Which website builder should I use?

For many, a website builder is the next logical step once you’ve purchased your domain name and web hosting package. It’s like buying a block of land – you might have the street address and the land itself, but it’s not much use to you until you put a house on it. 

Just like choosing a home builder, choosing a website builder is vital to ensure your website is presenting the best of your brand to your potential customers. You need something that is easy to use, allows you to implement the latest in features and technology, and isn’t going to be super expensive. 

And, just like building a house, you can choose between a fully customised option or you can pick something “off the plan”. 

We recognise that there are so many options available now that it can be daunting to find the right one for you, so we’ve compiled a list of our recommendations to help point you in the right direction.

WordPress Gutenberg

Pros: Built on the most popular Content Management System in the world – WordPress!

Cons: If you’ve never used WordPress, it can be a little overwhelming – but it’s easy to learn!

Who is it for? Great for any size business – from an individual blogger up to a large corporate organisation 

WordPress is so popular for a reason. With 35% of all websites in the world built on WordPress, it’s a no-brainer to consider it for your website. There’s thousands of themes available to choose from and customise, as well as apps and plugins to help increase the power of your website. You can add forms, galleries, social media tools, live chat and more. 

The newest WordPress editor is called Gutenberg, and it’s made using WordPress super easy. The editor has been rebuilt to allow for media-rich pages and posts. 

The website builder works on the premise of blocks – text, images, videos, and more. Drag and drop the blocks to where you want them, and then add in the content you need. You can easily preview your page as you go. 

Our sister company, Zuver, works with WordPress incredibly well, so if this is the option you’re considering, you should check out their WordPress hosting packages. 

Weebly

Pros: Free option available for beginners/small businesses

Cons: Not a huge amount of customisation – small/medium businesses might prefer something with more options

Who is it for? Great for individuals or small businesses who use cPanel!

Weebly is an easy-to-use website builder, perfect for those who are starting to dip their toes into the website building water. You can use it to sell your online products, or manage your static website. 

There’s a bunch of templates available to get you started, with an intuitive interface to make basic customisation easy and simple. There’s also plenty of in-house and third-party apps to help expand the capability of your site. 

If you’re selling products through your website, there’s also an inventory management tool to help you keep track of stock levels. 

Best of all, our range of shared hosting services include a one-click install for Weebly that makes it easy to get started.

Wix 

Pros: Easy to use, even for someone with no website development experience

Cons: If you don’t pay for a plan, your site will show Wix branding 

Who is it for? Great for solo entrepreneurs or startups

Wix is a pretty common website builder that you may have heard of already. They’re an overseas-based company that allows you to use your existing domain, and create a website with an easy-to-use builder. There’s a number of pricing options available, so you can tailor the plan to suit your budget.

You can choose from templates offered by Wix, or you can create your own from scratch if you’re that way inclined. It allows you to test responsiveness across desktop, tablet and mobile very easily, with a toggle button to display how the site will appear on each device.

It’s very simple to add and edit your pages, as well as manage your blogs and media library. 

Overall, it’s a great website builder for those who know what they want, but don’t want to learn how to code to get it! 

SquareSpace

Pros: Impressive library of designs including mobile-first design options

Cons: No long term free plan – only a 2 week trial

Who is it for? Great for small online businesses and eCommerce stores

SquareSpace is an overseas-based company, generally useful for businesses that are customer-focused, with integrations available for PayPal, MailChimp and Apple Pay. 

You can select from a range of templates, and then adjust and customise as much as you need. You can even choose goals for your site to help you design and build your site.

The interface isn’t necessarily as easy as Wix, for example, but once you get the hang of it, it is relatively straightforward. For example, rather than a separate navigation menu outside of your website, you can navigate through your pages by using the site itself.