Choosing the best website builder for your small business means weighing the options, reviewing their features and the price you’ll have to pay. Here are some valuable considerations to have in mind during your search:
Essential Website Builder Features
The best website builders offer standard features and plans at price points that won’t break your budget. Specifically, look out for the following crucial features when picking the website builder for your business:
- Hosting and building: When it comes to planning what your business website will look like, you need to consider three key components: domain, hosting and building. Ideally, you can look for a service that will allow you to do all three under one roof. (In some cases if you already have a domain, you’ll need to find a service that will migrate your existing domain into its system.)
- Templates and AI tools: Not all small business owners are fluent in coding, and with the best website-building services, that’s not a deal-breaker. With a library of templates available and/or the use of AI tools, you’ll be able to take your website from a vision to a reality in close to no time at all.
- E-commerce features: If your small business requires the ability to sell products online, you need to look for a website builder that can accommodate your needs. Some website builders only offer e-commerce services at higher-priced plans, while others offer it standard.
- Support: Building a website doesn’t come naturally for many business owners. That’s why having 24/7 support via various channels is crucial. Look for a plan that allows for phone, chat, email and knowledge base support.
Of the services we reviewed, Hostinger excels in these categories. Not only can you get a good amount of features on its starter-level plan, but it comes with a free domain, hosting and building on the same service, AI-generated website building and e-commerce capabilities.
Value
For small business owners, it’s all about finding a website-building service that will give you the essential features you need without overpaying.
Website builders come at a range of price points. But before you exclude an option because it’s too expensive or jump at another because it’s free, consider what you’re getting for the price you pay. For example, Weebly offers a free plan that’s ripe for e-commerce businesses, a feature that many other services don’t make available until their mid-tier plans.
Likewise, if you’re looking for great value and don’t mind paying a bit each month for the sake of having a website that works exactly as needed for your business, we like Web.com. Its plans start at just $5.99 per month, but with that, you can use AI tools that will create the website of your dreams. For some, that’s priceless.
Scalability
Your business needs may change daily, weekly or monthly. If you’re an artist and looking to sell products on Small Business Saturday ahead of the holiday season, for example, you’ll want to make sure your e-commerce website is ready to handle the influx of traffic and customers so you don’t miss revenue opportunities.
Look for a website builder that allows you to increase—or decrease—your plan as your business needs change. We like WordPress.com for its scalability, which allows you to switch to a different plan at any time.
Drag-and-Drop Interface
If coding isn’t your thing, look for website builders that make customizing your site easy thanks to the help of drag-and-drop tools. With the ability to move photos, text, videos and more easily within a single interface, you can better customize your website exactly how you envision it to look.
SEO and Marketing Tools
Building your website is a great feat, but it’s just a starting point. After the build comes the marketing to make sure potential customers can find your services. The best website builders offer search engine optimization (SEO) tools and marketing dashboards as part of their plans. Ranking high on Google search results in your area and attracting new customers through email marketing can lift your business to new heights.
