In today’s world, your business needs to have an online presence if you want to grow your business and increase your sales. The sooner you develop an internet presence the better it is for your business.
Having a website helps your customers know what you do and what makes your business different from your competitors. Your website will help you reach out to new customers and stand a chance to earn their trust.
Creating a website from scratch can be unnerving and requires a lot of time and work. Here is where a website builder comes in.
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What is a website builder?
Website builders are tools or software that allow people to build a website without requiring any technical or coding skills.
They are easy-to-use frameworks, equipped with customizable design themes and a plethora of advanced site-building features, allowing anyone-beginners & developers to build their websites effortlessly.
Types of website builders
Offline Website Builder
These are software programs that are installed on a computer or a laptop. The entire design and development process is carried out on your computer and once the website is ready, you upload it online to the web host.
Online Website Builder
Online Builders are the most popular types of website builders. Unlike offline website builders, you can build your website directly on the web browser with an online web building platform like Wix, and Website.com among others.
Online Website Builder allows you to work on your website from anywhere around the globe and on any device. Online tools include web hosting which eliminates the need to purchase or set it up separately.
In this article, we will discuss several benefits of website builders to help you decide.
The Benefits of using A Website Builder For Your Website.
#1. Cost-Effective Website Building
If you have enough funds set aside specifically for website development, hiring a professional web developer would be a good idea.
However, if you are just getting started and you have a budget constraint, hiring a proficient web developer can be an additional financial strain.
An online website builder tool will be an affordable and convenient option for you. There is a wide range of platforms to build your website for free. Later when you have sufficient funds, you can upgrade by purchasing the premium functionalities offered by your website development tool.
One of the most affordable options is to create a landing page with an online landing page builder. You can also turn your landing page into an online store by integrating a payment system or even connecting a chatbot to help customer support and lead generation.
#2. Fast & Easy Development
A website builder is specifically devised to make web development and designing easier for individuals who do not possess technical or coding skills.
It is easy to understand and use the website developing software because you do not have to spend hours understanding the functions and figuring out the features.
You can also focus only on the essential development functions which make the development process flawless and allow you to complete the project in minimal time.
#3. Complete Control over Look & Feel
A website builder gives you a lot of freedom when constructing your website. You get to choose all the aspects as per your choice, from layout to color and style.
You can control everything on your website with the functions available in your website-building platform.
#4. Pre-Built Themes
Website builders have multiple pre-built themes that can provide the best experience to your users. Through this, you get to save time & money on user research and rely on the pre-built design templates professionally designed by a reliable and expert developer.
#5. Easy to Upgrade
You have to revamp your website now and then for you to rank high on search engines and stay relevant with advancements in your industry. You also need to constantly upgrade to maintain optimal security.
A website builder makes all your upgrades hassle-free by providing minor tweaks and full-fledged revamping. You can also save money on recurrent maintenance with the help of these tools.
#6. E-commerce Solutions
If you are an entrepreneur trying to expand your business on the internet, then this is the most incredible website builders feature you might need.
Web-building platforms offer several eCommerce solutions to make your eCommerce development smooth.
Though some tools offer a third-party integration for eCommerce functions, other interfaces provide a built-in feature for managing eCommerce businesses.
You can also find eCommerce-specific builders that allow you to create a fully functional online shop with all of the latest eCommerce tools and apps for shipping, taxes, and coupons among others.
#7. Operate Anytime From Anywhere
This only applies to online base website builders. Online website builders allow you to make upgrades and tweaks from any device in any part of the world.
You can be somewhere on a vacation and still make changes to your website layout or launch new discount catalogs & offers on your site.
Some website builders also allow you to go back to previous versions & remove recent updates from any device in case of any errors with the latest version.
One has to use the backend URL and login credentials to log in.
#8. Mobile Responsiveness
In today’s digitalized world, more and more consumers are making purchases and looking for information on their smartphones.
A responsive interface helps you reach a wider audience by creating a faultless user experience for mobile devices.
With a website builder, you get to create a responsive design layout that works flawlessly on gadgets like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and Ipads among others.
You can also adjust element sizes and even show or even hide particular parts according to the device.
#9. Advanced integration
Advanced features to your website help you keep up with the ever-evolving consumer expectations.
A website builder will allow you to add various features and plugins without any additional coding.
Some of the most popular features that you can add to your website through a builder include:
- Google Maps location
- Social Media Integration
- Google forms integration
- Email-integration
#10. No Need for Technical Training
A reliable website builder will allow your employees to upgrade the live site without any training on such.
To entrepreneurs, this means that you don’t have to visit the backend and make the changes yourself every time.
Website builders have an easy-to-use interface that allows your employees to make necessary tweaks from time to time and in an efficient manner.
All they have to do is login information and a little knowledge about the website builders’ functionalities.
#11. Social Media Integration
Social media presence is equally important as having a website. This is because when internet users search for your business on their browser, it’s likely that along with your website, your social media pages will show up and potential customers might visit those sites to learn more about your business.
Most website builders come with built-in social media integrations, so you don’t have to navigate an app marketplace or install any plugins.
Integrating your website with Facebook enables you to extend your social presence, stay better connected with your social network, and also makes customizing your website easier and faster.
#12. Libraries and Collections of Applications
All website builders come with a library of free applications and tools that can be used to add functionality to a website. There are free and paid applications with some of them being built into the website builder while others are fully-integrated third-party tools.
List of website builders you might want to consider
1). Bookmark
Bookmark is an Al-based website builder that targets small business owners who are seeking an easy way to build a professional-looking website for their business with minimum to no technical skills.
Pricing:
Basic plan: Completely free (1GB Bandwidth, 500 MB storage, Free hosting, and a few other basic features)
Professional plan: $11.99 per month with unlimited storage and bandwidth
Business plan: $24.99 per month with unlimited storage and bandwidth.
2). Wix
Wix is an all-in-one website builder that lets you quickly create attractive websites, even without any design or coding experience. This website builder is popular among bloggers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.
Pricing:
Basic plan: $16 per month
Business plan: $22 per month
eCommerce plan: $27 per month
Enterprise plan: $45 per month
3). Shopify
Shopify is a website builder that is specially designed for eCommerce businesses. You can use it to sell your physical as well as digital products.
Pricing:
Basic plan: free
Pro : $17 per month
Business plan: $35 per month
4). WordPress
Whether you are an experienced developer or a beginner with small to no technical skills, you can build stunning websites independently using this tool.
Pricing:
Yearly: $89 per year
Lifetime access: $249
5). Joomla
Joomla is a mobile-ready and user-friendly way to build a website. Joomla is a free and open source in which you can choose from thousands of features and designs.
6). Squarespace
The Squarespace website builder is designed to make it easy for users with less technical skills to design a beautiful website quickly. Start crafting your site by selecting a template based on the kind of site you are trying to build.
Pricing:
Personal : $12 per month
Business plan: $18 per month
Basic Commerce: $26 per month
Advanced Commerce: $40 per month
Conclusion
With a big number of consumers making a shift to online shopping after the pandemic hit, now is the perfect time for you to jump on the digital bandwagon.
With a website-building tool, you can now jump straight in and start your online journey. This tool can be a lifesaver if you choose the right one for your business.