Looking for the best website builder to use for your business? In this article we will discuss the best options and help you make the best selection for your needs.
There are many website builder solutions available on the market, which can be confusing if you do not know what you really need. So, to help you find the best one for your business (big or small), we have compiled a list of the top 4 best website builders in 2022 that we would recommend to our clients.
What is a Website Builder?
A website builder is a software that helps you create and maintain your own website. It provides you with a variety of templates, which can be modified to suit your needs and preferences. You can also use it for SEO purposes, as it has built-in features for Google Analytics and Google search console integration.
There are many different types of website builders available on the market, but it is important to know what type you need before you start looking.
There are static site generators and CMS platforms, which can be used by anyone with basic HTML knowledge, and even easy drag and drop builders. All of the below are know as Drag and Drop Builders, which we recommend for ease of use.
Why do you need a website builder?
Because you do not need to write a single piece of website code to design a website these days!
If you do select one of the options below depending on your needs, we are confided that you have made a good choice and have selected one of the best website building systems available in 2022.
Choose The Best Solution for Your Business
These are the four solutions that we would recommend to our clients depending on their needs.
Elementor gives you access to pre-designed page templates, elements, widgets and sections.
Elementor is made for use on WordPress, a free and open-source content management system written in PHP. This also means you need to have a basic understanding of WordPress and web files. Alternatively get your IT guy to help you with the set-up.
Overall this website building software will offer you the most flexibility compared to the others, but there may be a little steeper learning curve compared to other less advance website builders.
Elementor includes both free and paid versions, however we would strongly recommend the paid version for accessing more features. Unlike the other options listed below with Elementor you pay an annual fee to make use of their (software) the plugin.
We give Elementor a 4,7 out of 5 score.
WordPress is not a hosted solution, and you will need to get a hosting company to host your website for you. A new feature of Elementor solves this by offering Elementor Cloud also see below. Want a separate hosting packages or company we recommend BlueHost .
If you are planning to accept payments online you need to also have online payment gateway, for South African businesses we recommend Yoco
As a digital agency creating beautiful websites for our customers we love Elementor. It offers us so much flexibility and designs are limited with what we can build.
If you think of starting web development as a business or side hustle , you can not go wrong with this system.
Best for: People that know a little bit about design, or what to be in full control of their site.
Get Response is a complete solutions and you can sign up for free. You will get an email marketing system, website builder, load up to 500 contacts for free and other marketing automation tools. As with all the other products listed on this page it also has a drag and drop website builder with some impressive A.I. features. Feature-wise, they do boast a lot more than most other email and website builder. From custom landing pages to advanced automation and reporting features, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a feature they don’t offer.
Our favorite feature is the conversion funnel- a unique feature that takes care of lead generation, which can even serve as an online store where you can process payments. their higher tier package also includes a Webinar feature, built into the system so no need for Zoom.
To future proof your company, you need to invest in an email marketing tool as the next step of online marketing, using Get Response makes it just so much easier.
We give Get Response a 4,9 out of 5 score.
Best for:Individuals or Businesses that want to invest in marketing automation from the start and want and easy to use web builder as well with well crafted templates to make starting your own marketing easy.
Wix is one the top rated drag and drop web builders achieving an overall score of 4.3 out of 5 in our research and testing.
You can easily customize your templates as you want. Their pricing is also very affordable, and it is hosted, which means you do not need to get an hosting company to host your website. They also have online store offering on the business and e-commerce plans starting at 17USD per month.
You need to know what are your needs and buy your plan accordingly. You can always upgrade later.
This is also a hosted solution, you will only require a domain if you do not want to use their free domains.
The main drawback of this type of system is the lack of design flexibility. Its not as customizable as a Elementor website. Although it has many of the other features of Get Response
Best for: Individuals and Businesses that want an easy to manage website with our the need for an expert
Best All round solution, if you are planning to have an online store or receive payment online. Its an affordable way to start get an E-commerce business online. Easy to start off with and maintain. This platform is aimed at beginners to advance developers or business owners that want to build an online store. But they also cater for developers, and provide full access to CSS, HTML and Shopify’s templating language. Most E-commerce features are integrated.
Shopify is a “hosted” solution.
Your website will run on their own servers. You don’t own the system, products but instead pay a monthly fee to use it.
With Shopify the most E-Commerce features that you will need is already build in.
We give Shopify an overall 3,6 out of 5 score, due to it’s price point, and not ideal for all business types.
Best for: Individuals or Business that want to run and manage their own online store.
Other options: building a website for your business
Mailchimp is a very well known and often used marketing automation tool. Comes with a drag and drop builder, email system and automation similarly to Get Response.
Most hosting companies who sell you a domain ( mybusiness.com) also offer their own drag and drop web builders as an added feature. This is also a possible option for price sensitive startups
Final Thoughts
Building a website can be time-consuming and expensive. There are many free and paid website builders out there that can help you to get your own site up and running in no time.
There are many benefits to using an online website builder. You don’t need any programming skills or design experience, they are easy to use, they save you money, they come with templates that you can edit, and they have the hosting included.
However, there are also some disadvantages of using a web builder: you cannot customize the design of your site completely from scratch, you might have to pay for additional features like SEO tools or eCommerce options, and some web builders may not be as secure as others.
It is a difficult decision, because of the number of solutions out there.
To help you with your choice, consider these questions:
- Do you just need a website?
- Do you want to take online payment?
- Will you possibly invest in automation and email marketing later?
- Are you comfortable with the idea of building your own website?
- How much flexibility do you require?
The basis of this study was determined on those business owners, entrepreneurs that would want to build their own websites and not pay a developer thousands for a website.
If you have the money, our recommendation is to actually get a web developer and let them do all the hard work for you. I would be happy to guide you through the process , just reach out to us at info@corneliaellis.com