5 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses
When it comes to building a website for your small business, choosing the right website builder is crucial. Whether you already have an established web presence or you’re taking your business online for the first time, it’s important to consider things like pricing, ease of use, templates, and coding features so you can be prepared to make the right choice for your business’s unique needs. At Forward Funding, we’ve helped thousands of businesses in expanding their online presence and growing their operations by securing the necessary funding for their transition and growth.
That being said, let’s get into the five best website builders for small businesses.
Best Small Business Website Builder for Code-Free Designing
Wix:
Ease of Use: Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it incredibly easy for users (whether novices or experts) to create professional-looking websites without any coding knowledge. Even users with no coding knowledge can effortlessly design professional-looking websites by dragging elements onto their canvas. The simple drag and drop feature allows you to move elements like text boxes, images, and videos onto a chosen template and customize them to fit your unique brand.The simplicity of Wix’s design features makes it an advantage over most competitors, and it allows businesses to have an accessible entry point into web design without having to hire a dedicated team.
Templates: Wix offers a huge library of templates spanning various industries, including business, photography, e-commerce, and more. These templates are fully customizable, allowing users to change colors, fonts, layouts, and more to suit their needs. The templates, in general, are well designed and highly adaptable, allowing for customization in color, font, and layout, allowing each website to have a unique look and feel.
App Market: Wix’s App Market provides access to hundreds of third-party apps that users can integrate into their websites to add functionality. These apps cover everything from e-commerce and booking systems to marketing tools and analytics.
Pricing: Wix offers a free plan with Wix-branded ads and limited features. Premium plans start at around $14 per month and go up to $49 per month for higher tiered plans, which include additional features like priority support and unlimited bandwidth. Compared to competitors, Wix balances cost with value, providing a solid choice for users prioritizing both budget and functionality.
Best Small Business Website Builder for Creative Industries
Design: Squarespace is renowned for its stunning, design-centric templates that are perfect for businesses in creative industries. These templates are visually stunning, fully responsive, and optimized for mobile devices, ensuring a seamless user experience across all screen sizes.
E-commerce Integration: Squarespace offers comprehensive ecommerce solutions that are easy to manage. Businesses can easily set up online stores quickly and easily. It includes features like inventory management, secure checkout, and flexible product display options. Because of this, Squarespace is definitely a solid, reliable platform for online retail businesses.
Analytics: Squarespace provides built-in analytics tools that give users insights into website traffic, sales performance, and customer behavior. Users can track key metrics like page views, conversion rates, and revenue.
Pricing: Squarespace offers four pricing plans ranging from $12 to $40 per month when billed annually. These plans include hosting, domain registration, and access to all features. E-commerce plans start at $26 per month. Because of its premium features, Squarespace is a great option for users looking to build a robust website.
Best Small Business Website Builder for eCommerce
E-commerce Focus: Shopify is primarily known as an e-commerce platform, offering powerful tools for setting up and managing online stores. It provides features like product listings, inventory management, order processing, and secure payments. If you’re looking to build an online store for your business, Shopify is one of the best platforms tailored for ecommerce.
Themes and Customization: Shopify offers a wide selection of customizable themes tailored for e-commerce businesses. Users can further customize their websites using Shopify’s built-in editor or by editing the HTML and CSS code directly.
App Store: Shopify’s App Store offers thousands of apps and integrations that extend the platform’s functionality. Users can find apps for marketing, sales, customer support, accounting, and more.
Pricing: Shopify’s pricing starts at $29 per month for the Basic Shopify plan and goes up to $299 per month for the Advanced Shopify plan. There’s also a Shopify Lite plan for $9 per month, which allows users to add a Buy button to an existing website or blog.
For more digital tools for your small business, read our guide on the best digital tools for your SMB in 2024.
Best Small Business Website Builder for Tech Modifications
Flexibility: WordPress is an open-source CMS, offering unparalleled flexibility and customization options. Users have complete control over their websites, including hosting, design, and functionality. WordPress is one of the most adaptable platforms for users with specific, advanced needs, particularly in content management and scalability.
Themes and Plugins: WordPress provides access to thousands of free and premium themes and plugins that users can use to customize their websites. These themes and plugins cover everything from design and layout to e-commerce and SEO. Because of this, users can create unique, powerful websites, though it might require more technical skill than some other platforms on this list. If you’re technologically inclined, it can be a great option as there is extensive documentation and tutorials available online, allowing you to learn quickly and set your website up for success.
Community Support: WordPress has a vast and active community of developers, designers, and users who contribute to its development and offer support through forums, tutorials, and documentation.
Pricing: WordPress itself is free to use, but users will need to pay for hosting, domain registration, and any premium themes or plugins they choose to use. Hosting costs typically range from a few dollars per month to several hundred dollars per month, depending on the provider and plan.
Read our guide to do a full small business digital audit with our easy 8-step checklist.
Best Small Business Website Builder for Beginners
Ease of Use: Weebly’s drag-and-drop website builder is user-friendly and intuitive, making it a strong contender for those seeking simplicity in website building.
E-commerce Features: Weebly offers integrated e-commerce functionality that allows users to set up online stores with ease. It includes features like product listings, inventory management, and secure checkout.
Responsive Design: Weebly’s responsive themes ensure that websites look great on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Pricing: Weebly offers a free plan with Weebly-branded ads. Premium plans start at around $6 per month for personal websites and go up to $26 per month for online stores. Weebly also offers enterprise plans for larger businesses.
For even more software solutions, read our best picks for business software of 2024.
Each platform has its strength and caters to different user needs and skill levels. Wix offers a balanced mix of ease of use and functionality, making it an excellent one-stop-shop. Squarespace excels in design and aesthetics, ideal for creative projects. Shopify stands out for e-commerce, providing a comprehensive toolkit for online stores. WordPress offers unmatched flexibility for those with technical expertise, and Weebly provides an accessible entry point for beginners and small businesses. All in all, website building comes down to personal preferences. Luckily, most platforms will allow you to try for free. We highly recommend taking advantage of free trials or demos to test out different platforms and find the one that best fits your needs and preferences.
About Forward Funding
Forward Funding is a leading Financial Technology provider serving small and medium businesses across North America. Our mission revolves around empowering businesses with quick, easy, and efficient funding solutions to help them thrive. Our dedicated team is here to help you every step of the way, from conventional loans to supplementary funding solutions to help you save and maximize your growth potential.
