the market. Through the years, it has amassed thousands upon thousands of customizable website templates, many of which are available for free.

The platform’s strengths lie in its customizability. There are WordPress plugins for every existing function or industry, including e-commerce, academics, affiliate marketing, and event marketing. WordPress even offers plugins dedicated to boost search engine optimization, which can increase your website’s chances of ranking on popular search engines.

One major drawback of WordPress is its cost; installing all the plugins you need can get expensive fast. Additionally, as the most popular content management system, WordPress is extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The bottom line is that for a business of any kind to attract modern consumers, it needs a strong online presence. Platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress can all help you to design just such a presence in exactly the way you want to represent your brand.

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