Buyer's Guide: Website Builder
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find Canva's ease of use exceptional, enabling effortless creation of professional visuals for various needs.
Users love the easy-to-use templates in Canva, making design accessible and efficient for everyone.
Users love Canva for its user-friendly features, comprehensive templates, and valuable tools for efficient design creation.
Users feel that Canva's limited features hinder its potential compared to advanced tools like Illustrator and Photoshop.
Users find limited design options in Canva, struggling with set shapes and offline functionality, affecting their creativity.
Users feel Canva is too expensive for its premium plan, suggesting a need for more affordable options.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users love the ease of use of Google Workspace, enabling seamless management and collaboration across all business tasks.
Users appreciate the ease of collaboration with Google Workspace, benefiting from seamless access and real-time teamwork.
Users value the seamless integrations of Google Workspace, effortlessly connecting tools and enhancing organizational efficiency.
Users experience missing features in Google Workspace, particularly in advanced functionalities compared to competitors like Zoom or Teams.
Users note the limited features of Google Workspace, particularly in offline functionality and advanced tools compared to competitors.
Users feel Google Workspace has limited features, particularly when compared to other services they are accustomed to.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users enjoy the ease of use of Webflow, appreciating its intuitive design and fast publishing capabilities.
Users appreciate the design flexibility of Webflow, enabling quick, customized website creation without extensive coding.
Users value the fast building speed of Webflow, enabling quick section and page creation with ease.
Users find the learning curve steep, requiring assistance and adjustment to the interface before comfortable use.
Users find Webflow's limited features frustrating, especially regarding CMS, e-commerce, and complex content management.
Users note that Webflow has missing features like CMS nesting limitations and restricted file uploads, affecting flexibility.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the ongoing feature updates and comprehensive support, enhancing their business potential with HighLevel.
Users value the comprehensive organization offered by HighLevel, benefiting from its robust CRM and supportive team.
Users appreciate the excellent customer support of HighLevel, which enhances their overall experience and organization.
Users find the learning curve steep, requiring dedication to master frequent updates and changes in the interface.
Users note the need for missing features in HighLevel, impacting usability and overall effectiveness in sales processes.
Users face a steep learning curve with HighLevel, requiring consistent effort to master its evolving features.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find Wix extremely easy to use, enabling quick website creation even for those with minimal experience.
Users praise Wix's exceptional customer support, highlighting friendly and quick assistance that enhances the overall experience.
Users value the easy creation process in Wix, making it perfect for first-time website developers.
Users find Wix's expensive pricing excessive, particularly for newcomers and unclear renewal costs.
Users find the limited customization of Wix frustrating, especially with device-specific design requirements and template restrictions.
Users find the pricing issues with Wix's features high and unclear, especially affecting newcomers.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the ease of use of HubSpot Content Hub, streamlining tasks for better efficiency and relationship building.
Users love the easy content management with drag and drop features for customizing websites and campaigns.
Users love the beautiful interface and AI features of HubSpot Content Hub, enhancing their content creation experience.
Users find the limited customization options of HubSpot Content Hub hinder their ability to meet specific needs effectively.
Users find there's a notable learning curve with HubSpot Content Hub, making it less user-friendly for the less tech-savvy.
Users find the lack of customization in HubSpot Content Hub restrictive, especially for templates and deployment.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users love the ease of use of Wix Studio Enterprise, enabling effortless website creation even for non-tech-savvy clients.
Users rave about the modern and visually stunning design capabilities of Wix Studio Enterprise, making web creation effortless.
Users appreciate the creative freedom and professional precision of Wix Studio, enabling effortless and impressive website building.
Users find limited features in Wix Studio, wishing for more capabilities to enhance their design experience.
Users find missing features in Wix Studio Enterprise, calling for improvements and more options for a smoother experience.
Users find limited customization with Wix Studio Enterprise, especially when using templates and for advanced development needs.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users appreciate the ease of use of CRMOne, enabling quick adoption and efficient management of tasks.
Users value the efficient lead management in CRMOne, which automates follow-ups and streamlines customer interactions.
Users value the personalized customer journey management in CRMOne, enhancing targeted communication and engagement effectively.
Users find the learning curve challenging, requiring time and expertise for setup and customization.
Users find limited customization options in CRMOne, restricting advanced users from fully tailoring the software to their needs.
Users find the steep learning curve of CRMOne challenging, particularly for mastering advanced features and settings.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users find WordPress.com to be incredibly easy to use, allowing effortless site building and content management.
Users love the extensive plugins available on WordPress, enhancing customization and ease of use for their websites.
Users value the easy creation of websites with WordPress.com, appreciating its intuitive design and robust functionality.
Users experience plugin issues with frequent updates and compatibility challenges, which can disrupt site functionality and customization.
Users find WordPress.com to be expensive due to hidden costs for essential features and plugins, impacting customization.
Users find the limited customization options frustrating, affecting the flexibility and personalization of their sites.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users love the ease of use of Duda, appreciating its quick setup and user-friendly interface.
Users commend Duda for its outstanding customer support, which significantly enhances their experience and confidence in the platform.
Users enjoy the easy creation process with Duda, enabling efficient updates and custom-quality websites for their clients.
Users find limited customization options in Duda, affecting their ability to fully tailor their websites.
Users note the limited features of Duda, especially in integrations, templates, and mobile optimization capabilities.
Users find Duda lacking in missing features, particularly in templates and customization options for content.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the ease of use in Squarespace, making website building simple and accessible for everyone.
Users love the easy customization in Squarespace, allowing unique designs without prior experience or coding skills.
Users love the intuitive interface of Squarespace, making website creation accessible and efficient for everyone.
Users desire more customization options in Squarespace, feeling limited in layouts and design elements.
Users express frustration with poor customer support that fails to resolve critical domain and email issues promptly.
Users experience significant domain issues with Squarespace, encountering bugs and inadequate customer support during critical times.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users value the user-friendly interface of Hostinger, making website management easy even for beginners.
Users value the affordability of Hostinger, enjoying reliable service and excellent features without overspending.
Users commend Hostinger's excellent customer support, highlighting the effective assistance available via live chat and knowledgeable staff.
Users express frustration with poor customer support, citing long wait times and unhelpful, generic responses.
Users find Hostinger to be expensive, especially with high renewal prices and limited support options.
Users express frustration with limited customization options, finding it challenging to manage advanced settings and features effectively.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users appreciate the user-friendly drag and drop interface of GoDaddy Website Builder, making website creation accessible to all.
Users love the drag-and-drop functionality of GoDaddy Website Builder, enabling easy website creation for everyone.
Users find the ease of use of GoDaddy Website Builder remarkable, enabling effortless site creation for all skill levels.
Users feel the limited customization options restrict their ability to tailor websites to individual needs.
Users find the limited chat functionality in GoDaddy Website Builder to be a notable drawback in usability.
Users find the expensive subscriptions of GoDaddy confusing and burdened with unnecessary upgrade prompts and ads.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users praise the fantastic customer support of Divi for being quick, helpful, and responsive to needs.
Users find Divi to be intuitive and user-friendly, offering a robust and versatile website building experience.
Users love Divi for its intuitive design and powerful tools, making website creation easy and visually stunning.
Users experience slow performance with Divi, which hinders workflow and makes editing challenging.
Users find the slow loading of Divi frustrating, as it hinders their workflow and productivity.
Users find the subscription costs of Divi frustrating, preferring a one-time payment instead of recurring fees.
This description is provided by the seller.
Pros and Cons are compiled from review feedback and grouped into themes to provide an easy-to-understand summary of user reviews.
Users love the ease of use of FlexiFunnels, making it simple to create stunning landing pages effortlessly.
Users rave about the outstanding customer support of FlexiFunnels, consistently impressed by the team's responsiveness and dedication.
Users love the easy creation experience with FlexiFunnels, making landing page design enjoyable and efficient for everyone.
Users face a challenging learning curve with FlexiFunnels, requiring additional resources for better understanding and guidance.
Users express concerns about poor customer support, calling for increased availability of team members for better assistance.
Users find the missing features in FlexiFunnels limiting, particularly in email marketing and SEO options.
Businesses and individuals use website builders to create complex, well-designed websites independently without the need for coding or design skills. Website builder software varies greatly in terms of the scope and intention of the website. Businesses may use a website builder for a simple informational site or as an outlet through which to build a complex storefront full of multimedia content and unique features. Individuals may create simple sites to display their online portfolio of creative work. Website builders may offer a free plan or a free trial, but creating a custom domain name and using the full breadth of available services will require the purchase of a full plan.
Key Benefits of Website Builder Software
With a website builder, you can:
Businesses use website builder software for a variety of reasons, but the main motivation is to end up with a high-quality, responsive website for a fraction of the cost of outsourcing the work. There is a slight learning curve for anyone using the software, but the ease of use is a significant draw. If you run any type of business, your business plan should include building and maintaining a robust web presence. Products in this category can significantly lower the barrier to entry and provide your business with a feasible option which you can use to maintain control over every aspect of the process.
Save Money – Website builders tend to be much cheaper than hiring a team of designers and programmers. Solutions in this category can be priced as low as $4.50/month, which includes use of the website creator and domain hosting. There are also free website builders, although their features are understandably more limited than those included in paid options. Hiring a team to design, build, and host your site may cost you thousands of dollars. Website builder software is far cheaper no matter how you slice it. Inclusion of e-commerce tools and advanced capabilities will run you quite a bit more than a basic package, but fall well short of the fees associated with traditional methods of website building.
Website builders have improved in the breadth and scope of their features, to the point where you have the capability to build a site nearly indistinguishable from a custom-designed and programmed site for a fraction of the cost. You can build an e-commerce shop complete with payment gateway directly into your website without any coding skills.
Expediency – When you contract out your website to be built, you’re putting the timeline in the hands of an outside team. While you have the power to pressure them to follow a specific timeline, the fact remains that the completion of the website is entirely dependent on how quickly they work. Teams are subject to the whims of different motivations, individual workloads, and managerial direction. By employing the help of a website builder, you take back the power to create and publish your website. If you want to build out the entire site in a few days and feel confident that it’s a product worth publishing, then you possess the power to do so.
Professional Quality – If you lack the design and coding skills necessary to carry out a custom build of your site, website builders offer the drag-and-drop tools you need to create a high-quality website on your own. The templates available via website builders offer non-dev folks the opportunity to create a professional website with a user-friendly interface, something that was the exclusive purview of real coding geeks prior to the creation and widespread use of these tools. Creating an interactive site is much easier to do with these WYSIWYG website builders.
Ease of Use – There are a ton of reasons to use website builders, but the ease with which you can create a website is a vital one. A drag-and-drop website builder places the power to create a well-built, responsive website with non-coders and non-designers. Now you can create a website and boost your online presence without going through the arduous process of learning how to program or design.
Updated content – If you use a webmaster and outsource your website build, that means that every time you want to update your site, you need to go through a third party. By using a website builder, you have the power to update your website as you see fit whenever you’d like to. Your site becomes much more nimble and easily altered by using a website builder.
The primary users for website builders are small businesses and personal sites, as enterprise-level sites require a bit more of a robust architecture to deliver the type of performance expected of an enterprise company.
There is a wealth of different website builder software features. Website builder software often includes, but is not limited to, the following features.
Social Sharing – Most website builders contain built-in social sharing tools so that you can provide your website visitors the opportunity to share your content on their favorite social media outlets. As your website’s social shares increase, your traffic will follow suit, your site will have more value to advertisers, and other avenues of monetization will open up.
E-Commerce Hosting – If your business revolves around selling a product, then an e-commerce feature set is key for your website builder. Some website builders allow you to build an online store directly into your site, complete with a payment gateway so that your website is truly a one-stop shop. E-commerce features will often require the payment of an additional monthly fee.
Email Hosting – Website builder software may include an email hosting option, which you can use to send all official website-related correspondence. An email address with your hosted domain name is an asset to your company and lends an air of professionalism to any and all business mail you send and receive.
Web Hosting – The majority of website builders contain hosting options to enable you to build and host your website through a single tool. If you outsource the build of a custom site, you have to deal with finding a proper web hosting service on which to house your site. A good web host may be difficult to find and adds another layer of complexity in terms of site maintenance, as web hosting services contain a separate basket of challenges.
Built-In Blog – Many website builders offer a blogging tool so you can write a blog directly within the application. Blogs are a vital traffic-driving tool for many websites who do not constantly churn out new content or product offerings. Built-in blogging tools facilitate the process of creating and maintaining your blog, which can be a major catalyst for boosting traffic numbers by providing a well of SEO-driven content.
Image Editing – Website builders often contain built-in image editing tools so that you can alter and enhance images you put up on the site. Image editing can make a huge difference between presenting a polished product and representing your business poorly online. The ubiquitous grainy image quality of ‘90s-era websites is not acceptable in the age of widely available photo editors and image editing tools. That tools of that ilk are built into these website builders means that there is even more opportunity to make your site look the best it possibly can.
Forms Builder – Website builder software enables you to build forms directly within the application instead of going to a third-party application. These forms can be valuable for signing up new members if your site is membership-driven or for soliciting and gathering information from your site visitors.
Preformatted Layouts – One of the best features of website builders is the variety of prebuilt site layouts that are available for you to select during your site build. These layouts are designed for different types of websites—some may be more design focused, while others draw attention to the products on the page. Building an e-commerce website requires different design and features than that of another business website, and a website creator may need different layouts for each.
Customization Options – Another fantastic feature of website builder software is the vast array of customization options that most offer. From different layouts featuring responsive design to multimedia content, there are a ton of options for you to choose from. While the options may not be as diverse as the number of options available to you with a web design company, which are limited only by the imagination and skill of the designers and programmers tasked with bringing your vision to life, there are solutions that offer a solid set of customization options. As customization becomes a key desire for businesses looking at website builders to create their sites, more website builders are allowing those with coding skills to create their own alterations to the templates and layouts provided by the software. One of the options available to those with coding knowledge is the ability to create a members area. This is valuable for membership sites, which require members to have a separate area walled off by a payment gateway.
Mobile Optimized – As an increasing percentage of all website visits are made on a mobile device, website builder software allows for the creation of a responsive, mobile-friendly site. The majority of the most popular website builders are HTML5-based, which means that it is easy to create a mobile-optimized site using the applications. Other sites that are not HTML5 based may offer a feature in which you can create a mobile-ready site.
While website builder software is a fantastic tool that opens the door for companies and individuals looking to build a legitimate online presence, it is not without issues. Some of the most glaring issues, issues which are addressed to varying degrees by different solutions, include the isolated nature of most builders, the lack of freedom associated with the free offerings, a tendency towards the generic, and the potential loss of SEO-driven content.
Isolated Solution – Website builder software tends to lack the ease of integration with analytics and third-party applications designed to enhance the capabilities of your website that custom-built sites may offer. More website builders are starting to offer integration with Google Analytics at the very least, but there are many other third-party analytics applications that you could use with a custom-built website to enable you to squeeze as much information and value out of your site as possible.
Lack of Domain Ownership – There are many website builders which offer a free domain site builder. A free website and free domain name sound fantastic, but the catch comes in the lack of ownership of your site. Should you want to switch over to a new domain, you’ll likely lose all of the SEO you’ve built into your content and have to start from scratch.
Lack of Originality – There are hundreds of millions of sites on the internet that have been designed and published using website builder software. While there are a variety of templates and customization options built into the quality website builders, the fact that so many sites are built using the same application means that your website will have the same feel as thousands of others. This is being addressed somewhat by newer website builders, which are allowing users to customize by uploading their own HTML code or by opening up the existing templates to extreme alterations, widening the breadth of arrangement possibilities.
Absence of SEO – Some website builders do not contain blogging tools or an option for users to build a blog within the site. This is a major drawback for SEO opportunities, as content is currently king when it comes to search engine results page (SERP) rankings. The more high-quality, relevant content that you can push out to your site’s visitors on a diverse range of high traffic keywords, the higher your site will appear in Google’s rankings and the larger share of traffic you will receive.
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