How to Choose the Best Website Builder
A Guide to Finding Your Perfect Platform
In the past 5 years I have created over 20 websites. Wordpress sites, Squarespace, & Showit.
I’ve used each one and I enjoy them all.
There are pros and cons to each and in order to determine which one best fits you, you need to determine your website needs.
Each platform has their own unique benefits.
When you are determining which website builder is best for you, think about what your top needs are. What do you need this website for?
Are you starting a blog, offering services, displaying your work, etc? Asking these questions will help you determine which one is best for you.
Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links which means I may get a commission at no extra expense to you. Please know that I only recommend things that I have used and love!
What's discussed?
Things to think about when choosing a platform
Popular Website Building Platforms
Pricing
Which platform is best for you
Things to think about when choosing a platform
Since each website platform has their own unique benefits, it’s important to determine what your specific needs are for your website.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What is the purpose of the website?
Is this a website for ecommerce, blogging, portfolio site, offering services, etc? Knowing the website needs will help you determine which is best.
What are your design needs?
Does your website need to have a lot of design flexibility? If your website's primary goal is to show off your designs as a website designer, you need to know which platform has the best design features.
If you are creating a website to showcase your bookkeeping business services, design may not be the most important feature for you.
What is the budget?
Determining your budget for your business will really help you narrow down as well.
How much are you willing to spend on the website builder, host, domain etc? Some platforms offer this all in one, while others are separate pricing.
Do you need E-commerce features?
Will you be selling services or products online? Will you need payment processors, shipping features etc? Each platform has different ecommerce needs
How important is SEO for your website?
Would you rather have SEO built in with the website builder or use plugins to expand your needs? Is this a high priority or not?
SEO is definitely something to think about when determining which website platform to use. If you are blogging, SEO may be on the top of your list
Do you need any specific integrations or plugins?
Are there particular tools (like email marketing services, CRM systems, or analytics) that you need to integrate with your website?
Does the builder offer mobile optimization?
How well does the builder optimize websites for mobile devices, and does it allow for mobile-specific customizations?
How easy is it to use?
What is your comfort level with technology? Do you need a builder with a drag-and-drop interface, or are you comfortable with more advanced options?
Popular Website Building Platforms
Wordpress
Wordpress is a great platform for self hosted websites & blogs. A lot of bloggers use Wordpress and would recommend it.
With Wordpress, you can use customizable themes, add plugins to your site, monetize and more.
The only downside to Wordpress is there is a bit of a learning curve. It may take you a while to learn it and build your website.
But if you are determined, you will be just fine. You can watch Youtube videos or take a short course on Wordpress.
Some great features of Wordpress:
SEO friendly
Very customizable
Popular & large community
E-commerce integration
Plugins for almost all needs
Very scalable
Very affordable
Great for blogs
Pricing
Wordpress is a free platform, but you will need to pay for a host. You can easily set up a Bluehost account to host your Wordpress site. Bluehost even offers a Wordpress integration and is super simple to set up.
Get started with bluehost
Squarespace
Squarespace is another great website platform. Compared to Wordpress, Squarespace is a lot easier to get started and more user friendly in my opinion.
Squarespace is great for beginners because you can easily pick a website template, drag and drop designs on your site, and easily customize your template.
Some great features of Squarespace:
Acuity Scheduling
Ecommerce integration with commerce plan
Drag and drop customization
Easy to set up
Beautiful customizable templates
Mobile optimization
Built in analytics, email marketing, SEO tools, & domain
Create memberships and host courses
Blog
Custom code injections
Pricing
Squarespace has a couple of different pricing options.
Personal plan: $25 per month or save 36% by paying annually
Business plan: $36 per month or save 36% by paying annually
Commerce(basic) plan: $40 per month or save 30% by paying annually
Commerce(advanced) plan: $72 per month or save 27% by paying annually
To learn more about Squarespace pricing plans, click here
Showit
Have you heard of the website platform Showit? It’s fairly new but just as great. Showit is a website platform focused on really beautiful designs. It also has a drag and drop feature which is great for design aspects.
Some great features of Showit:
Wordpress blog integration
Drag and drop
Complete design flexibility
Managed hosting
Intuitive interface
SEO
Ecommerce third party integration
Mobile customization
Pricing
Showit: $24 per month/ $228 billed annually
Showit & Basic Starter Blog: $29 per month/ $288 billed annually
Showit & Advanced Blog: $39 per month/ $408 billed annually
To learn more about Showit Pricing, click here
Now that you understand your website needs, let’s figure out which platform will best suit your needs!
Wordpress may be best for you if
You want a completely self hosted site
You plan on writing blogs
You need something completely customizable
You want full control over your website
You are a fast learner or can pay to have someone set up your site
Need something budget friendly
Are okay with plug ins
Squarespace may be for you if
You want something simple and user-friendly
You want a beautiful design
You don’t need a very complex website
You’d rather have all in one features
You want your website up quick
You want to showcase your work or services
You want to have a blog
Willing to spend a little more
Showit may be best for you if
You need complete customization on design
You prefer design over other features
You are using your site to show off your work
You want to have a blog
Ecommerce is not your #1 priority
Willing to spend a little more
