What’s the best website building platform?
Finding the right fit as you look to build your new website can be overwhelming.
As someone who helps companies create websites, I often hear how confusing it can be to choose the right platform for their needs.
To make your research process a little bit easier, I’ve compiled a list of the top website building platforms and their best use cases.
I hope this will help you find the perfect website platform to meet your needs.
The top service based website building platforms
Squarespace
Squarespace is my go-to platform for building just websites for just about any company. (My only exception is e-commerce, which we’ll get to shortly.)
“Our vision is a future where everyone can be an entrepreneur. We believe design is the ultimate competitive advantage. We build products that help entrepreneurs stand out and succeed.”
Squarespace boasts you can create for any purpose on their platform. Local businesses, portfolios, blogs, e-commerce, service, etc. They offer a wide array of features (most for additional monthly costs) depending on your needs - e-commerce, appointment scheduling, email marketing, community memberships, courses, and more.
To see current Squarespace pricing visit this page.
Wix
“Create your own professional web presence—exactly the way you want. Our powerful technology allows everyone to get online with a personalized, professional web presence. Whether it’s your first time creating or you’re a long time expert, you’ll find the features and solutions you need to build a professional website with total creative freedom”
Wix offers a wide range of services and features. They advertise as having over 900 templates to choose from. With a full suite of features you can create sites for e-commerce, blogging, appointment scheduling, and a work portfolio. You’ll also have tools to easily host your domain and brand your website.
To see current Wix pricing visit this page.
The top e-commerce based website building platforms
Shopify
When I’m asked for an e-commerce website solution, Shopify is my first suggestion.
“We help people achieve independence by making it easier to start, run, and grow a business. We believe the future of commerce has more voices, not fewer, so we’re reducing the barriers to business ownership to make commerce better for everyone.”
Shopify makes selling and shipping products incredibly easy, and even offers increasing discounts off shipping services based on the subscription you choose. Shopify will automatically sync your products to be able to feature them on social media shops like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you happen to set up a pop-up shop, or even operate a brick-and-mortar storefront, Shopify POS will enable you to sell in-person.
To see current Shopify pricing visit this page.
Big Cartel
“Easy online stores for artists and makers. We make it simple to build a unique online store, sell your work, and run a creative business...Get online with our easy store builder, website themes for artists and creators, and expert customer support. We keep things simple and affordable and that means no hidden fees or weird data sharing practices. ”
Big Cartel offers great simplicity at a low cost. While the features may not be as robust as other e-commerce platforms, the pricing for the platform is well worth it.
To see current Big Cartel pricing visit this page.
The do it all website building platform
WordPress
“WordPress is designed for everyone. We believe great software should work with minimum set up, emphasizing accessibility, performance, security, and ease of use. The basic WordPress software is simple and predictable, offering powerful features for growth and success.”
WordPress is one of the original website building platforms. It is also one of the most customizable platforms. Which is both a pro and a con. When starting a WordPress site you have a near blankslate to work with, on top of many, many apps can be installed (fairly easily) to build your website exactly the way you want it. If you are wanting a highly customized site, with the ability to control every pixel on a page, WordPress is your go-to option. While building a website on WordPress may take you longer than the others, you’ll have much more freedom in how your website is built, whether it’s for a service or product based business.
To see current WordPress pricing visit this page.
I hope knowing some of the best options available to you will enable you to make the right choice for your business. Want to discuss any of these a little more to find out which might be perfect for you? Just book a call with me. I’m happy to help.
