Building a website for your business may seem like an ambitious task if you don’t have any web design experience. Thankfully, there are small business website builders that don’t require you to write a single line of code.
Our top 5 small business website builders are the following:
- Squarespace: Best overall functionality
- Wix: Best for new designers
- Weebly: Good, simple sites
- 1&1 Ionos: Best web hosting value, good for businesses planning to scale
- GoDaddy: Good for quickly establishing a website
We’ll break down the features of each business website builder. Once you select the best website platform for your small business, you can spend less time designing and put more attention into growing your company.
Choosing the Best Website Builder for Your Small Business
Not all business website builders are the same, so check out what each one offers to ensure it will meet your small business’s specific needs.
Here are the features to consider when selecting the best website platform for your small business.
Ease of Use
The whole point of using small business website builders is to lift the burden of designing and launching a site. That also means being able to do everything from within the builder. You want services that include domain registration and analytics. You want to be able to customize your site. But at the same time, you don’t want to feel overwhelmed with options. And because most site builder users are first-time designers, you want to work with a platform with a comprehensive library of how-to videos and articles.
Cost
If you hire a web designer and factor in the time it would take to get your small business website started, it could end up costing $2,000 on the lowest end, according to a 2019 article by Digital.com. While a business website builder isn’t free, the monthly costs could potentially be more manageable. As you browse for the best website builder for a small business, you’ll see a range of prices. For example, A2Hosting’s Lite Plan starts at $3.92 a month, while Squarespace costs start at $12 a month.
Premium site builders’ pricing will come with additional features for your small business website. Noting that, look at the pricing and decide for yourself if the added features are worth the cost.
Templates
It’s good to have the option of being able to design a small business website from scratch. But for those who aren’t keen on building from the ground up, you’ll be relying on templates instead.
Templates make the process far less complicated. But if a site builder offers a limited amount or is not customizable, your site will look similar to businesses who ended up using the same template.
There are small business website builders that show you all the templates they have without having to first sign up. Take this opportunity to find a template that works for you before you commit.
Ecommerce
When you’re building an ecommerce store, you’ll want to choose a business website builder that caters to entrepreneurs.
Not only do you want the ecommerce tools that go along with your subscription, but you also need a builder that knows what kind of website business owners need. Users need a landing page that can display high-resolution product images and videos. There should also be no cap on the number of items you can sell, and you should have the option to add a calculator for shipping fees.
Customer Support
Small business website builders make it easy to handle things on your own. But should you run into problems, you want a customer service team that’s both responsive and helpful.
Find a site builder that you can get in touch with through phone, email and chat. Test their response time by asking questions before signing up.
Mobile-Friendly
These days, transactions take place on mobile devices. In 2020, slightly more than 50% of global website traffic came from mobile devices. Google itself is placing some emphasis on mobile and encourages users to switch to a responsive design. So the best website platform for your small business e should be responsive to mobile.
Top 5 Small Business Website Builders
1. Squarespace: Best Overall Functionality
Squarespace is possibly the most prominent builder for a small business website that’s in the market today. Their templates are clean as well as customizable to fit your needs.
With Squarespace, you can put product photos front-and-center without compromising on image quality. Users can even zoom in on images so they can appreciate your product’s finer details.
You can use more than one template on your website, which is excellent news for those who want to make each page unique. All pages built on Squarespace are mobile-responsive.
Pros
- Good selection of responsive templates
- Focused on small businesses
- You can integrate your site with social media (sync your Facebook product catalog with your Instagram posts)
Cons
- Squarespace is pricey (the basic Business plan costs $18 per month)
- Basic ecommerce integration is only available on the Business plan
- Not as easy to use as some of the site builders on this list
Bottom Line
Squarespace has all the tools you’ll need to get you off the ground. Just keep in mind that their ecommerce features are locked behind higher-tiered plans that can get expensive, especially for businesses that are just starting.
2. Wix: Best for New Designers
Wix gives you full control over how you want your site to look. Like Squarespace, they have several small business website templates. They’ve even gone through the trouble of organizing them by category. That way, you find precisely the template that suits your enterprise.
Will you be using videos to promote your product? Wix lets its users play background videos. And you can set this up without having to mess with the code.
Wix is also introducing Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence). It assists you by having you answer a questionnaire. After you’ve given your response, it will build a small business website for you based on the information you’ve provided.
Pros
- Pricing is competitive ($18 for Unlimited Plan for entrepreneurs and freelancers)
- Good selection of templates
- Wix ADI keeps it simple for new designers
Cons
- Once your site goes live, it’s going to be hard to make revisions
- Starter plan displays Wix ads on your site
- Limited storage bandwidth
- App extensions aren’t true extensions, making integrations operate less smoothly
Bottom Line
Wix is a good starting point for new designers. However, Wix’s app extensions are not really apps but iFrame counterparts. This means integrations are a bit wonky. The Etsy app, for example, will launch a new window where visitors can browse through your products.
3. Weebly: Best for Good, Simple Sites
If all you’re looking for is a site that features your products or services, Weebly might be the best website builder for your small business.
Outside of its simplicity, Weebly has additional appealing features for an ecommerce site, including delivery tracking. Weebly sites are fast and secure. They also provide refunds (within 30 days) if you’re not happy with the service.
Pros
- Onboarding feature will guide you through the site build
- Has ecommerce features like checkout, delivery tracking and more
- Great customer support
- Affordable. The professional branded website package starts at $12 per month.
Cons
- Not as easy to use if you’re adding a blog feature
- Limited number of updates and upgrades
Bottom Line
If all you need is a simple site to start, Weebly is up to the task. Just note that their blogging features are limited.
4. 1&1 Ionos: Best Web Hosting Value; Good for Businesses Planning to Scale
1&1 Ionos is for businesses that will need to scale down the line. At its core, 1&1 Ionos is a web hosting platform. But they do have a website builder feature that lets you configure your site to your liking.
Pros
- Web hosting starts at $1 per month (for the first year)
- Offers chat, email and phone support
Cons
- Website builder is a feature you’ll have to pay on top of web hosting ($5 a month for the most basic plan, $1 for the first month)
- Knowledge base is lacking
Bottom Line
Those who have been exposed to a cPanel before might find 1&1’s interface jarring at first because they have their system in place. This shouldn’t be a problem for first-time users, though. Be aware, however, reports online show people having issues with billing.
5. GoDaddy: Good for Quickly Establishing a Website
Known for being a web hosting service, GoDaddy also has a website builder.
The site lets you change templates even after the site has gone live, which is convenient for its users.
The drag-and-drop builder is easy to work with. They also have their version of ADI that lets you build a site by simply answering a few questions.
Pros
- You can create a website in under an hour
- You can manage the site from a computer or a mobile device
- Pricing is competitive at $14 per month for the Standard business plan
Cons
- Limits to SEO tools in lowest-priced plan
- Ecommerce options available in only the top-priced tier ($24.99/month)
Bottom Line
You can launch a site reasonably quickly with GoDaddy. However, if your website needs ecommerce functions, you can access these features only in its most expensive monthly plan.
