What is a website builder?

A website builder is a tool you can use to build a custom website for your business without any coding involved. Different website builders will have a different set of features and designs available, but most are flexible enough that you can truly customize the website to fit your brand.

Wix.com

Wix.com was one of the first drag and drop website builders out there. Since it first launched, offering only website building feature, they have grown to offer many more features, from social media marketing to managing online payments.

Available plans and pricing

At the moment, Wix offers four different website plans for their customers:

• Connect Domain: for £3.50/month, you get a custom domain, free SSL certificate, 1 GB bandwidth, and 500 MB storage space.
• Combo: for £6.50/month, you get a custom domain, free SSL certificate, 2 GB bandwidth, and 3 GB storage space.
• Unlimited (most popular): for £9.50/month, you get get a custom domain, free SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth and storage space, and access to analytics.
• VIP: for £19/month, you get all features from cheaper plans plus priority customer care, a professional logo, and other extra features.

For eCommerce business customers, they have separate plans and services that include payment handling, dropshipping, customer service, and much more. 

Pros

Here are the pros of choosing Wix as your website builder to help you get started with your website: 

• Affordable pricing: with the basic plan starting at £3.50/month, Wix is an affordable website builder option for new and smaller business owners trying to set up their online presence.
• Drag and drop design: Wix website builder is effortless to use, and no prior design or coding experience is needed to build a good-looking website for your business. 
• Upgrades available: you can start small and always upgrade as your business grows and expands. Wix offers many feature upgrades for businesses in different stages, so there will always be room for more. 
• 24/7 customer support: you’ll always be able to ask questions and get help building your website, even on the basic plan. 

Cons

As with everything, there are some cons to consider when you’re thinking about choosing Wix for your business: 

• The basic plan displays ads: one of the biggest cons because your website will include ads you have no control over and that your customers might find irritating. 
• No access to Google Analytics: if you’re building an online business with a blog, you’ll need access to Analytics to optimize and grow your business, and Wix doesn’t offer this feature.
• Limited design options: while Drag and Drop editor is easy to use, it has limitations. So, if you’re looking to create a custom website that fits your branding perfectly, Wix might not meet your needs.

Squarespace

Squarespace is a modern website builder that has gained popularity due to its elegant designs. They offer templates that fit many businesses and look great, so it’s one of the best website builders for the younger generation.

Available plans and pricing

Squarespace is one of the more expensive website builders out there, but they offer multiple plans for different business needs:

• Personal: for £13/month, you get a free custom domain, SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, access to all templates, and much more.
• Business (most popular): for £21/month, you get a free custom domain, SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, access to all templates, free professional email from Google, and access to CSS for custom coding.
• Basic Commerce: for £24/month, you get a free custom domain, SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, access to all templates, access to marketing, and basic eCommerce features.
• Advanced Commerce: for £37/month, you get all the above plus the advanced eCommerce features like subscriptions, advanced shipping, and much more.

The prices listed above are monthly, but you can save up to 30% by choosing to pay annually. 

Pros

If you’re considering Squarespace for your business, here are some of the pros that make this website builder worth your time:

• Great website templates: Squarespace offers a library of pre-made templates that are elegant, modern, and easily customizable to fit your business needs.
• Custom domain and SSL certificate: all plans include a free custom domain for one year and an SSL certificate.
• Unlimited bandwidth: even with the Personal plan, you can upload an unlimited amount of photos and not worry about running out of space. 
• Mobile-Optimized websites: Squarespace templates are designed to fit different devices flawlessly.
• 24/7 customer support: you’ll be able to get help on any questions you have about your website anytime with every plan. 

Cons

Even with all the pros, there are still cons to consider before you make the final decision: 

• Expensive: Squarespace is in the higher price range on the list of the best website builders, which can be an issue if you’re on a strict budget. 
• Design limitations: even with the best pre-made templates that are all mobile friendly and can be edited to fit your brand, you’ll run into design limitations where you’ll need to learn custom coding and do it yourself or hire a developer to help you. 

Shopify

If you’re an eCommerce business, then Shopify might be the best website builder for you. 

Available plans and pricing

Shopify only offers three simple plans for their customers: 

• Basic: for £24/month, you get an online store with a store and blog, SSL certificate, two staff accounts, and basic reports. 
• Shopify: for £69/month, you get an online store with a store and blog, SSL certificate, five staff accounts, and standard reports. 
• Advanced: for £259/month, you get an online store with a store and blog, SSL certificate, 15 staff accounts, and advanced reports. 

Each plan comes with many more great features for running an online store and managing your sales. 

Pros 

This website builder has much to offer to its customers, so here are key benefits of choosing Shopify for your business:

• 24/7 customer support: you’ll always get help and answers to any questions you might have about your website. 
• Easy to use design tool: Drag and Drop design tool allows you to customize your website and an online shop to fit your needs.
• Marketing tools: from social media to email marketing and even Facebook ads, you can manage your marketing through the Shopify platform for easy use. 

Cons

Shopify is a great website builder for eCommerce, but it has one big downside to it: 

• Pricing: Shopify is expensive, especially if you decide to go with their pricier plans which can be a problem for a small business with a tight budget. 
• Extra cut: Shopify takes a cut out of your sales, and the percentage can vary from 2.5% to 2.9%, depending on which plan you choose.

WordPress

WordPress is the most popular website builder out there. There are two versions you can choose from:

• WordPress.com: managed website builder with the Free and Pro plans with different features available. 
• WordPress.org: open-source software that’s free but requires a hosting plan with a hosting company to build a website. 

Available plans and pricing 

WordPress.com has two plans you can choose from: 

• Free: for £0/month, you can create a basic website using the vast library of free templates. 
• Pro: for £15/month, you get a custom domain, access to premium templates and plugins, no ads, and 50 GB of storage.

WordPress.org is free for everyone. However, it requires you to get a plan with the hosting company of your choosing. There are many hosting companies available at all price ranges, so you can choose whichever works best for your business needs. 

Pros

Here are the most important pros of choosing WordPress over other website builders:

• Widely used: WordPress powers almost half of the websites on the internet. You will always be able to find help to manage and build your website as your business grows. 
• Affordable: you can start a website for free with WordPress or choose a hosting company that fits your budget. 
• Flexible design: with WordPress, the sky is the limit when it comes time to design and build your website.
• Free plugins: the majority of plugins you will use to customize your WordPress website are available for free. This allows for the easy and affordable addition of various features you’d have to pay for with some other website builders. 

Cons

There is one major con to consider when choosing WordPress for your business:

• Might require more coding knowledge: because of its’ flexibility, WordPress might require you to learn basic coding and understanding plugins to build a website you need for your business. 

Why choose WordPress?

The answer to this question is simple: flexibility. 

Even 39.4% of all websites online are built with WordPress, and there is a reason for it. Not only can WordPress be the most affordable option because you get to choose your hosting company at the price that suits your individual business needs, but it also offers tons of features that allow you to build a truly custom website.

At WAcademy, we can help you create the website your business deserves. You won’t have to worry about learning the code or choosing the right hosting company for you — we will take care of it while you focus on other aspects of your business.