With staying home becoming the trend while everyone tries to stay safe from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, starting a new project seems like a good idea. Some of your mutuals have picked up gardening or baking, but that’s not what you’re into. Instead, you seek to build your brand online despite having no web development background. That all begins with finding a simple website builder that is best suited for you.
![Man typing on his laptop](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fZIeF5y682u50b129wnJ_FHHZcBm6QTZTOLjcmCLsWzkHXgfO3zppdABwFq26ONeb5tadUhkgJikSBGD9P9dXb4hgDn1F73y3coQsISMxuGCSIE-Tbz75_-OBANgkp9PocatdRoV "Man typing on his laptop" =602x401)
Right now, you may be wondering what the significance of a simple website builder is. The best website builder is the one that allows you to build your site regardless of the experience you have related to web design and building. There are many website builders available online, so it can be overwhelming to choose the one that suits you best.
The Best Website Builders in 2021
So, how do you choose the best website builder for your business? There are so many available on the internet so we’ve compiled a list catered to those seeking not only a website builder for a small business but also any business.
1. Strikingly
Image taken from Strikingly
Strikingly is a simple website builder that allows you to create mobile-optimized websites within minutes with no pre-existing web development experience.
• Pros
There are many reasons why Strikingly ranks on top in this list of best website builders. It is extremely easy to use and is perfect for beginners because of its drag and drop editor, which is also great for creating a slick-looking single page layout. There are many website templates to choose from, all of which are mobile-responsive.
Image taken from Strikingly product
Unlike other website builders that only allow you to add elements to your site individually, this simple website builder is section-oriented which is tailored to one-pagers. Each section can be customized in terms of its order, content, images, and many more. Strikingly lets you preview your new website on various screen sizes without having to load the domain onto a separate device.
Image taken from Strikingly product
In addition to all these features, Strikingly also offers blogging functions, SEO optimization and e-commerce integration, and many more. The free version alone provides access to so many features you’d find useful for your business. There is a fast, friendly, and efficient help center if you require assistance in building your site. All Strikingly websites have free HTTPS and SSL certificates.
• Cons
You’ll need to pay for a Pro plan to create multiple pages, especially because it can be a struggle to rank high in search engines for single pages. If you want to add your own code, you need to upgrade from the free version.
• Pricing
Strikingly is the best website builder for any business because of its features and pricing. Besides the free plan, Strikingly offers 3 monthly plans: the Limited plan for $12 per month, the Pro plan for $20 per month, and the VIP plan for $59 per month. There are options to be billed annually, every 2 years, every 3 years, and every 5 years.
Image taken from Strikingly product
2. WordPress.org
Image taken from WordPress
Before we begin to discuss why WordPress is on this list, we’d like to clarify that WordPress.org is not to be confused with Wordpress.com. With that being said, WordPress is a free, SEO-friendly, and open-source website builder that is extremely popular.
• Pros
In addition to the fact that it has thousands of pre-made themes to choose from, it allows you to customize your website layout easily with theme customization options and widgets. Aside from these features, there are many plugins available to increase your site’s functionality, such as SEO tools, Google Analytics, forums, and many more.
• Cons
Although this simple website builder offers a lot of features you’d want, it has no drag and drop builder. It also requires web hosting services to be installed. Once it is installed, maintaining your website is fully under your responsibility. Some responsibilities you’ll have to manually keep track of are ensuring that themes and plugins are up to date, as well as WordPress itself.
• Pricing
WordPress could be considered the easiest website builder if it were free overall. What does this mean? Although the software itself is free, you’ll need to get your own domain name and web host, which costs money.
3. Web.com
Image taken from Web.com
Another website builder for small business owners is Web.com. It has a drag and drop builder, which is preferred by many, especially individuals with no web development experience.
• Pros
This simple website builder stands out because it is extremely user-friendly and affordable. With an account on Web.com, you get a domain name of your choice and a professional email address. There is a drag and drop builder to customize your website’s layout and features such as SEO tools and third-party tool integrations.
• Cons
The trial for this website builder is not free. Instead, it is at a reduced rate for only the first month.
• Pricing
Web.com offers 3 different pricing plans. First, we have the Starter plan which is $1.95 the first month then $10 every 4 consecutive weeks. Next, the Marketing plan is $2.95 the first month then $15 every 4 weeks. Lastly, we have the E-commerce plan which is $3.95 the first month then $20 every 4 weeks. There are also yearly plans which have different rates that increase after the first month.
4. Wix
Image taken from Wix
Wix could be considered one of the best website builders because it is simple and straightforward, but it has many cons to consider.
• Pros
There are many templates to choose from which are also easy to customize. This means that you can replace the text and images that came with templates to better fit the design you’re doing for. Also, the Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) of this simple website builder allows you to build a simple website within minutes.
• Cons
Once you select a template, you can no longer change it. So, if you wanted to change the layout and design of your website, this would result in a headache. In addition to this, Wix has limited availability of editing tools compared to other website builders. The premium plans offered can also get quite expensive.
• Pricing
The monthly plans for Wix start at $11 for the Combo plan, $14 for the Unlimited Plan, and $29 for the VIP plan. There are also business plans available at $20, $25, and $35 each month.
5. GoDaddy
Image taken from GoDaddy
GoDaddy does not only offer domain name and hosting services but also a website builder that allows you to create a website that is inclusive of GoDaddy hosting.
• Pros
There are website templates available that are customizable with their drag and drop editor so you can replace text and images with your own. This simple website builder makes adding essential features such as contact forms and social media links possible. A feature that makes it considered one of the best website builders is the ability to use the GoDaddy website builder on smaller screens. This means that you can design your site on the go with your mobile phone or tablet.
• Cons
Despite the cool features offered by this simple website builder, it offers fewer features and design options compared to some of the other website builders. Also, moving your site to a different platform in the future will not be an easy task. It is not the best website builder for content-heavy websites, it is more suited for simple websites with a few pages.
• Pricing
The Personal plan starts at $5.99 per month, the Business plan at $9.99 per month, and the Business Plus plan at $14.99 per month. GoDaddy exclusively bills their user plans annually instead of monthly.
6. Gator Website Builder
Image taken from HostGator
Gator is another simple website builder developed by a web hosting company, more specifically HostGator. It offers the ability to easily create a simple website with just a few clicks.
• Pros
Gator website builder emphasizes no learning curve as well as a library of themes to choose from. It offers a drag and drop builder which makes it easy to customize your website with media files, Google Maps, and many more. The overall package includes free web hosting, a domain name, website analytics, and a free SSL certificate. A feature that makes it considered one of the best website builders is the save history feature which allows you to revert your website to a previous version with one click.
• Cons
There is no availability of features that increase the functionality of your website such as e-commerce integration.
• Pricing
The Gator website builder starts at $3.46 per month.
7. Weebly
Image taken from Weebly
Weebly is a very popular website builder among business owners due to reasons including its features. However, this might not be the selected website builder for small business owners because you’d need to pay for the features you want.
• Pros
This simple website builder is fully hosted so you don’t have to handle the technical responsibilities of your site. It has many mobile-responsive templates to choose from that can be customized with its drag and drop builder. There are also features to make your site SEO-friendly.
• Cons
You get what you paid for so it is more accurate to call it freemium. That’s because you’ll have to pay for your own domain name and extensive site features including site analytics, site search, and many more. To integrate e-commerce into your site and access features such as reduced transaction fees and abandoned shopping cart emails, you will need to pay for a business plan. There is also a 500MB restriction to the free version (you’ll need to pay to upgrade it to unlimited) and it lacks a variety of SEO features.
• Pricing
Weebly charges $0 for a regular website but ranges up to $25 per month. On the other hand, its e-commerce pricing ranges between $8 to $38 per month.
8. Squarespace
Image taken from Squarespace
Squarespace can be considered the easiest website builder because users love how easy it is to navigate (and its visually appealing designs!).
• Pros
This simple website builder is user-friendly with many designs and templates to choose from. Its basic plan gives you a 20-page website which is good for small businesses to get started with. You can use a custom domain that is free for the first year and is fully hosted. It has functionality features including an SSL certificate, web analytics, and e-commerce features in the basic package. There are also features to sell unlimited products as well as to accept donations. There are also plans that offer you access to exclusive features such as inventory management, e-commerce reporting, accounting, and many more.
• Cons
Although it offers many desirable features, this simple website builder is not free. For example, you’ll have to pay for renewal costs for your domain name after the first year and you’ll need to purchase a more expensive plan to get the features you need. Also, some people think that Squarespace has a learning curve for website building.
• Pricing
Squarespace websites are available at either $12 or $18 per month, and e-commerce stores cost either $26 or $40 per month.
Conclusion
Website builders provide the necessary tools for building websites. Some, if not all, have a drag and drop tool, visual editor and include website essentials (such as templates, photo galleries, web hosting, and many more).
Website builders generally take care of all the technical details such as image optimization, basic SEO, domain name registration, web hosting, and SSL certificates. It is important to take time to think of a website builder for small business owners and larger business owners as well.
The best website builder would be the most simple website builder which is Strikingly. Not only is it free but it has many features to offer especially when compared to other website builders. The exclusive features and paid plans offered are also extremely affordable. So what are you waiting for? Start building your brand and e-commerce store, and sign up today!
