Starting a website is less costly and easier than it’s ever been. With a wide variety of user-friendly DIY web builders, consumers can find the one best suited for them.
Today, we’ll discuss the best platforms in which to build your website so that you can make the right decision for you or your company.
Choosing a Website Builder
The first thing you need to consider when choosing a website builder is the type of site you want to build and the required functionality. Here are some other things to consider when choosing a website builder:
- Software features – Ask yourself what software features you need for your website. Many great builders have what you need, such as Wix and Squarespace, for those who need a simple website without all the fancy bells and whistles. Shopify is another great website builder that offers online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. These companies also provide great stock images and photo editing tools. Shopping cart features are also topnotch with these companies. Note, if you want something compatible with WordPress or another CMS (content management system), try FatCow or iPage.
- Website template – Having a practical and well-designed template is the key to a successful website. Look at how you want your website to layout, including your menus, colors, background elements, and photo and text alignment. A website builder should have many to choose from, so your site isn’t a cookie-cutter version of someone else’s site. The quality of your template needs to be optimal for people to continue pursuing your site. For that, consider Network Solutions or Wix that may not have a ton of free templates, but the ones they have are excellent quality. Squarespace has some great templates as well.
- Value (to pay or not) – There are various website builders offered for free like WordPress; however, are they worth it? It all depends on the control you want over your website and how big you want to go. If your budget is low, a free platform is ideal, of course, but they do have their downsides. One negative is that they don’t allow you to connect your domain, and you will need to retain the company’s ads on each webpage. Paying platforms can be costly, but they also provide more storage, tools, and bandwidth, so you have greater control over your site. Plus, you can use your domain and eliminate annoying ads.
- Brand – Yes, brand name recognition and popularity is something you need to consider. Do you want a leader in the industry or a no-name brand for cheap or free that carries with it more headache than help? The above-mentioned website builders have been around at least a couple of decades. Network Solutions has been in operations since 1979 — 41 years! GoDaddy began in 1997, with Register.com, 1994, and Web.com, 1995. Several of these companies have won accolades with Webby Awards over the years, so you can count on them to get excellent results.
- Design – Another integral part of your website involves the design. Look for a professional who can design your site the way you want it and offer the best visual details for optimal interest and interaction. Wix, Web.com, and Network Solutions are your best bets here. Once your site is built, you can then use their CRMs to maintain your site.
Advertising Your Site
Once your website is complete and ready to go live, it’s time to advertise it. Google is the big Kahuna for SEO (search engine optimization). It refers to every technique and best practices that enable a website to achieve prominent search engine rankings. To ensure your website builder utilizes the best in SEO, here are some things to look for:
- Keyword density and conversion tools
- Automated XML and HTML sitemaps
- Ability to edit title tags, meta descriptions, and alt image attributes
- Search-friendly URLs
Hiring a marketing agency that does all this and more and all in one place saves you time and money.
Advantages of Using a Website Builder
The average cost of a designer-built website can run anywhere from $1,000 to $8,000, but when changes need to be made, the bill goes higher. Using a website builder, whether you personally use it or hire a developer, is much less expensive. You have absolute control over everything — fonts, colors, schemes, galleries, slideshows, and video backgrounds, as well as the placement of the call-to-action button.
REVITY Does it All
Everything mentioned above is part of REVITY’s platform. We take your website concept from start to finish and then maintain it, and it’s under YOUR control. You tell us what to do and we do it. Simple. We charge less than the competition but provide outstanding results. We take it to another level by advertising your site, including your blogs, on social media, and optimize your content for higher rankings and therefore, more traffic. We do so much more for a marketing agency, so contact us and discover what we can do for you today.
