Most website building platforms are created under the same premise: to make it easier for users to create sites without the need to write code. They are all designed to the process of website development - a task originally left to professionals - simpler for individuals and businesses who may not have the budget or resources to hire full-service design agencies and are willing to do the exercise on their own.
As a beginner, you could probably get started with any free website building tool and then scale up if your website grows. The right choice of website builder is important early into the project because you should be creating a site with the view that it will expand eventually. You have to be armed with the right kind of tools to accommodate any expansion. All website building sites can enable you to get your site up in minutes but not all of these options can keep up with continuous growth. Here are a few more features to look for when deciding on a platform to use for your next site creation project.
Seamless ecommerce integration
It’s not uncommon to see startups building websites for the sole purpose of fulfilling digital marketing objectives. It’s one of the most effective ways to attain brand recognition and bring attention to their products and/or services. Should you want to expand your website’s use to attracting sales for your products, it would be good to select web building sites that can support this objective. Strikingly, for instance, features ecommerce functionalities in the form of Simple Store to help you get started with your online shop. This feature is accessible even to free account users so if you just want to test the waters first and offer one product to start, you definitely can get it done with this platform. While other website builders will offer ecommerce features, this are usually accessible only to paid accounts. Cost of entry to use Simple Store is very minimal - you don’t need to pay extra to start.
Web hosting
One of the limitations of a free account on any website builder is the shared branding with the platform. For business websites with a limited budget, it’s easy to live with the idea of having your domain attached to the platform’s domain name - e.g. [youname].strikingly.com. Eventually, however, your business will grow and you will want your website to have its own personalized name and host your website at the same time. Strikingly will host your website for free and can get you set up with a free personal domain for a year to get you started on enhancing your website to suit your business objectives.
Multiple page support
What makes Strikingly so effective for small businesses is that it has the ability to grow with you as your company grows. Its claim to fame is the ability to create well-designed, full-featured and mobile responsive one-page sites. But we also understand that a website’s content grows along with the business. You don’t need to migrate your website to a different platform when this happens. The site builder enables you to create multiple website pages to accommodate your growing content.
It also allows you to scale up easily. Adding sections such as the Simple Blog and galleries gives you more opportunities to present your business and your products in the most engaging way possible.
Growing knowledge base
Reliable customer support is one of the cornerstones of Strikingly’s platform. Its consistently growing knowledge base is a testament to its commitment towards helping individuals and businesses in their web building initiatives. You want to work with a site builder that takes user suggestions into account as it builds new features and templates to suit your needs. Most of the features on this platform are products of feedback from startups and website managers who are using Strikingly. We are a website builder that grows with the user.
