Oh goodness; we could really be opening a can of worms here!
Many small business owners come to our marketing team at Dimension Creative and ask; "which website builder is best?". That's a huge question! What kind of features do you need? Are you looking to self-host? Do you need to integrate complex APIs?
We've broken various different web design builders into various subsections to try and help you make an informed decision.
Short and Sweet (Portfolio Websites)
A portfolio website is a term used by web developers and designers to describe a website which is used to present your business or brand without any bells and whistles. For example, it might be your local bakery which has a site to tell its customers when they're open, what their menu is and how to find them. There's nothing too complex or taxing here.
The best solution, in our opinion, for this kind of site is either Wix or Squarespace.
Here's why - both Wix and Squarespace allow you to browse a huge range of templates which you can then tweak to get yourself up and running in a matter of hours. Sure, your site won't be a marvel of design, but it will do the job and get your business on the web.
Most portfolio websites consist of a home, about us and contact pages. This means you can easily spend 1 hour per page and have a site which shows off your brand pretty quickly.
The added bonus of both platforms is that they're built and hosted as an all-in-one solution. You can even purchase your domain through these companies so everything lives under one roof. Easy peasy!
Show Me the Dough (E-Commerce Websites)
You're probably wondering what an e-commerce website is, right? Essentially, it's any kind of website which sells a product or service. Think Amazon, Boohoo, PC World. All of them sell a product online. Whilst the concept of an e-commerce site isn't too difficult, it can become a mammoth task to maintain. It's important to build your e-commerce experience on a platform specifically designed for that role, otherwise you might spend hours trying to track down orders, manage inventory, upload products and more.
The best options, in our opinion, are either Shopify or Wix.
Here's why - both Shopify and Wix feature powerful and extensive e-commerce tools to get you up and running. Whether you're selling 5 products of 500, both web builders will allow you to do so with ease. We personally love the Wix platform, it's simple and intuitive. However, there's no avoiding the fact that Shopify is the 'go to' builder for this kind of project. The simple reason being that it literally has 'shop' in its name. We would perhaps suggest looking at both to see which interface works best for you. Wix is a fantastic website builder with e-commerce as a bolt-on whereas Shopify is designed to sell straight out of the box.
Again, both platforms are hosted and built seamlessly, meaning you don't have to worry about hosting or domains.
Unique. Boutique. (Custom Solutions)
A custom solution website is typically one where you require the site to become a 'platform' for its users. For example, if you're a SaaS company, your entire business is based around an online offering. In these instances, you'll need to spend some serious time (and cash) working with a web developer. These web wizards will usually work with the likes of Wordpress or another CMS (Content Management System) to build a completely unique site from the ground up.
The best options, in our opinion, are Wordpress and Joomla!
Here's why - whilst we're huge Wix fans and love the platform, using Wordpress or Joomla! allows you to do essentially whatever your heart desires. The issue here though is that you need to be incredibly fluent in coding (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to ensure the site functions how you want it to.
The other thing to consider is that whilst Wordpress and Joomla! are the vehicle to get your site online, you need to then source external hosting.
There are so many options available in 2021, it's hard to know which one is best. So, we'll make it easy - if you're looking to get a great looking website online with minimal technical knowledge - Wix, Squarespace or Shopify are for you. If you need something a bit more bespoke, Wordpress or Joomla! are your match made in heaven.
However, we want to make it even easier that that.
If you're looking for an incredible website, big or small, speak with our team at Dimension Creative. We're a small but mighty marketing team in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and we build all kinds of websites for our clients. After all, you've got bigger things to focus on.
01284 277161