Building a website for your small business can be very beneficial, regardless of what you offer customers and clients. Whether you are an electrician or photographer, building a website creates an online presence for your small business which can largely grow your company.
Starting a business is no longer a rare pursuit. With many different businesses in the industry, the internet can be a powerful marketing tool and reach many different people. With the way the world is responding to technological advancements, the rise of web users is only expected to increase even more. You can expect at least some purchases to occur online.
Though larger businesses hire agencies to build their websites for them, there are alternative options for small businesses who are interested in designing a website at a low cost. Here is a list of website builders that can help you jump-start your small business:
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- WordPress
- Weebly
- Sitey
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Shopify
- Jimdo
- Duda
- Webs
- Yola
- GoDaddy
Keep in mind that these websites are also used for large businesses and may be used for your small business long term. They are all great websites for beginner small business owners and are used by hundreds of small and large businesses. Now, let’s take a closer look at why the above-mentioned websites are favored by small business owners and what makes them comparable to each other.
1. WordPress
WordPress is used by over 30% of business owners, small and large. It is the best website builder for beginners. It has become well-known by users because of how easy it is to use and post content. For this reason, WordPress is great for business owners who have little to no experience with website building.
Within WordPress, there are over 300 templates for small business websites, free eCommerce WordPress themes, and customizable fonts, colors, logos, images, and many more. Additionally, WordPress is great for analyzing your website’s SEO capabilities. Once you become more familiar with running a business online, you will understand the importance of SEO and its analytics. In short, the SEO analysis of your website will provide you with statistics about how users are finding your small business website and how well it is performing on the internet. This way, you can determine what strategies to continue to use and which ones to leave behind.
WordPress Pricing
WordPress offers affordable plans and is great for small businesses that are just getting started. The more you pay for a plan, the more you will get out of it. WordPress offers the following plans:
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- Personal plan: Annual bill – $4 per month
- Premium plan: Annual bill – $8 per month
- Business plan: Annual bill- $25 per month
- Ecommerce plan: Annual bill – $45 per month
2. Weebly
Weebly is another website that has been recognized by small business owners. Weebly is the best free website builder for small businesses. Though the free plan does have limitations, it offers great features for starters. If you would like to incorporate an online store, and blogs on your small business website, Weebly is perfect for you. It offers more customizable website services with an effective drag-and-drop editor. They also have an App Market which is a tool that allows you to take the customization of your business website to another level.
App Market is a tool used for more than just building your website. It offers email marketing services, SEO strategies, eCommerce services, and blogging capabilities. Weebly is an excellent website builder for small businesses that offer services at little to no cost.
Weebly Pricing
Because Weebly has a powerful plan that is free. Its competitors have a lot to compete with. Weebly is a great option if you are running your business on a tight budget. However, if you are looking for advanced features, Weebly offers the following plans:
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- Connect plan – Connect to a domain: Annual bill – $5 per month
- Pro plan: Annual bill – $12 per month
- Business plan: Annual bill – $25 per month
- Business plus: Annual bill – $38 per month
3. Sitey
Sitey is a simple small business website builder with many different power tools. This website builder is the best basic builder for small businesses. If you are looking for a functional and easy-to-use website, Sitey is the one for you. Sitey includes the following in its plans: Mobile development, E-commerce capabilities, a Google-friendly desktop, template options, 24-hour hosting, and much more.
Sitey Pricing
Sitey offers a free subscription plan with limited storage. On the other hand, they offer three exceptional plans.
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- Starter plan: Annual bill – $11 per month
- Pro plan: Annual bill – $14 per month
- Ecommerce plan: Annual bill – $20 per month
4. Wix
Wix is best for design template options. If you are more interested in a very unique website design for your small business, consider Wix. With the many different template options Wix offers, you can almost guarantee a template that will not match anyone else’s. They offer hundreds of design templates that are free. With this website builder, you can browse their templates by categories, such as business, design, fashion, video, photo, etc.
The make things easier, Wix’s small business website builder has easy-to-use templates. Creating your website is as easy as dragging, which makes the process of building your website seamless. Wix also offers small business offers pertaining to mobile capabilities and secure online web hosting.
Wix Pricing
You can get access to hundreds of website templates, unlimited pages, and web hosting for free. For a more advanced website, Wix offers subscriptions for small and large businesses.
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- Business basic plan: Annual bill – $23 per month
- Business unlimited plan: Annual bill – $27 per month
- Business VIP: Annual bill – $49 per month
- Enterprise plan: $500 per month
5. Squarespace
Squarespace is the best small business website builder for creative companies and those who are starting an eCommerce business. They also offer unique services to small businesses such as visually appealing website design templates. Though they offer unique designs, they don’t allow as much customization as other website builders do. Squarespace is for companies who sell and specialize in specific crafts and want to represent their brand with a creative website design template.
Squarespace Pricing
Squarespace is known to be on the pricey side for small businesses. If you are a crafty small business, this might be worth it. The Squarespace plans are:
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- Personal plan: $12 per month
- Basic commerce: $26 per month
- Advanced commerce: $40 per month
6. Shopify
Shopify is the best eCommerce website builder for small businesses because of its integrations. If you are creating an online store for your small business, Shopify allows you to sell your products through the website along with many other online shopping integrations such as Amazon, Facebook, etc. Additionally, Shopify provides you with tools that help you sell while out and about, so customers can clients can also pay in person.
Shopify Pricing
Shopify offers a free 14-day trial. After the trial, you can choose from the following plans:
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- Basic Shopify plan: $29 per month
- Shopify plan: $79 per month
- Advanced Shopify plan: $299 per month
7. Jimdo
Jimdo has over 15 million websites and is great for small businesses that are building a new website. They are best known for their on-the-go eCommerce. With Jimdo, you can create a simple, single-page website, or an online store. If you own a retail business and are expecting to do half of the business online, this would be a good website for you. Their websites are mobile-friendly, and you can easily edit your website on your phone from their app.
Jimdo Pricing:
Jimdo’s biggest strength is their online store accessibility, however, access to this service is not free. Here are what their plans offer:
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- Start plan: $9 per month
- Grow plan: $15 per month
- Grow with business listings plan: $19 per month
- Ecommerce plan: $19 per month
- Unlimited plan: $39 per month
8. Duda
If you are specifically interested in mobile, desktop, and tablet capabilities, you might be interested in Duda and what they offer. You can convert your desktop small business website into a mobile website if you purchase a Duda plan. Alternatively, you can build your website from scratch. Duda is best for social media integrations as they have a social media analytic feature.
Duda Pricing:
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- Basic plan: Pay annually – $14 per month
- Agency plan: Pay annually – $74 per month
- Enterprise plan: Price determined upon the customization
9. Webs
Webs also offer useful tools such as templates, drag and drop, social connectivity, and many more. However, they are best for businesses that are interested in increasing their small business website SEO. They teach you how to successfully set up your website’s search engine optimization and let you customize your website to reach your goals. Small business owners will benefit from Webs because of the SEO strategy, and their powerful tools.
Webs Pricing
Webs has three different plans, all of which give you a free domain. They differ when it comes to storage space, store items, customer support, etc.
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- Starter plan: $5.99 per month
- Enhanced plan: $12.99 per month
- Pro plan $22.99 per month
These are the starting prices for the specified plan. With Webs, prices may vary.
10. Yola
If you are looking for minimal work when it comes to building your small business website, check out Yola. They provide the best user experience for small business owners. Yola was designed for individuals who have little to no experience with tech. They state clients can create their website within minutes and have many options when it comes to professional designs and custom templates.
Yola Pricing
You can use Yola’s free service, or consider one of their three options. As you increase your Yola plan, their levels of features and support increase. Here are the three plans they offer.
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- Bronze plan: Annual bill – $4.95 per month
- Silver plan: Annual bill – $9.95 per month
- Gold plan: Annual bill – $19.95 per month
11. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is known for the start of registering domain names and eventually creating a website builder for small and large businesses. They are best for registering domain names and offer eCommerce capabilities. Though they have low prices, capabilities are limited when it comes to GoDaddy.
GoDaddy Pricing
GoDaddy has several plans, some allow you to sell products while others don’t. The plans they offer are:
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- Basic plan: Annual bill – $10 per month
- Standard plan: Annual bill – $15 per month
- Premium plan: Annual bill – $20 per month
- E-commerce: Annual bill – $25 per month
Finding the Best Website Builder for Your Small Business
Finding a website builder for your small business can be confusing. You want a website builder that will provide you with a unique design, is cost-efficient, and is easy to use; however, there are so many different options each with mixed reviews. Before choosing a website builder for your small business, consider the following:
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- Your budget
- How often you will use the website
- How many website visitors you are expecting
In summary, the website builder you choose for your small business should:
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- Allow you to choose a domain name without hassle
- Offer a selection of website templates
- Integrate social media
- Offer shopping cart services
- Have SEO capabilities
- Be affordable
- Allow you to easily upload photos
- Offer mobile design services
- Give you access to the customer support team
As a small business owner, you have probably realized you have very little time to get everything accomplished. Ensuring you choose the right website builder is important so it makes things easier for you instead of harder. Now that you have a list of website builders for small businesses, it is time to choose one that will best fit your needs as a small business owner.