The 6 Best Business Website Builders

Build a Business WebsiteDo you need to build a business website, but are unsure if you want to spend the money on a professional independent web developer or small unfamiliar agency? That’s why business website builders exist, to help you build your own site without going the full DIY or freelance outsourcing route.

In this business website builders guide, we’ll briefly go over some of the top options in the industry. By the time we’re done, you’ll have a great idea of which provider may be the best option given your needs and resources. After each explanation are links to help you get started today, enjoy!

#1
Pick

Wix
Free to $25/month

Our top choice to make a business website is Wix. With over 100 million sites hosted on their drag-and-drop design platform, their popularity as a business website builder is sky-high for a variety of reasons. They also have a free version, which is a great way to figure out if you like their platform or not.

  • Artificial Design Intelligence learns your preferences and auto-suggests layout schemes, color combinations, fonts and more. Wix is an industry leader in some ways.
  • In terms of SEO, Wix is getting better. Their SEO-based Site Booster app isn’t nearly as good as platforms like StudioPress (#2), but it does make the website optimization process much easier for beginners.
  • Another popular app is their Form Builder which makes it easy to create good looking forms for visitors to fill out on your website with ease.

Wix garners decent customer reviews considering their gigantic user-base. Keep in mind it’s VERY common for folks to get frustrated with website builder platforms and give up. Is it easy to create a basic website or landing page on Wix? Yes. But don’t expect to create a masterpiece in minutes. All told, Wix has a lot to offer, and at reasonable price points.

Visit Site Or Read Review
#2
Pick

StudioPress
$24/month

StudioPress is a great option for those looking for a business website builder for WordPress. They’ve done a great job of packaging their service with two straightforward options – either Content for content marketing-based websites or Commerce to set up shop and start selling products.

  • StudioPress has done a great job of making it easier for their users to leverage the full power of WordPress SEO functionalities. So, all the highly customizable/core metadata along with great SSL security.
  • Through StudioPress you can get specialized support to help with their themes from WordPress experts who focus on nothing else. Oftentimes this is their biggest selling feature because of the complexity of the platform.
  • They’re one of the fasted WordPress hosts, and they work with tons of other professionals that can help with custom design, integrations, learning their Genesis framework if needed, etc.

Within the bounds of their framework and themes, you can look forward to a nice streamlined variety of features for specific users that may be up your allow. Finally, we wish there were more reviews to report on but currently they’re still building their user-base. We love what they’re doing and look forward to watching them grow.

Visit Site Or Read Review
#3
Pick

Weebly
Free to $38/month

Weebly is another business website builder that offers a free version. You would never want to build your actual website on the free version — because it has Weebly ads and a Weebly domain — but we do love ‘try before you buy’ providers. You have to get in and explore to see what works with your level of computer savvy.

  • Their Android and iOS apps are the most advanced in the industry, as they’re the only provider that allows you to edit and manage your site and online store from any mobile device.
  • Over 200 add-on apps/widgets are available, including SiteBooster and McAfee Secure.
  • They’re the least expensive service that allows users to customize the HTML/CSS coding on their sites. For savvy customers, or those with an in-house designer, this is a big plus.

Also, being entirely cloud-based means you can access Weebly site tools from anywhere with an internet connection, which could come in handy if an issue ever arises when your primary computer isn’t immediately accessible. Weebly isn’t quite as well rounded as Wix or StudioPress, but they’re still a great option for a business website builder.

Visit Site Or Read Review
#4
Pick

Squarespace
$12 to $40/month

SquareSpace has been expanding their reach by leaps and bounds over the last few years, with hundreds of employees and millions of sites hosted thanks to their gorgeous responsive themes. The marketplace also loves their tiered packages that make it easy to start small and scale as your site grows.

  • SquareSpace is primarily known for their sleek designer-quality templates that help more visual-based websites stand out and look very professional – artists, photographers, clothing stores, portfolios, etc., with rich stylish imagery.
  • Valuable bonuses like integrated accounting from Xero, Google AdWords credit, label printing and tons more. Just keep in mind that it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of options at your fingertips in terms of integrations and styling options.
  • Each theme has a dozen examples of active sites running that outline, which makes it easy to get a feel for what your finished site could look like. However, remember that there can be a slight difference between how sites look in mobile editing view, and the live site.

They score big points with customers due to their 24/7 email/chat support, but SquareSpace is a big operation and sometimes it can be hit or miss. If one representative isn’t as helpful as you’d like, simply try again. No different than with any other major company. Also, leverage their free trial!

Visit Site Or Read Review
#5
Pick

Shopify
$29 to $299/month

If you need advanced ecommerce features to help expand your business, Shopify is worth serious consideration. While they make it easy to scale, their top-tier package has nice shipping discounts and low online store transaction fees, meaning high-volume stores save a lot of money at $299/mo.

  • All Shopify packages include SSL certificates — you’d be surprised how many competitors don’t. Basic levels of security are essential with ecommerce, along with secure backup and reliable servers which Shopify provides.
  • Third-party shipping rates, abandoned cart recovery, gift cards and more are available in your online store either from the get-go, or over time as your store grows in traffic and revenue.
  • 1,400+ apps and ecommerce tools available to improve everything from SEO to building an email list or working with shippers (can get overwhelming if you don’t know what you need).

Like SquareSpace, Shopify also has 24/7 support, but Shopify’s is a bit more impressive because it includes phone support. They’re easily the most expensive option in this guide, but sometimes you get what you pay for and Shopify is usually worth every penny, as long as you actually use its advanced features.

Visit Site Or Read Review
#6
Pick

Jimdo
Free to $20/month

Jimdo’s free version is easily the most fully-featured in the industry, as it’s a surprisingly complete website builder rather than a narrow preview. Combine this with the fact the platform is literally designed for beginners, and it’s easy to see why they’ve grown in popularity so swiftly since 2010.

  • Fantastic customer/user feedback, with an average 9.1 out of 10 rating on TrustPilot based on over 100 reviews. Most mention great support and the quality of the company as well as the platform itself.
  • Their iOS and Android apps are highly user-friendly and well-integrated. Also, email hosting and a domain name come with the Pro and Business packages!
  • In terms of SEO, Jimdo provides more customization than most competitors through their backend. You get full control of metadata and URL, combined with quality SSL-encryption. They also offer a paid Ranking Coach to help you better understand the discipline.

Jimdo is a German company, but we haven’t heard any complaints about their English-language service. One thing to keep in mind though is that their online stores aren’t up to the level of competitors like SquareSpace or Shopify yet, as they lack many features like gift cards and abandoned cart alerts. Also, you can currently only accept PayPal in their stores (no credit cards).

Visit Site Or Read Review

Pros and Cons of Using a Business Website Builder

Pros

  1. No matter which provider you choose, business website builders are significantly less expensive than hiring a professional designer to build your site. Is this always the case? No. But oftentimes the outsourcing process can take time and more money (along with headaches) because you’re working with smaller operations/freelancers.

  2. Apps, widgets, and built-in dashboards can make managing your website a lot less demanding and more productive, as opposed to integrating tons of 3rd-party or open-source options like WordPress.

  3. Most of these providers have extensive customer service solutions. Some of them are available 24/7 to help you with any problems that might come your way.

  4. If you’re selling physical or digital products, website builders can make the entire process much easier. It’s surprising how many features some of these online stores have.

  5. Something to note is that there are tons of web design and management options (freelancers/agencies) who actually specialize in these platforms. So, for example, if you run into trouble with a core SquareSpace theme, you could work with an independent SquareSpace-specific design agency that can provide much more personalized support within the bounds of the platform.

Cons

  1. In most cases the templates they offer are somewhat restrictive (unless you can customize their code like Weebly offers). Some have more style and design options than others, so it comes down to your time, resources, and time to learn their approach.

  2. For some, the number of design, app and widget options can be intimidating. For example, trying to decide which of the dozens of “contact form” widgets is the best fit. Or, who is best to build a subscriber list through?

  3. Right now, the ideal platform for bloggers is still WordPress. While most website builders make it possible to add a blog to your store or site in general, finding one to really match your style and monetization goals can be rough. WordPress is still arguably the king of blogging – which makes StudioPress a top option.

Which Business Website Builder is Best?

Winner - Which Should You ChooseIt’s difficult to pick one favorite out of this group and recommend that provider for all of our readers. There’s quite a bit of nuance involved with business website builders, and sometimes the only way to tell which one is best for you is to dive in and try them.

In general, Wix is our top website builder for business though because they have low rates and great features you usually only see in more expensive business website builders. But if you’d like to give this an honest investment, StudioPress is extremely impressive and the best long-term solution if you’re going to take online marketing seriously.

Get Started With Wix