How to Build a Hotel Booking Website: Top Hotel Website Builders

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Which website builders have their own hotel reservation system? Check out the list of best hotel website builders with direct bookings. These hotel booking website builders will allow to book hotel rooms directly on a hotel website. And also accept payment without any commissions.

Which website builders are the best for creating a hotel website? For not just a simple one-page website but also modern hotel websites with room reservation systems?

Riddled by questions like these and many others?

This guide will walk you through hotel website builders that have their own reservation options. Also, you’ll learn what factors to consider when choosing a website builder for your hotel.

Being the owner or manager of a hotel business, you’d be aware of the importance of a website for your hotel.

Of course, you can go digital just by registering with global hotel booking sites, like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Kayak, Momondo etc. But this isn’t quite the same as having your independent hotel website.

Here’s why:

1. No Fees

Having your hotel website with a built-in reservation system allows you to run a direct booking on your own website and saves you from paying fees to intermediaries.

2. More Flexibility

Global hotel booking sites offer limited display and coverage of additional hotel services. Your hotel might also have a restaurant, a gym, car rental, massage services, excursions, and so on. At most, third-party sites will let you mention such services in your hotel’s description. With your website, you can create individual sections/pages for additional services. You can also include photos and videos and even allow prior bookings.

NOTE: When choosing a hotel, most people look for information about it on the Internet first. Even after finding a hotel on a booking site, some visitors prefer visiting the hotel’s website. This is done to validate the details. For example, people are usually interested in knowing the restaurant’s timings and the possibility to reserve a table for dinner. They also want to check out the pictures of the sauna/swimming pool/bar. So, if a hotel has its own, and at the same time, attractive, website, it’s another reason to choose it over the others.

3. More Freedom

Unsatisfied customers can leave negative reviews about your hotel. This can significantly drop your hotel’s rating on third-party sites. And it is almost impossible to prove to the site that the client hasn’t been objective, or the review isn’t credible. Having your hotel site gives you the freedom to decide which reviews to publish and which not.

4. More PR Possibilities

No matter what marketing strategy you choose, it will be easier and faster to implement it with your hotel website. You can place ads in various magazines with a link to your hotel website. Or you can go for contextual advertising with Google Ads. Or just create pamphlets and business cards with your website’s URL. All these will be impossible or painstakingly difficult to pull off with hotel aggregator sites.

Top 5 Website Builders for Hotels

Now that we know what factors to consider, let’s get to the reviews of the best hotel site builders.

Wix – Easy Website Builder With Direct On-site Bookings

Wix is a free website builder that has managed to establish itself as the best website builder for small businesses.

Wix – easy website builder to create a hotel website

Hotels businesses are no exception. Wix comes laced with all the features required for creating a modern hotel website. And its direct booking functionality is better than any other online website builder. Other features that it offers include:

Lots Of Templates Perfect For Hotels

Wix has the largest collection of website templates suitable for hotels. All the templates are fully responsive and automatically adapt to any device. Wix even went a step ahead and designed templates for various types of hotels. For example, there are templates for business hotels, resorts, family hotels, apartment hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast hotels too.

Simple Drag-and-Drop Editor

Wix has one of the best drag-and-drop editors of all online website builders. This means that you’ll be able to edit your favorite hotel template on your own. You can change the color scheme, replace photos, edit the logo and text, and whatever else you want. And it is easy to do even for non-techies.

Wix Hotels

Wix Hotels is Wix’s online booking system. Thanks to this, you can configure and manage room bookings on your website. It is available for free for Wix clients using the Combo plan or higher.

Wix Hotels app

What Advantages Does Wix Hotels Offer?

Direct reservations without any fees.

Accept payments directly via the website.

Flexible pricing options.

Works on any device – PC, Mac or mobile.

Multilingual booking page.

Allows configuring automatic confirmation emails to be sent out to customers immediately after payment.

SEO-Friendly

Wix has everything that you need for creating SEO-friendly websites. This means that your website will get indexed by and rank on search engines without any problems. There’s a set of SEO options that also allow you to customize every website page for different search queries. You can learn more about this in the article: Best SEO-friendly Website Builder.

Free Hotel Website Builder

Wix is a free website builder. So, you launch your hotel website with Wix without any charges. Of course, your free hotel website will have several restrictions. The key limitations include the Wix ad in the footer and the inability to use your domain name. Instead of your domain name, you’ll get a domain that looks something like www.yourhotelname.wix.com. If that’s not what you want, switch to one of the premium plans. The basic plan where you’ll be able to use your domain and have no Wix ads – Combo – comes at $14 per month.

Hotel Apps In The Wix App Market

Wix has an App Market from where you can find additional apps for improving and enhancing your website. Most of them are free. Others charge a certain monthly fee. The amount varies from app to app. Some of the apps available for enhancing a hotel website include:

Vacation Rental Booking – Free and secure system for short-term rentals, which also lets you connect with Google.

Impressive Slideshow Gallery – Display your hotel’s photos by creating a spectacular slideshow gallery.

Hotels & Airbnbs Map – Show your customers where your hotel (or hotels) is located on the map, as well as other surrounding sights of the city.

Visitor Analytics – Monitor your hotel website’s statistics These include the number of users, the pages they visited, and the time spent on each page. You can also check the type of device used for access, conversions, bounce rates, and much more.

Create a site

WordPress.com – A Powerful Online Platform For Launching Hotel Websites

WordPress.com is one of the most popular online website builders. It is the paid and managed version of the free and open-source WordPress CMS. And just like its free counterpart, it has a large (and impressive!) collection of templates and additional plugins, including plenty of options suitable for hotel websites.

WordPress.com – powerful online platform to create a hotel website

Let’s explore its features in detail.

WordPress.com Hotel Website Themes

In the world of WordPress, website templates are called themes. Irrespective of the name, they work the same way. You choose a theme and customize it.

Now, the total number of themes available with WordPress.com is higher than with Wix. But there are only two options in WordPress under the hotel category. These include:

Hotel by themehall

Hotel by WooCommerce

Also, WordPress.com’s themes lag behind Wix’s templates in terms of the quality of design. However, thanks to a large selection of free universal WordPress themes, you can customize any of them for your hotel website.

Hotel Reservation System In WordPress.com

For developing a hotel booking website, WordPress.com offers a unique extension called WooCommerce Bookings. It’s a powerful booking extension that can be integrated into any WordPress.com website. WooCommerce Bookings allows customers to book and reserve hotels, apartments, restaurants, beauty salons, and even rent equipment.

WooCommerce Bookings plugin

It has a wide range of settings too, which allows building the perfect hotel website as per your needs. For example, WooCommerce Bookings makes it possible to offer group discounts for those who book several rooms at the same time.

The WooCommerce Booking extension comes in at $249 (billed annually).

With this extension on your hotel website, you can also integrate some additional hotel plugins/add-ons.

For example, there is the WooCommerce Accommodation Bookings add-on. It is a free option that let you add the “Accommodation” option for managing the time of arrival and departure of hotel guests.

Another convenient add-on is WooCommerce Bookings Availability. For $49 per year, you get to place a calendar or schedule of the available hotel rooms. It also offers lots of additional options like pop-ups in booking process.

NOTE: You can always find more WordPress plugins for your hotel website. But make sure you consider their capacities well. Some hotel plugins, for example, don’t allow receiving payment for bookings online. They only let visitors make booking requests for the selected date.
You then need to contact the customers via email, WhatsApp, or phone to clarify booking details.

Other plugins allow both booking and paying directly through the hotel website itself but may not be free. So, you should exercise caution before selecting any plugin.

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Hotel Website With WordPress.com?

WordPress.com offers 4 plans. The basic plan costs only $5 a month. However, you can add the WooCommerce Bookings extension and other add-ons only after buying the Business plan ($25/per month, if billed annually) or a more expensive eCommerce plan.

The Personal and Premium plans won’t allow this.

Further, don’t forget the cost of the WooCommerce Bookings extension ($249 per/year). The total bill thus rises to a considerable amount of $549 per year.

And that’s when you have a free and not a premium WordPress theme.

Due to this, despite the huge functional opportunities and customization flexibility, I have placed WordPress.com below Wix. Moreover, Wix is also simpler to use than WordPress.com.

Create a site

Weebly – 100% Free Hotel Booking Website Builder

Weebly is one of the oldest site builders that managed to establish itself as a free yet reliable option. And you can easily create a free hotel website with a booking system on Weebly. However, note that Weebly doesn’t have a built-in booking system. Instead, you can add a room booking widget from the Weebly App Center. That saves you from having to turn to third-party room booking services.

Weebly free website builder for a hotel website

Truly Free

Most website builders don’t offer a room reservation system for direct bookings. Wix and WordPress offer additional hotel apps and hotel add-ons for that. But they are available only in the premium plans. (Even though they both claim to be ‘free’ website builders!)

In case of Weebly though, you can add a room booking widget even with the free plan. Therefore, Weebly is a truly free hotel booking website builder.

NOTE: Despite the fact that Weebly has a free plan, I recommend upgrading to one of the premium plans. With that, you’ll be able to remove Weebly ads from your website. And more importantly, you’ll be able to use a custom domain name. Both these are really important for any business.

Weebly’s Templates

I am a long-time Weebly enthusiast. It was the first website builder I ever used. But still, I have to admit that the platform’s templates are not its strongest feature.

Weebly doesn’t have a wide selection of templates like Wix and WordPress do. And even if the designs are somewhat comparable to WordPress templates, it falls short compared to the templates available on Wix.

Moreover, you can’t even preview Weebly’s templates in the fullscreen mode before registration. I don’t know what made the team behind Weebly do it, but it’s really inconvenient. The maximum it lets you do is see a small template preview.

For example, in the Business category (because there’s no hotel category in Weebly), you can’t see a preview.

Weebly website templates in Business category

Feel like turning to the description for some deciphering? Hard luck there too as there’s no clarification about the template. Not in the template name and neither in the category name. And one is very likely to go crazy trying to gauge what is written on the previews.

Perhaps, that’s a marketing trick to push people towards registration, but in my opinion, it’s a lowly attempt.

Weebly Hotel Reservation System

To add a hotel reservation system to your Weebly website, you only need to get a booking app of your choice. And Weebly offers both free and paid options for that.

Two of the best solutions that I’d recommend include:

Futurestay – Allows adding direct booking with Google Vacation Rentals integration to the website.

Vacation and short-term rentals booking app

Appointedd – A universal booking solution for various kinds of businesses, including those dealing with rental of premises and accommodation.

Ultimate online booking for Weebly sites

How Much Does It Cost To Launch A Hotel Website On Weebly?

Other than the free plan, Weebly has 3 premium plans to choose from.

It should also be noted that Weebly is one of the most affordable website builders and its plans are cheaper than most contemporaries in the market.

The basic Personal plan costs only $10 per month (paid annually). It lets you build a hotel website using your own domain and comes with 500MB Storage. You also get a free SSL certificate.

For just 2 more dollars, you can go for the more powerful Professional plan, which comes in at $12 a month. With that, you get unlimited storage, access to advanced website statistics and free domain for 1 year.

This is the most profitable Weebly plans in terms of price-quality ratio.

Then you also have the Performance plan for $26 per month that offers maximum features. It is especially beneficial for building online stores since it includes Advanced eCommerce Insights.

NOTE: The Weebly plans are named and priced different for their European audience. The basic plan is called Connect costs €5 a month (paid annually). The Pro plan costs €10 a month. And the Business plan comes in at €20 a month. The functional capacities of these plan are however, identical to their American variants.

Create a site

Duda – Simple Website Builder For Multiple Hotels

Duda is another easy-to-use website builder that lets you build hotel websites with booking systems. Thus, Duda is remarkably remunerative for constructing websites for multiple hotels at once.

Drag-and-drop editor DudaFlex

It uses a built-in drag-and-drop editor called DudaFlex. You can choose from the available templates or create your own like all other website builders.

Duda Hotel Templates

Duda has a large selection of templates. But that includes only one hotel website template. That shouldn’t upset you though. You can use almost any template and turn it into a contemporary hotel website with DudaFlex.

Duda City Hotel websie template

Most of the templates feature a minimalist design, including large elements, big images, and clear and convenient navigation. That’s why they can be easily turned into the website of any theme, including the hotel business.

It is not hard to do that either. In fact, it is simpler than how it seems at first glance.

And of course, like all modern templates, they are responsive. You won’t need to put in additional effort to make Duda templates adapt to PC or mobile screens.

Hotel Booking System

Like previously discussed hotel website creators, Duda lacks a built-in booking system. Instead, there are two booking apps in the Duda App Store that you can add to your website:

Bookingmood – Allows configuring a system for online booking of hotel rooms and accepting payments without fees. There’s also an availability calendar which displays free rooms for the selected days. Bookingmood plans start from $2.50 a month.

Bookafy – It is a universal app that is better suited for planning events. But as it allows creating a standalone booking page, you can use Bookafy for apartment rentals or small family-run hotels. The best part? Bookafy is free to use.

SEO-Friendly Websites

Duda understands the importance of marketing effectiveness and SEO. Thus, like most leading SEO-friendly website builders, Duda has in-build SEO functionalities that let you effectively optimize your site for search engines.

Another thing I personally liked about Duda is that it offers AWS hosting. It is a quick and very reliable hosting from Amazon. That’s why the Duda websites load faster than other website builders.

How Much Will A Hotel Website On Duda Cost?

Duda isn’t a free website builder. It has the following premium plans to pick from

The most affordable Basic plan allows launching a simple hotel website for $14 per month. It is definitely not the cheapest option for a basic set of options.

The Team plan comes in at $22 per month and allows adding Client Billing and up to 4 people as team members. It’s a convenient option if the website will be taken care of by several hotel managers.

The Agency plan, for $44 per month, is a really interesting plan. It supports 4 different websites and will be a good solution for someone who owns a chain of hotels. It also offers access to the Widget Builder and the possibility of exporting the website.

NOTE: Duda allows adding extra websites to every plan. However, the most profitable option is the Agency plan for 4 hotel websites where you can include additional websites for $12.99 each. It’s a very attractive offer given that you get AWS hosting. For owners and managers of hotel chains, this is definitely worth considering.

Create a site

Best Hotel Website Builder – What Features To Look For?

Before you choose a hotel website builder, it is important to note what features it must have. The presence of the following features makes a website builder suitable for creating a contemporary hotel website.

1. Perfect Hotel Website Templates

The more hotel template options, the better it is for you. A large template library helps you choose the website design that will work best for your hotel.

Collection of hotel website template

2. Responsive Templates

Having lots of hotel template options is great. But they must be responsive as well. This means that the templates are going to look equally good on both PC and mobile devices. Without the need for an independent mobile website version. Since many customers use mobile phones to access the web, this becomes important.

3. Photo and Video Galleries

Photos and videos of hotel rooms, the reception desk, the restaurant, and the area around the hotel…

photo and video galleries for hotel website

Image source: wix.com

These are the first few things that people take into consideration before booking a room. Having a good photo and video gallery option on your website is thus, essential.

4. Phone Number

A good website builder for hotel businesses must allow placing a phone number in the header of the site. Some clients prefer to not book hotels online but via call. Therefore, remember to place the phone number at the most noticeable place on the website. It is usually in the upper right corner.

5. Hotel Reservation System

A reservation system is, perhaps, the most important feature that hotel website builders must have. The best options on the market have built-in reservation systems. Others might offer third-party integrations, third-party plugins, or additional apps for the same. One way or another, a hotel reservation system should be the key factor of consideration when choosing a hotel website builder.

What is a Hotel Reservation System and how does it work?

A Hotel Reservation System is a software solution that enables hoteliers to manage room bookings and reservations efficiently. This type of system allows hotels to streamline their booking processes, maximize occupancy, and improve the overall guest experience. By automating and centralizing various aspects of the booking process, hotel reservation systems make it easier for both hotel staff and guests to navigate the reservation process.

The system typically includes features such as real-time room availability, online booking, payment processing, and guest communication tools. It may also integrate with third-party platforms such as Online Travel Agency (OTA) and Global Distribution System (GDS), which help expand the hotel’s reach to potential customers worldwide.

The Hotel Reservation System allows guests to easily search for available rooms, compare rates and amenities, and make reservations, all from the comfort of their own devices. This technology not only saves time for both hoteliers and guests but also reduces the possibility of human error in the booking process, resulting in a more seamless experience for all parties involved.

30 Modern Small Business Websites Examples for 2024

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You must have thought of designing your own business website at some point in life. But why is it necessary to have a company website? A solid online presence has been an active push for consumers or your target audience. A corporate website can truly make or break any business. An online storefront can make a huge opportunity for many entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. For all of these reasons, it is essential that every small business have a business site.

You can find many examples of small business websites that are jaw-droppingly amazing. A good business website shows that your brand is credible, professional, and worthy of people’s customs.

Good Examples of Business Websites

For your ease, we have listed down 30 examples of small business websites.

NOTE: All these examples are developed on different platforms – business website builders and CMS. The main purpose of this review is not to single out any particular platform, but to select business websites with an attractive and successful design.

BrandVillage

Made with WordPress

Check this business website

BrandVillage is an award-winning branding agency. BrandVillage believes every business’s success depends on its community reputation, brand identity, strategy, and guidelines. It offers various graphic design services, including logo design, website design, packaging design, and more.

Its website design gives an impression of a responsive and user-friendly. Moreover, you find a consistent theme of great photography on bold backgrounds to give extra interest.

Venkataramanan Associates

Made with WIX

Check this business website

Venkataramanan Associates is an award-winning architecture firm operating out of Bangalore. VA promotes a positive approach to collaboration of engineering, technology, and design innovation to influence its design capability.

VA website features a quality design that uses sliding photos of their projects on the Homepage. The site is easy to navigate with an excellent user experience and allows potential clients to get in touch with the business.

WeTalkMoney

Made with Weebly

Check this business website

WeTalkMoney is your financial planner, financial advisor, and personal guide to walk into life after retirement. Get your investing strategies, personal finance tips, and ways to build wealth with WeTalkMoney.

The website shows standout photography at the beginning and center of its Homepage. A horizontally sliding deck of testimonials and white typography gives a sleek, professional layout that will stop visitors in their tracks.

Keen Home

Made with Shopify

Check this business website

Keen Home offers proactive hardware and software products to let you live comfortably and efficiently at home. You can get a balanced home temperature system by clicking their website.

On the website, you will find large, professional-quality photos, beautiful typography, and page transition effects that add beauty to the look. You can easily navigate through the products through a navigation menu that is simple to use.

The Friday Habit Podcast

Made with Squarespace

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If you want to improve your business, you must listen to their Podcasts. They help entrepreneurs to build the business that works for them.

The Friday Habit Podcast uses a perfect design for the website with minimal visual elements and photos and images. The simple design strategy helps to keep the user focused on the related podcasts.

Wisteria

Made with WordPress

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Wisteria is one of the global market leaders in recycling facilities. Its product portfolio consists of wind sifting, conveying, dosing, and spreading.

The Homepage takes a bit of an unusual approach. You will see a full-screen background image along with a brief statement about what Westeria does. As you scroll down, you’ll see several images with headlines so you can navigate to different site sections.

CPC London

Made with Strikingly

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CPC London is a market leader in producing affordable 35mm motion picture film prints for projection.

You can see how beautifully it uses a video background on the Homepage and plenty of attention to detail throughout the site. The main navigation menu appears on the right side, which is very easy to find, and when you click on one of the main links in the menu, sub-navigation options appear.

Ception

Made with Wix

Check this business website

Caption offers an Artificial-Intelligence powered system to increase productivity, sustainability, and safety of industrial operations related to construction and mining.

The caption uses a dark blue background and lots of high-quality photos. The site also includes images of ongoing projects as you scroll and interact. Links in the navigation menu lead to major sections of the site so you can move around with ease.

Knapsack Creative

Made with Squarespace

Check this business website

Knapsack Creative is a small creative agency that builds websites by capturing the client’s vision and goals through a simple, collaborative process. You will get clean, dynamic, and professional.

You will find a stand-out online with vibrant images on the Homepage that feels like an art exhibit. You will also love handwriting-style text when you scroll through the site, paired with a subtle background.

Taqnia International

Made with Jimdo

Check this business website

Taqnia International invests in R&D initiatives for portfolio companies with top research centers. Moreover, it offers technological services and equipment to innovative technology companies.

You will love the relatively simple design of their website. As you scroll down the page, you will notice many subtle animations to the images and effects that add a nice touch. Navigation has been thought about too, with social media icons in the end.

Zubak Group

Made with WordPress

Check this business website

Zubak Group offers services for the sale and maintenance of new and used vehicles. They provide high-quality car repair services, selling of new and used cars, car rental, insurance, and inspection, road and home assistance, medical services, and much more.

You can see their online presence on the website with an efficient user experience. You will find a great example of a small business website that has efficiently used a combination of web development and design process. Using a video reel with subtle white background is a guarantee to impress other businesses.

Puffin Packaging

Made with WIX

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Puffin Packaging offers wool insulated packaging for food.

You will see an eye-catching and perfectly color-coordinated website. There are some cool responsive features as you move down the Homepage, like animated text and moving icons. All of the images used on the site go perfectly with the background and typography colors, making for a remarkable user experience.

Infloexa

Made with Weebly

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Infolexa is a software company that provides customized oracle service cloud and application integrations for organizations.

The design of the site is very subtle and clutter-free, incorporates just one image with less illustrations. It makes use of white background to add a strong visual element to the site and a handful of highlight colors.

SpokenLayer

Made with Squarespace

Check this business website

SpokenLayer is a digital audio creative studio, specializing in custom, high-quality, and short-form content.

The exceptional design that includes big, bold typography and some subtle effects is eye-catching. The site includes plenty of written content aimed at its target audience. Of course, you’ll also find all the necessary details about the services they offer and how they can help.

CUBEevo

Made with Webflow

Check this business website

CUBEevo is a creative digital agency with solely focus on helping businesses explore and evolve forward thinking ideas into newfound possibilities.

If you click their website, the experience is enhanced with some unique transitions with dark blue theme. It gives a subtle and a positive user experience. This may also help to keep visitors on the site for longer periods of time. You’ll also see some subtle effects and videos when scrolling the Homepage.

Japan Mobility

Made with Duda

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Japan Mobility simplifies the relocation process and gives you the care and support that you need from the day you arrive in Japan.

Website consists of subtle red and white theme with transition background patterns throughout the site. They provide some excellent visual effects without being overwhelming or dominating the design. And professional images complete the outstanding look.

Republic Capital Group

Made with Jimdo

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Republic Capital Group offers wealth management services and financial advisory to the RIA, asset and wealth management communities.

The website uses a simple overlay design, with high quality photos. As you scroll down the page or navigate the site, you’ll notice many subtle animations and effects that add a nice touch. Finding information is very easy thanks to a logical structure and a clear navigation menu.

Kuna

Made with Shopify

Check this business website

Kuna smart home provides security system to help you prevent break-ins and protect what matters to you most, from anywhere in the world.

There’s nothing confusing about the website layout. A sophisticated palette with beautiful images overlaid by beautiful text, the website directs potential customers to the brand’s main services from the landing page.

Infinity Works

Made with WordPress

Check this business website

Infinity Works is a platform that provides digital cloud based transformation consultancy services.

Service website seems boring, right? That’s not always true, and this website can prove it. Take a look at the dramatic full-page photos that fill the Homepage. This business website makes use of bright white text, minimalist navigation, and a library of high contrast landscape images. The result is serious yet sleek.

Prometheus Group

Made with Webflow

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Prometheus Group is a financial advisory agency that offers financial planning and investment strategies for individuals, corporate or charity.

The Homepage takes a bit of an unusual approach by adding clipart and illustrations. Above the page, you’ll see a full-screen clipart images along with a brief statement about what PPA does. As you scroll down, you’ll see a number of images with headlines that link to different sections of the site.

Skipio

Made with Duda

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Skipio offers automated messaging tools, so you can start two-way conversations, build personal relationships, and enjoy lasting, repeatable success with sales and retention.

The site is very clean and clutter-free. It makes use of blue and white color to add a strong visual element to the site. Photos with different background color are used, and all of the colors work together to create a really nice visual.

Islango

Made with Wix

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Islango is an online yachts and cruise booking platform that allows visitors to book for sailing vacations around the globe.

The website of this sailing service provider uses a full-screen video background on the Homepage and plenty of attention to detail throughout the site. The navigation menu opens up as you click on the hamburger icon to the left side of the screen.

ARCH Motorcycle

Made with Squarespace

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ARCH Motorcycle offers creative and innovative American motorcycles with a unique blend of performance, customization, and attention to detail.

The most colourful effects are showcased on the Homepage, uses a full-screen video background. You will see more colours and some subtle illustrations as you scroll down. Both the header and footer include links to the primary pages.

Helideck Certification Agency

Made with WordPress

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Helidecks is a service provider of offshore fixed and mobile helicopters for the safe and compliant operations.

You will find a dark blue background features real life photos of past and ongoing projects. The site is also equally functional and helpful. The high-quality photos add a drastic visual appeal for you.

Hingham Auto Repair

Made with Weebly

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If you are planning to add life to your car then please visit Hingham Auto repair site. You will find a high class auto service in this garage. Hingham caters to all services from brakes to oil change to routine vehicle inspections.

Their website includes information on the various services. The layout is fairly simple and clean, and by scrolling down, you can access all of the content on the site.

Mangomolo

Made with Wix

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Mangomolo is the leading streaming/VOD provider in the MENA region, offering an innovative turnkey solution catering to all media outlets.

Website of Mangomolo uses a clean and minimalist design and showing team members on the Homepage. As you scroll down, large images and clients will appear. Company information is readily available and a nice touch is the use of subtle colour hues throughout the site.

Brave the Skies

Made with Shopify

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Brave the skies provide you a platform to help you create, launch and grow your online store with Shopify.

The use of a chimpanzee on the Homepage gives an image to the visitor what Brave the Skies does and what can it do to your ecommerce business. A clean design, while presenting all of the content you would expect from the website is a true example of small business website

Alive 5

Made with Duda

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Alive5 is your one inbox for live chat, send a text message, or connect via Facebook. Alive5 lets you engage with your audience with integrated CRM.

You are going to love the big, cliparts and lots of scrolling effects on their website. The navigation menu jumps to specific pages, or you can just scroll down.

The Best Website Builders for Small Business (and not only)

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In this review, I will discuss choosing the best website builder for small businesses. You will learn how to select a website builder, which factors are most important to consider first, and which are less critical. I will also share my observations and conclusions from testing over a hundred different website builders.

Before diving into the review, I’d like to explain why, when we talk about a website for a small business, using website builders is a more rational and generally more successful solution than offline CMS or any custom solutions.

The key reason is that most modern business website builders are not just limited to website creation software. They are genuine online business platforms. By using them, you not only create a website but also populate it with content, edit the design, upgrade its functionality, and enhance it with additional apps.

But the main thing is the system – an online system for managing your business where you track visitors, analyze which of them convert to customers and which do not, what products they buy, and much more.

You might argue that many CMS and custom solutions can do this too.

Absolutely true. However, modern business website builders can do this much more affordably than if you were to seek web development from a design agency or freelancers.

Moreover, using website builders, you can manage all these processes yourself because modern website builders are user-friendly, unlike many programming engines.

So, let’s get started.

NOTE: To write this piece, I’ve spent tens of hours on research and personally tried more than 30 website builders. As a result, I was able to come down to the 7 best website builders, which are ideal for small businesses. You won’t have to settle with or even try out mediocre solutions thanks to this review. In the final part of this listicle, I have also given my recommendations for choosing a website builder and pointed out the common mistakes made by business owners when selecting a website builder. So do read on till the end.

What is a website builder?

Website builder is software that allows you to design, edit and subsequently fill websites with content. Most modern website builders are online platforms that include a visual website design editor, hosting and domain name. The best ones have drag and drop editors, which makes it much easier to create website pages without having to react HTML/CSS code. Thus, a modern website builder is the easiest and most affordable way to create a website.

Top 10 Best Website Builders

Below I have collected and described the most powerful, convenient and functional website builders. Each of them has its own specialization – some are good for small business websites, others are only for ecommerce, others for doctors, etc.

WIX – Ideal for Small Business

Wix is probably the best universal website builder. And more than 62 million websites all over the world have been created using it, that’s more than 200M users (according to official data for 2021). And that is the highest record for all online website builders, both in the free and premium segments. Despite its versatility, Wix’s capabilities are fully revealed in the development of small business websites. For this, Wix has hundreds of all kinds of templates – for a wide variety of business categories. Thanks to this, Wix can be used to build great restaurants websites, websites for real estate agencies, travel businesses, hotels, beauty salons, law firms and many other small businesses. Well, why is it that people like Wix and use it? Let’s find out.

Very Simple

Wix is easier and more user-friendly when compared to most other website builders. Very few website builders have the same intuitive interface as Wix does. Even without any knowledge of web development, you can successfully create a website using Wix. You don’t need to know anything about web design, HTML layout, or programming.

Wix drag&drop editor

Universal

Wix can be used to create many different kinds of websites. From simple blogs to comprehensive websites with forums, membership options, online stores, etc. – everything is possible with Wix.

Wix website templates categories

Moreover, it has more template categories than other website builders. This means you can find the website templates for even some rare niches like driving schools, yoga instructors, farm produce delivery, and many others.

More than 700 Quality Templates Available

Wix is one of the leaders among website builders. And the claim is further substantiated by the fact that it has more than 700 template options. And these options cater to a wide range of color preferences and design tastes. Also, the template options that you get with Wix don’t compromise on quality. All the templates are fully responsive and created by professional website designers.

NOTE: Having great, up-to-date business templates is one of the most important things to look for when choosing a business website builder. To make it easier to choose the right business templates, check out this collection: 50 Best Free Business Website Templates and WP Themes. Here are the best free business templates that are currently available on the web.

Free

Wix’s free plan comes with better functional capacities as compared to other platforms. Most builders limit their free plans to nominal features so that you can just try out the builder. But Wix offers a full-fledged, feature-loaded plan for free. Of course, the premium plans offer several more features. But for simple blogs and personal websites, Wix’s free plan usually suffices.

AI Availability

Wix has recently started to use AI. And the use of AI makes website development even easier. If you choose the Wix Artificial Design Interface (ADI) mode, you can create a website by just answering simple questions about your site’s purpose and your preferences (color scheme, style, font, and the like). AI will do the heavy-lifting for you. And your website will be ready within 10 to 20 minutes. This is a perfect option for beginners.

Wix ADI

More than 300 additional Apps

In addition to built-in functional capacities, Wix offers access to more than 300 different apps through the Wix App Market. These specialized apps allow you to perform even more detailed website customization and open up new functional avenues. And the best part is that all these apps are available for free.

Embedding Codes and Custom Elements

For more experienced users, Wix allows embedding custom code, widgets, and custom elements to the websites. You can use the Velo by Wix option for this. And this is what significantly improves the standard Wix editor experience. While it doesn’t give you the freedom to change the existing HTML code of the website, you can certainly add some more elements that you may need.

Wix Embedding Codes and Custom Elements

If you’re a beginner webmaster, this feature won’t matter much to you. But, for advanced users, it is a huge plus.

Security

All the websites created with Wix have SSL security certificates. It also applies to free Wix websites. Most free website builders don’t offer an SSL certificate with the free plan. As opposed to WordPress and other CMS with open code, your Wix website won’t need frequent system updates. That’s why you needn’t worry about security. Hackers won’t get access to your website because you forgot to update it. No upgrades – no problems with website cracks.

Automatic Backups

In my opinion, Wix’s automatic backup point creation is a perfect feature. It gives you an option to return to your website’s previous version, that is, the one before your latest changes. It reminds me a bit of the “History” feature in Adobe Photoshop – just click on the latest save and go back.

Wix revisions history

For whom will Wix be the best solution?

Those who have minimum knowledge of website development;

Those who want to develop a small website (up to 30 pages);

Those who want to create a free website;

Those who want to build a website for unusual and rare activity;

Those who want to set up small online stores;

Those who need a website for selling “virtual” products (photos, graphics, music, and so on).

How much does Wix cost?

Wix is a free website builder without any time restrictions on use. This means you can use a free Wix website for as long as you need. For more advanced functionalities, there are several paid plans that you can consider.

Create a site

Shopify – Best for Online Stores

Shopify is the absolute leader among ecommerce website builders. A lot of website builders allow you to run online stores, but no one does it as professionally and thoughtfully as Shopify. And you’ll soon realize why. Unlike most business website builders, Shopify doesn’t try to be a universal solution. Instead, it specializes in helping users set up online stores.

Sell with Shopify

And in time, Shopify has developed many functional options and extra capacities for online sales and drop shipping that it has left all its competitors way behind. However, in this process, it turned out to be more complicated to use. And, of course, more expensive. Although, this is not an issue given the sheer amount of capabilities it has. So, why is Shopify the leader among ecommerce platforms?

NOTE: Perhaps for small businesses, this website builder may seem too expensive, and some of its options are superfluous. But when you gradually develop your small business and start introducing more and more new additions to the website, you will understand how good Shopify is. No other business website builder has as many ecommerce features as Shopify. You just find what you need and turn it on in your website.

Highly specialized platform

Shopify isn’t trying to please everyone. It just aims to become the best online sales and drop shipping solution. And this specialized focus resulted in lots of functional options and extra ecommerce apps. Plus, there are all sorts of free and premium ecommerce themes. All these were created with a great understanding of how ecommerce businesses operate.

More than 100 free themes and thousands of premium options

Shopify has both free and premium themes from third-party developers. For example, there are more than 1200 premium themes for Shopify sold on ThemeForest alone. Premium themes allow making your online store’s design more unique. Thanks to so many options, you’ll able to find appropriate themes even for selling products in rare niches.

Shopify templates

Hundreds of useful apps and plugins

Shopify has lots of free and premium apps and plugins. These were created to significantly improve the functionality of Shopify online stores. I’ve highlighted this in red for a reason. And it is that these apps can provide an important competitive edge for your ecommerce business.

Shopify app store

Here are some examples of Shopify apps and plugins and what they do:

Judge.me – You get automatic client mailing that requests to leave a comment about a purchased product. You can either send the request via email, push notifications, or SMS. You can quickly collect real client reviews on your e-store and increase conversion through this.

Oberlo – It a great pick for drop shipping. This app interacts with your suppliers, and orders are serviced semi-automatically. Shipping tracks are automatically entered. And the shipment of the order by the supplier is automatically confirmed.

ROI Hunter – It integrates with your Shopify site and sets up dynamic Google and Facebook ads. For Google ads, this plugin independently creates a product feed and remarketing tag. And for Facebook ads, the plugin creates a product catalog and Facebook remarketing pixel. Moreover, ROI Hunter can configure dynamic remarketing ads. It shows ads to visitors who expressed interest in your store but left without making a purchase.

Ali Hunter– it automates the analysis of drop shipping products and stores on AliExpress. It aids in finding new products and also analyzing and tracking competitors’ stores. This plugin can save you several hours.

Shopify Shipping

Shopify Shipping is a unique offer that helps save money on goods delivery within the USA. You can buy and print discounted shipping labels when filling an order. At the expense of Shopify and DHL’s partnership arrangements, UPS and USPS, you can extend delivery discounts to your clients up to 75%.

Shopify Payments

With Shopify, you can use PayPal, Stripe, Square, and other payment intake solutions. But there is also a built-in solution – Shopify Payment with several advantages:

Financially beneficial: With Shopify Payments, there are no extra Shopify fees.

User-friendly: All the tools are accessible in a single Shopify account. You don’t need to shift from the payment system account to your Shopify store account.

Shopify Fulfillment Network: a possibility to use Shopify warehouses for goods storage and delivery to clients. It is similar to the Amazon Fulfillment service.

Shopify dashboard

Integration with trading platforms

Shopify has several options for integration with some popular marketplaces and trading platforms like Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google Shopping, Instagram, and more. This allows store owners to sell goods on their site as well as on other popular trading platforms at the same time. This is a convenient feature and helps save a lot of time.

For whom will Shopify be the best solution?

For drop shipping salesmen who already sell their goods through Amazon, Instagram, and Facebook and now want to broaden their market by setting up their online store.

For those who wish to set up medium-sized or large online stores.

For quick ecommerce business startups within the USA.

Shopify drop shipping

How much does Shopify cost?

Shopify doesn’t have a free plan. But it offers a 14-day free trial (no card required). After this period, you’ll get the option to switch to one of the premium plans. The plans are Basic Shopify ($29 per month), Shopify ($79 per month), and Advanced Shopify ($229 per month). More details about Shopify plans.

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Squarespace – Perfect Website Builder for Photographers

Being a professional website designer, I personally like Squarespace. It is one of the few website builders that help you make beautiful and aesthetically flawless websites in a minimalist style.

Squarespace

Squarespace was initially created as a website builder for photographers and artists to create great portfolio websites. This platform is for people and web developers with artistic taste, to summarize it briefly. The latest Squarespace 7.1 version comes with more functional capacities than ever before. But truth be told, most of them are far from perfect. Now let us understand Squarespace’s peculiarities in detail.

Dreams Come True for Photographers and Artists

Betting on visual content demonstration, Squarespace can satisfy the tastes of even the most demanding photographers, designers, artists, and other creatives. Website visitors need to be shown photos, graphics, and videos from the best perspectives. And Squarespace is one of the best website builders for such purposes.

Squarespace editor

Moreover, you’re can easily get sales with the help of visual content. For this, you’ll need the Business tariff plan, though. (Check its price here.)

Excellent Template Design

Squarespace has the most beautiful website templates in the market. Of course, there aren’t too many options (about 100 templates are available). And not all categories are available either. But the templates that are available are beautiful, of high quality, and fully responsive.

Squarespace website templates

NOTE: Squarespace templates often use a minimalist style, complemented with large beautiful images and big yet simple design elements. It’s well-suited for small sites that aim at showcasing their photos or their products’ photos in the best light. However, don’t expect your Squarespace website to look spectacular if you, for example, are a lawyer and your site is focused on legal services.

Greater Opportunities for Blogging

Squarespace is perfect for creating a blog. It has a lot of valuable functions that include a simple way to edit posts, deferred publication planning, rich customization of the comments system, AMP support, RSS, tag adding, the possibility to add several authors for one post at a time, iTunes podcasting integration possibility and many more.

Squarespace blog option

Drag-and-Drop Editor

Squarespace has a built-in drag-and-drop editor for easy customization of your website. It allows you to change the design by simply dragging and dropping the required elements at the required place on a page.

NOTE: Squarespace’s drag-and-drop editor isn’t bad. But my personal experience suggested that it is not so intuitive and requires some getting used to. Unlike other top website builders, Squarespace’s drag-and-drop editor comes without a traditional dashboard on the left side of the screen. Instead, all the options appear after clicking on template design elements. That’s why if you have already used technically advanced website builders like Wix or Weebly, then you’ll need some extra time getting used to Squarespace’s drag-and-drop editor.

Free SSL Certificate

There is no free plan in Squarespace, but the monthly plan charges that you pay include the cost of an SSL certificate, which is a great thing.

Squarespace Analytics Tools

Squarespace offers its own solutions for website visitor analytics through the built-in Squarespace Analytics App. Integration with Google Analytics is also possible in case you need more data.

Squarespace analytics tools

Unlimited Bandwidth and Storage Space

Squarespace offers unlimited bandwidth and storage space for all plans starting from the most basic one. There is also no limit on the number of web pages your website can have.

For whom will Squarespace be the best solution?

For photographers, designers, artists, and anyone else who needs a stylish portfolio website;

For bloggers who are looking for an alternative to a WordPress blog;

For those who wish to build a small ecommerce website that sells designer things, handmade goods, posters, photos, or graphics;

For those looking forward to developing a personal website, like public figures, musicians, sports persons, and show-biz stars.

How much does Squarespace cost?

Squarespace doesn’t have a free plan (but there is aa 14-day trial) and it can hardly be called affordable. The lowest-prices Squarespace plan starts at $12 per month (paid annually) and is commensurate with the top competitors’ plans.

A more functional Business plan costs $18 per month. The Basic Commerce plan allows online sales without any transaction fees and will cost you $26 per month. Advanced Commerce, the most powerful plan, requires you to shell out $40 per month. It includes all the capacities that Squarespace has on offer for its clients. Check out a more detailed view of Squarespace plans.

Create a site

Webnode – Best for Multilingual Websites

Webnode is one of the oldest website builders (created in 2008) that is constantly developing and making its clients happy. And today, there are over 40 million websites all over the world that are powered by Webnode. Now I’ll tell you exactly why people trust Webnode and what it’s got better than its competitors. Though it has some cons, too, the strong pros make Webnode a value offering.

Beautiful and Responsive Templates

In 2016, Webnode rolled out an important update with its drag-and-drop editor and website templates. At the moment, it’s got a collection of more than 200 beautiful and responsive templates. All of which are available for free.

Webnode website templates

Easy-to-Use

Webnode is far from being a leader in functional capacities since it falls behind Wix and Weebly. Nevertheless, it is intuitive and user-friendly. Webnode is convenient even for beginner users.

Ideal for Multi-Language Websites

Webnode allows for multi-language website development as it supports 20 languages. That figure is higher than what any other website builder supports. And that’s what makes Webnode the best website builder for launching multi-language websites.

Option to choose any language

NOTE: To create a multi-language website with unlimited language support, you need the Profi plan ($22.90 per month). With the Standard plan ($12.90 per month), your website would support only two languages.

No Limit On The Number Of Pages In The Free plan

Webnode is a free website builder. With the free plan, you can develop a fully functional website, get free hosting (100MB storage and 1GB bandwidth), and a free third-level domain name. Also, there is no limit on the number of pages that your website can have.

Free SSL Certificate for All Plans

Webnode takes responsibility for your website’s security and offers free SSL certificates for all websites built using it. (Including those that have been developed for free.)

Website Backup and Recovery

Webnode allows creating backups and recovering previous versions of your website. This function will especially please beginner webmasters who can easily correct mistakes using this feature. Backup creation is possible in two ways – online and offline. With the offline option, you can save your website’s backup directly on your computer. Find out how to do that here.

Adding HTML/CSS Code

Webnode makes it possible to easily add HTML/CSS code and extra widgets. You can add your HTML code to the header, footer, or anywhere else on your website.

Option to add HTML/CSS code

Visit here to know how it can be done.

Affordable prices

Another great advantage of Webnode is its affordable premium plans. As compared to other top website builders, Webnode has the lowest prices. Like Wix, Webnode also has a simple Connect Domain plan that costs $3.90 per month (against $5 for the Wix plan). The most basic premium plan, Mini, costs $7.50 per month. A similar plan with Squarespace costs $12, and as for Wix, it’s $14.

However, note that, unlike competitors, Webnode’s Mini plan doesn’t remove Webnode ads from your website. The basic eCommerce plan (Standard) is available for only $12.90 per month. Wix’s minimum ecommerce plan costs $23, and for the basic Squarespace eCommerce plan, you’d have to pay $26. Shopify’s basic plan costs $29. The price advantage is obvious – you’ll have to pay much less with Webnode.

For whom will Webnode be the best solution?

NOTE: Despite the available free plan, I don’t recommend Webnode for creating a free website. Webnode free plan possibilities are considerably limited compared to Wix or Weebly. You can try other builders if your aim is to develop a free website.

But I recommend using Webnode in the following cases:

For multi-language website creation. Webnode is the best solution in the market;

For beginner webmasters who want to develop a personal website;

For making small online stores, since the cost of starting up an online store is low with Webnode;

For creating small business sites (using the Mini or Standard plans).

How much does Webnode cost?

Webnode offers a free plan without any limits on use and four affordable premium plans. The most basic Limited plan costs $3.90 per month. It is the same as the free plan but with the possibility to use your domain name. Mini plan ($7.50) has got broader capacities but doesn’t remove Webnode ads. Standard Plan costs $12.90 and has got even more options, not to mention the possibility to make online sales. The top Profi plan costs $22.90. It’s got maximum capabilities and supports all 20 languages for multi-language website creation. Here are more details about Webnode’s plans.

Create a site

Pixpa – Good for Portfolios and Selling Art Works

At first glance, Pixpa doesn’t look like a small business website builder. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Squarespace – just like Squarespace, it’s designed to develop portfolio websites. But it has its own advantages that Squarespace doesn’t have. And it’s not just more affordable prices.

Pixpa website builder

Pixpa is betting on the development of three types of sites – portfolio websites for photographers, artists and illustrators, blogs and an online store. Of course, all this can be packaged in one website.

Easy Portfolio Website Creation

Simplicity and convenience are the distinguishing features of Pixpa. Pixpa has a simple yet functional drag and drop editor with an intuitive interface. You should not expect super-wide features from it (like Wix, for example), but they are quite enough to customize the template you like the way you need.

Minimalist and Responsive Templates

Pixpa has about 40 website templates on topics: Photography, Design, Art & Illustration, Graphic and Web, Architecture, Music and Performing Arts, Fashion, Models & Actors, Beauty & Style, Health & Wellness, Personal & Lifestyle, Wedding, Health & Wellness, Blog, Business & Services, Consulting & Coaching, Food & Restaurants, Real Estate & Properties.

I specifically listed them all so that you can be convinced of their diversity. In terms of category selection, Pixpa outperforms most other portfolio website builders. Because Pixpa is more about business than just building a portfolio website.

Pixpa templates

All Pixpa templates are responsive and automatically adjust to any screen resolution. Without additional actions on your part, which of course will greatly simplify the life of beginners.

NOTE: What I personally like about Pixpa as a web designer is the easy change of website template. Most website builders don’t allow you to easily change the template of a live website (Wix – hello!). With Pixpa, this is possible with just one click – you simply select a new template and Pixpa will automatically adapt the content to fit it. Very simple and fast. And that’s pretty cool for me!

Advanced SEO Features already in basic plan

Pixpa has built-in SEO tools for advanced website SEO customization. Remarkably, this option is already available in the Basic plan, unlike most website builders.

NOTE: Pixpa has fast loading pages due to progressive loaded images on the pages. This works similar to lazy loading in WordPress. Images are loaded on the page not all at once when it is opened, but as the page is scrolled. The benefit is especially noticeable for websites with long pages with lots of images, such as photo galleries or blogs.

Adding and editing CSS, HTML, Javascript already in the basic plan

Adding your own CSS code and manually editing the HTML code of pages is a feature of many advanced website builders. But not many builders offer this opportunity in the basic plan. Pixpa is one of them. This, no doubt, will be appreciated by more experienced web masters with the appropriate skills.

Sell without a transaction fee

Pixpa allows you to not only create various image galleries on your website, but also sell them. And at the same time with zero commission, which favorably distinguishes Pixpa from many other online stores (Squarespace and Shopify, hello to you!).

In fact, on Pixpa, you can create not the usual portfolio website, but a fully functional online store. For example, selling paintings or posters. Or even printed T-shirts. In short, any product where the visual component is of primary importance. In this case, the benefits of Pixpa will be fully revealed.

Pixpa has many more features than I have listed here. Check them all on the official website.

For whom will Pixpa be the best solution?

For photographers, illustrators, graphic and web designers who want a minimalist portfolio website at an affordable cost.

For those who would like to create an online store without transaction fees to sell photos, art works, posters, paintings and any other creative products and more.

Anyone who needs a small website with good functionality at a cheap price.

NOTE: want to see what websites built with Pixpa look like? Check out these 20+ Pixpa website examples to see what your website might look like with this website builder.

How much does Pixpa cost?

Cheap prices is another Pixpa plus. Pixpa has a 15 day trial period, after which you will be prompted to choose one of four plans as standard: Basic, Creator, Professional, Advanced. Pixpa allows you to have additional discounts when paying yearly (50% Off!) and 2 yearly (63% Off!). Thus, the already affordable prices have become even more profitable.

Judge for yourself:

	Basic	Creator	Professional	Advanced
Pay monthly	$5/mo	$10/mo	$15/mo	$25/mo
Pay yearly	$2.50/mo	$5/mo	$7.50/mo	$12.50/mo
Pay 2 yearly	$1.88/mo	$3.75/mo	$5.63/mo	$9.38/mo

NOTE: you can get an additional 50% off any Pixpa plan if you use our 50% Off Pixpa coupon code.

Create a site

Weebly – Best Free Website Builder

Weebly was the first website builder I ever used. It’s one of the oldest online website builders that began operation in 2007.

Weebly website builder

Being one of the best free website builders, Weebly has lots of advantages, some of which you’re unlikely to get with other website builders. What I like about this builder is that it’s got a good balance (between functional capacities and simplicity of use) and has ample opportunities for creating larger sites. With regards to the latter, Weebly is second to none.

Easy To Use

Weebly is really easy to use. You’ll have to spend the least possible amount of time and effort to master its interface. Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor is extremely easy and intuitive, but I must say that it appeared to me not that flexible when compared to Wix.

Weebly editor

I would have liked more capacities for changing templates and editing them. However, the ease and user-friendliness of this builder are still worth appreciating.

Perfect for Larger Websites

Most of the good website builders are aimed at small website development. They are limited in terms of pages, sections, categories, and subcategories. Moreover, managing larger projects using such platforms isn’t as easy as you’d like. But all this isn’t true for Weebly. Weebly, perhaps, is the best online website builder if you want to build a sizable informational website. It has a well-considered website architecture that is great for multi-page websites with a big enclosure of sections and subsections.

Website made on Weebly

Also, it is as easy to handle a larger website with Weebly as it is to handle a smaller one.

Unlimited Depth of Navigation

Weebly allows creating an unlimited enclosure of categories, sections, and navigation menus. That’s what I felt lacking in Squarespace, where you can create categories for only first-level enclosures. Weebly automatically creates a drop-down menu for you in accordance with your multilevel website structure. It’s really wonderful!

Membership Site Creation

Using Weebly, you can build membership sites with the possibility of showing certain content to only a certain group of users. It’s possible to give them personal access passwords or let them independently register on the website to gain entry to the membership area.

Weebly membership options

Learn more about Weebly membership features here.

NOTE: Creating a membership website is possible with the Pro plan and plans above it. With the Pro plan, you can have up to 100 members. With the most expensive plans, the limit on the number of members gets lifted.

Adding and Editing The Website Code

It’s been my long-held observation that experienced webmasters (especially web developers) consider Weebly to be the absolute leader among all online website builders. And that’s not for nothing. The point is that Weebly, unlike most of its competitors, allows editing the HTML/CSS code of your website. It can be via the Embed Code element. And it is really comfortable to work with. You can edit the CSS code and see how your website has changed in the preview section. (Select the Auto Preview option in the settings.)

Weebly HTML/CSS editor

As a result, you can perform more accurate customization of your website as per your needs.

NOTE: Be very careful while manually editing the HTML website code. Ensure that you don’t accidentally make changes that may hurt your entire website’s operation. Given that Weebly hasn’t got an automatic website backup creation option (like Wix and Webnode), wrongly editing the code can create major problems for you. You’ll have to contact Weebly support in order to restore your website. That’s why you should edit the code only if you have the required skills and experience.

Apps and Widgets

Weebly has the Weebly App Center, where you’ll find a great collection of apps, widgets, and tools to integrate with your Weebly websites. Judged based on the number of additional apps available, Weebly is the third-best platform (after Shopify and Wix).

Weebly editor

Using apps and widgets allows making your website even better. For example, you can add complicated tables or text animations to attract your users’ attention. What’s remarkable about this is that the Weebly App Center can be accessed on all plans, including the free version.

For whom will Weebly be the best solution?

For creating bigger sites with a large number of pages and sections;

For creating free websites;

For beginner webmasters without any experience in site building;

For making business websites;

For webmasters with HTML layout and programming skills;

For making eCommerce stores.

How much does Weebly cost?

Weebly has one free and several premium plans. Note that Weebly has different plans for users from the USA and Europe. There are 3 premium plans for the USA: The Personal plan, available for $6 per month, allows adding your custom domain name. There is also a plan for $12 per month and the Performance plan for $26 per month. For European countries, there are 4 premium plans:

Connect (Similar to the personal plan, available for €6 per month);

Pro (Positioned as a plan for groups and organizations, available for €10 per month);

Business (For small businesses and online stores, available for €20 per month);

Business Plus (For larger eCommerce sellers, available for €30 per month).

Find out more details about Weebly’s plans.

Create a site

Jimdo – Good for Simple Small Business Sites

Jimdo belongs to the category of older website builders (it exists since 2007) that keep on evolving and getting better.

Jimdo website builder

In 2017, Jimdo released an artificial intelligence-powered version of its website builder – Jimdo Dolphin. Jimdo Dolphin is now one of the best AI website builders at a very affordable price. For the most part, it was Jimdo Dolphin’s existence that made me put it on the best website builders list. Jimdo Creator, a version for more experienced users, appeared to me not functional enough. It contains more advanced settings than Jimdo Dolphin, but it’s obviously a weaker variant than Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. That’s why when I’m talking about Jimdo, I mean Jimdo Dolphin.

Very Fast

Jimdo Dolphin is the fastest website builder among the ones that I have used. You can develop a simple but high-quality website in only 3 minutes. Literally, in just 3 minutes! If you spend about an hour on its final customization, you’ll get a perfect simple website.

Very Simple

Jimdo’s simplicity and user-friendliness are commendable. It was more comfortable and easier for me to edit a website using Jimdo Dolphin than using Wix ADI. The reason was that Jimdo allows editing websites in real-time. This means you can immediately see the results of your actions.

Jimdo editor

Free

Jimdo has a free plan – it’s an undeniable pro, but in my opinion, its possibilities are very restricted. It’s fair to say that there are some free website builders that have fewer restrictions and more functional options in their free plans.

Quality Website Templates

Jimdo offers beautiful and quality website templates. They look equally good on different devices like smartphones, older mobile phones, tablets, or PCs.

Jimdo website templates

NOTE: Keep in mind that if you choose Jimdo Dolphin, you cannot switch to Jimdo Creator and vice versa. What is more, you should know that Jimdo doesn’t support the possibility of HTML website code editing. Website editing is limited to what you can do using the visual Jimdo drag-and-drop editor.

For whom will Jimdo be the best solution?

For beginner webmasters with minimum skills;

For immediate website creation (when you need a website right now);

For developing simple websites for small businesses.

How much does Jimdo cost?

Jimdo offers 2 kinds of plans – for creating standard websites and for online stores. For standard websites:

Play – A free plan that is good for nothing but testing Jimdo;

Start – A basic premium plan without ads and with your custom domain for $6 per month;

Grow – Recommended for business websites (for $15 per month);

Unlimited – As obvious from the self-explanatory name, the plan has no restrictions. The cost of this plan isn’t stated on the website.

For online stores:

Basic – Similar to the Start plan, but aimed at ecommerce (for $15 per month);

Business – For more advanced online stores (for $19 per month);

VIP – The top ecommerce plan, the price for which isn’t mentioned on the website.

More details about Jimdo plans.

Create a site

My expert tips for choosing website builders for businesses

Finding a good website builder is a challenging task. Not because there aren’t enough of them. But rather because there are too many different website building platforms, and the choice gets overwhelming.

Now even though website builders are great, choosing an unsuitable website builder can be extremely detrimental to your business.

You cannot put off or avoid the choice either because an effective website is essential for any business in the modern world.

In this section, I’m going to clearly explain how to choose a website builder for small businesses and what criteria should be taken into consideration.

Where to start choosing from?

To begin with, you should decide on the challenges that your website is going to solve for your business and what is going to be the goal of the website.

There are usually three main kinds of business websites.

eCommerce

These types of websites are online stores that sell different products and services. Their main purpose is to sell physical or digital products and directly receive payment.

If you want to find an eCommerce website builder with all the relevant features for ensuring and facilitating online sales, check out my article on the best eCommerce website builders.

Business Representation

These are the websites that are a company’s official address on the Internet. They are not directly linked to making sales or earning revenue. The purpose of these websites is to inform the audience about a company’s activities and the goods and services it offers.

Specialized business websites

These are the websites, which have certain (often peculiar) functionalities specific to a certain type of business. For example, a website for a hotel with the possibility of booking rooms online. Or a restaurant’s website with the ability to look through the menu and book a table.

In this guide, I’ll be focusing on choosing website builders for developing the second and third types of business websites.

Now let’s move on.

The first question that beginners struggle to find answers to is…

NOTE: For a better understanding of what high-quality and modern business websites can look like, check out this review: 30 Modern Small Business Websites Examples for 2024. All of the presented websites are related to different business niches and are made on different website builders and CMS.

Free or premium?

To be honest, you can build a business website at no cost using free website builders. But you should be ready for certain restrictions.

Usually, it is in the form of having the website builder’s banner ad (or a button). All free website builders place their advertisements on the sites built using the free versions.

The second thing is that you don’t get the option to use the domain name of your choice. There are only 2 website builders, which allow using a custom domain name in the free plan.

The third restriction of free website builders is the limitation related to bandwidth, storage space, and sometimes even the number of web pages that can be created. Yes, you read it right – your website can have only as many pages as allowed by the chosen plan.

In my opinion, thus, if we are talking about business, small businesses specifically, a free plan’s capabilities will never be enough. Even if the chosen website builder is the best in the market.

Thus, it is always better to choose a low-cost premium plan and create a professional website using your own domain name and without ads or hard limits.

Which website builders are reliable?

It’s a reasonable question to ask, considering the fact that a website builder is a visual editor, web hosting, domain name registrar, and email sender all rolled into one. All these things together are packed in the integrated SaaS service with unified technical support.

Now, how reliable these services are going to be and how well they’ll function together depends on both the technical support and the coherence of the work of the entire website builder team.

It is especially important to emphasize the age of the website builder though. Website builders that have been constantly offering their services for 10+ years, improving their drag-and-drop editors, creating more contemporary templates, and adding new options are, of course, more reliable. Such companies have served hundreds and thousands of clients. And thus, it won’t be a ‘worth considering’ option for them to stop their business or not offer proper services.

Meanwhile, a lot of newly launched website builders don’t have the hassle of preserving their reputation. Further, many of them go bankrupt shortly after the launch, leaving those who chose the builder in a major fix.

Here are the most reliable website builders for businesses (and even individuals):

There are also Shopify and BigCommerce, specifically suitable for building online stores.

All these website builders have been operating successfully for several years and aren’t going to curtail their activities.

What points should be first taken into consideration?

The key point to be considered while selecting website builders is whether it has quality templates relevant to your business. The more such templates will be, the greater choice you’ll have.

Why is this important?

Well, some website builders offer universal templates suitable for any industry/niche.

And let me be clear here – it’s not the best solution.

It’s always better to find a specialized template that is designed to your industry-specific requirements.

By “quality templates” I mean not only stylish and contemporary designs but also responsiveness. And not all website templates are inherently responsive. This means that most of them will face problems while displaying on mobile phones or other devices.

Is having a drag-and-drop editor mandatory?

Yes. Your website builder must definitely have a drag-and-drop editor. It allows building a website without having HTML and programming skills. You just drag the website elements using your computer mouse and drop them where you want them to be. Easy!

Even if you know how to edit the CSS code manually, the absence of a built-in drag-and-drop editor should be a red flag.

All (without exception) leading contemporary website builders have a drag-and-drop editor.

NOTE: Not all drag-and-drop editors are alike. Some website builders have outdated drag-and-drop editors, which allow only slight edits in the template. The other, more contemporary ones are much more flexible. For example, Wix’s drag-and-drop editor allows dragging content blocks and design elements with 1-pixel precision. What is more, it contains options for setting up the website color scheme too.

What other parameters are important when choosing a website builder?

Every website builder has several plans. There are normally 3 to 5 plans that you can choose from. They vary in terms of the prices and the features that you’ll get.

Always make sure that your chosen plan does not have restrictions on the number of pages that your website can have.

Alert: Also, be sure to verify that you’ll be able to use a custom domain name instead of being confined to the one offered by the website builder. Not all premium plans allow this!

Pay attention to the storage space and bandwidth too.

And it isn’t necessary for website builders to have unlimited storage space and bandwidth. For starting small business websites it will be enough to have 1GB Storage space and 2GB Bandwidth.

The 5 Best Free WordPress Alternatives for Beginners

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Want to replace WordPress with something more reliable and easier to use? To your attention five the best free alternatives to WordPress with a description of the features and benefits over WordPress.

WordPress is one of the best tools webmasters use to create their websites. It is open-sourced and free to use. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) whereby you can create, manage and modify content without any or less prior technical knowledge. There are a lot of CMS and free website builders in the market today; however, WordPress CMS has a competitive edge over the others.

WordPress has a considerable fan base, and why wouldn’t it?

WordPress

Approximately 42,8% of all websites are created and designed on WordPress. It was designed for blogging, but many E-commerce plugins have also been introduced due to high competition in the E-commerce arena. This feature has made WordPress a viable option for those who want to create an outstanding online shopping experience for their users.

Why are webmasters interested in a WordPress alternative?

All is good about WordPress until a more advanced side is looked upon. WordPress has been criticized on behalf of its usability and the methodological coding. We dive into some of the weaknesses that WordPress is often associated with:

1. The main reason why WordPress is often a letdown is that it requires knowledge of HTML/CSS and basic knowledge of server administration. You must have a technical understanding if you are looking for a complex and flexible website.

2. To build a website through WordPress.org, you must buy hosting and domain separately.

NOTE: You don’t need to buy a separate web hosting and domain only if you use the online version of WordPress – WordPress.com. This is a classic shareware website builder where web hosting, SSL certificate, domain name are already included in the package offer. And besides, you can get 50% off using the 50% Off WordPress coupon code.

3. WordPress website maintenance is a hectic job; therefore, you must have the appropriate skills or will have to hire an agency to look after your website.

4. Websites often go down for hours or days due to technical reasons. A technical person will be able to restart or revive the website.

5. Your website is vulnerable in WordPress even if security plugins have been installed. If the website has a blog section with comments allowed, there is a probability that spammers and hackers will attack your website.

6. WordPress offers minimal SEO features, which seems unsatisfactory sometimes. Yet again, you will need a professional to research and target many keywords that will increase your ranking on Google.

7. Plugins seem to be an integral part of WordPress websites that need to be downloaded for additional features and management. These plugins need to be manually updated now and then, making it a frantic job.

NOTE: In defense of WordPress, I must admit that all of the shortcomings listed can be eliminated with the right knowledge and skills. Yes, it will take you more time and possibly money compared to other alternatives, but these disadvantages are not critical. It all boils down to the question – do you need it? If not, keep reading and find out what you can replace WordPress with to make your life easier. If you decide to stay with WordPress, it will be useful for you to read the manual: How to Install a WordPress Theme on GoDaddy: A Step-by-Step Guide.

What are the Best Free Alternatives to WordPress?

Ok, with the possible problems of using WordPress, everything is clear. Now what to do next? It’s simple; we need to list the free WordPress alternatives that can be used instead.

Below are the five alternatives that you need to know:

Webflow

One of the first free alternatives to WordPress is Webflow. Now you can search the web, and you will get to know that many designers who were previously building websites for clients on WordPress have switched to Webflow.

Webflow - free alternatives to WordPress

Webflow was created for designers and website creators who want to market their websites with a unique perspective. Although the current users of Webflow are lower in number than the users of WordPress, Webflow, with around 3.5 million users, shows promise for the future and is well growing compared to WordPress.

In comparison to WordPress, Webflow has many features that set a different vibe and are listed below:

Webflow is SaaS software that is self-hosted and is free for primary use.

One of the unique features of Webflow has its own CMS for dynamic websites.

You can add features to the website by embedding code if willing to take your website ahead of the competition.

In contrast to WordPress, in Webflow, you register for your account, and the AI system will gather your requirements, and voila, you are good to go.

People behind Webflow have achieved a great feat by using JavaScript and CSS and creating an interactions and animations tool that will help most of us design a complex-looking and animation-rich website without coding.

Webflow has a dedicated customer support system that helps you through the highs and lows of making a website.

Performance optimization of a Webflow website is better than a WordPress website.

There are no updates or plugin maintenance in Webflow, which reduces the risk of your site being hacked.

Create a website

Wix

No offense to all the amateur website developers who want to design their websites but don’t have the slightest clue on how to develop and website; Wix is just for you. Wix is one of the best free alternatives to WordPress, with millions of users worldwide. You probably would have heard of Wix due to the extensive advertising programs that promote Wix as the most accessible platform for producing websites. According to many users who do not have any technical knowledge related to website development, Wix has provided them with a platform to exhibit their business, their skills, and what they have to offer.

WIX - free alternatives to WordPress

Wix is a cloud-based website development platform that lets you start just by making a free account and answering the survey given by the Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) system. This system provides many pre-developed templates you can use as a basic structure for your website. Wix is usually used for websites with design flexibility and portfolio-type websites. However, Wix is not recommended for more extensive and more-content oriented websites.

Wix, as a free WordPress alternative, has the following distinguishable features:

Wix ADI is a unique feature that asks you questions regarding your requirements and then suggests the best possible template options that you can use.

It has over 800 templates that are fully customizable and focus on various categories such as physical businesses, online stores, events and bookings, hoteling and services, etc.

Wix solves all technical and hosting issues as it is self-hosted and has outstanding customer support.

Wix has an App store that offers both paid and free features and customization options.

The In-built SEO features of Wix let you rank higher and create an enhanced online presence.

Check out Wix Review to learn more about Wix features.

Create a website

Weebly

Weebly has been in the market for about 14 years, and since its inception, there have been many changes to the Weebly engine. One of the significant changes that recently took place is the acquisition of Weebly by a payment processing systems company, Square. This acquisition has led to a more significant expansion of Weebly into the E-commerce arena, making it a viable candidate for the competition against WordPress. E-commerce websites can be launched far quickly and are scalable on Weebly. The blogging, marketing, and integration features in Weebly are all in-built, making it a potent WordPress alternative.

Weebly - free alternatives to WordPress

In technical terms, Weebly is not an open-source platform like a WordPress website builder. An open-sourced platform lets the User modify anything and everything that the user wants. However, in the case of Weebly, it lets you modify only certain features and functions on your website. Weebly has more than 55 theme-based templates that are easy to use and modify. If you are looking for an essential website that might not need significant changes in the existing theme, you can easily use the accessible version of Weebly. However, if you need modifications and can’t compromise on a single text box, Weebly might not be there yet. Apart from usual customer support, there are updated free tutorials and how-to videos for beginners.

Weebly can be considered as a free alternative to WordPress website builder in the following ways:

With Weebly, you will not need to buy the domain and hosting separately as it is a self-hosted platform.

Another plus point of Weebly is its customer support; WordPress doesn’t have any official support and depends mainly on its community; however, Weebly has a dedicated phone line, email address, and live chat.

We used WordPress and had to manually install plugin for SEO while Weebly has an in-built SEO feature for all the page titles, Meta descriptions, and custom URL’s. Weebly also provides features such as instructions for Search engine, adding Google Analytics and Images alt attributes.

The Weebly drag-and-drop editor doesn’t need any third-party installation, as in the case of WordPress, and is very simple to master.

Weebly has a dedicated App Center with hundreds of free apps to make your website smoother and user-friendly.

Weebly is easier to learn and use. If you know how to create a Facebook or even a Weebly account, you can easily create and design your website.

In Weebly Review, I went into detail about Weebly’s advantages and disadvantages.

Create a website

Webnode

Webnode is one of those WordPress competitors that are still in the growing phase. It doesn’t have a lot of users, but those who have used Webnode are satisfied with the performance. Compared to WordPress, Webnode is a cloud-based website development platform created to cater to small businesses, small E-commerce stores, and personal portfolio websites. Webnode markets itself as an easy-to-learn platform that requires no coding knowledge.

Webnode - free alternatives to WordPress

One of the most iconic features of Webnode is that you can produce a website in almost 24 different languages. This helps the users who want an international reach for their businesses or websites. The interface of Webnode is exceptionally user-friendly and is ideal for new users and beginners who lack the knowledge to code and make advanced modifications to their webpage. It has a simple dashboard and a drag-and-drop editor that lets you understand the flow of things and makes it easier for you to design a website.

Amongst many great features of Webnode, there are a few that stand out:

Webnode is easier to learn and can be your go-to option if you want all the tools to be accessible at hand.

Webnode has an in-built E-commerce solution with multiple currency options, payment options, and transaction and order management.

Webnode exclusively offers business email addresses and a range of SEO tools to optimize the site.

Webnode has a decent customer support system that lacks a WordPress website builder.

You can learn more about Webnode in Webnode Review.

Create a website

Jimdo

Jimdo and WordPress are a world apart, in the literal sense. Jimdo, in comparison to open-source WordPress, is code-free DIY website creation software. If you are a person who doesn’t have any prior coding knowledge or want to focus on your main business idea rather than focusing on the website, Jimdo may be created just for you. Effortlessness, affordability, accessibility, and the intuitive website design are some of the virtuous of our friend Jimdo. Jimdo has been used recently by newbies and professionals alike.

Jimdo - free alternatives to WordPress

Jimdo is a free WordPress alternative that lets you begin with many different projects simultaneously, like promo sites, portfolios, landing pages, and online stores. If you happen to search the web for the comparison between WordPress and Jimdo, there will be many people who will suggest that the ease of use with Jimdo is considerably higher than WordPress. Many past users have suggested that if you do not have the budget for hiring a professional developer than Jimdo might be your preference. Jimdo has seen many improvements over the years and still doing so by integrating social media options, payment gateways, and Google Analytics.

Jimdo is set apart in the WordPress alternatives market by the following features:

One of the unique features of Jimdo is that the SSL certificate value it provides is above in comparison to WordPress website builder.

The basic version of Jimdo is free to use and provides ample opportunity to learn and scale your website.

Jimdo is ahead of the competition as it has mobile app especially for the creators or the coders who want to edit their website, manage orders for online store, publish content and check on the website statistics.

Jimdo allows beginners to launch a small to mid-sized E-commerce store with all the direct marketing and payment integrations required.

It’s high-end Artificial Intelligence system that helps you design your website is the star of the show here, making it relatively easy for everyone to create a stunning website.

Jimdo doesn’t have an App store yet, but it still gives you access to third-party widgets, including MailChimp, LinkedIn, Eventbrite ticketing, etc.

Create a website

The Best Membership Website Builders: Free and Paid Tolls

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If you have ever visited an e-learning site like Udemy or an online community like Facebook, you know what a membership website is. In its simplest form, it is a portal with restricted access to its content, available to members only, although access can be paid, free, or a mix of both. Popular models include:

E-learning sites

E-commerce portals

Blogs/vlogs

Podcasts

News websites

Associations

Non-profits, etc.

Of, course you can use one of the best all-around website builder, bu specialized membership site platforms are the best way for thought-leaders to build their brand, develop an online community, and get paid for the knowledge transfer. This allows businesses with specialized information to set up a consistent revenue stream.

82% of the businesses adopting the “subscription economy” model claim it helped them become industry disruptors. But for every success story, there are dozens of others who have failed. One of the probable causes: choosing the wrong platform to build their portal.

The Top 8 Membership Website Builder

Wild Apricot

Wild Apricot is a fast-growing cloud-based software with a website builder platform to create membership sites. The standout feature? You get your own mobile app designed separately for customers and admins. You can also embed the Wild Apricot widget in other websites to promote an event you are managing on the Wild Apricot site.

Wild Apricot

For example, you can embed a calendar widget to a WordPress site for cross-platform publicity. Wild Apricot also offers a free version that can be used by organizations with 50 members or less. All plans include a 30-day trial period with full access to all features within the trial period.

Pros of Using Wild Apricot

Excellent database and event management tool.

Event coordination feature that lets you send promotions, discounts, and reminders to attendees.

Unlimited email campaigns.

Native mobile app for both Android and iOS that accepts payments and registrations.

Cons of Using Wild Apricot

The blogging platform is outdated and lacks basic features such as content moderation.

You can’t allot a membership ID within the software.

Create a site

Wix

Although not the most intuitive membership free website builder in the market, Wix is a strong contender because of the scalability it offers, along with an affordable pricing plan. The platform allows you to create a members-only area, add pages with restricted content, and process subscription payments.

Wix Member’s Area

You can integrate multiple Wix plugins to enhance the experience, including the Pricing-plan app, Wix bookings, Wix Events, Wix Forum, Wix chat, etc.

Pros of Using Wix

Membership areas can be created for free, although you can’t process payments with them.

Contacts are automatically synced in the back-end with the Wix email marketing tool.

Supports multi-platform registrations like Google, Facebook, or email.

Allows recurring payments.

The Pricing-plan app allows setting up a Paywall to grant restricted access to paid members.

Member roles restrict access to specific users on your site.

Cons of Using Wix

Has a steep learning curve, not suitable for novices.

New registrations have to be manually approved to send confirmation emails to users.

Doesn’t have a Learning Management System, so you can’t create online courses.

Doesn’t support content dripping and content locking.

Create a site

Memberpress

An easy-to-use WordPress membership plugin that allows you to create multi-tiered memberships, online courses, content-dripping, and integrating 3rd-party plugins to build communities.

Memberpress

One of the standout features of Memberpress is Paywall – a tool that allows non-members to access certain bits of content for free, a great bonus to attract initial users. With three different pricing options, you can choose to install it on a single website or across 5 different websites.

Pros of Using Memberpress

Integrates with existing WordPress sites.

Creates unlimited multi-level membership across all plans.

Users can have more than one membership at a time.

Good technical support.

Multiple access rules, including posts, pages, categories, tags, files, etc.

You can set content start and expiration dates.

Wide range of pricing options for subscriptions – recurring payments, monthly/yearly payments, free/paid trials, etc.

Customizable coupons and email marketing tools.

Analytics reporting dashboard.

Cons of Using Memberpress

Doesn’t support other CMS platforms.

Doesn’t offer a lifetime purchase plan.

Doesn’t have a built-in forum tool; you need to install an additional WordPress forum plugin.

You cannot customize registrations and login forms.

Create a site

Squarespace

Squarespace’s new Member Areas feature has remedied the one big issue that marred its utility as world class membership website builder – the software’s lack of integrated membership features necessary for creating members-only content. You can now create a membership website with Squarespace in two ways – use Member Areas, its very own membership software, or use MemberSpace, a third-party plug-in available with a business or higher plan.

Squarespace

The builder offers virtually every tool you can think of for creating, sharing and managing exclusive content.

Pros of Using Squarespace

It allows access to a wide range of high-quality, royalty free stock images, including the entirety of image gallery from Unsplash.

It includes a vast line-up of web fonts, including more than 600 fonts from Google and approximately 1000 fonts from Adobe.

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) enabled web pages that allow for accelerated content delivery on mobile devices.

Cons of Using Squarespace

Squarespace blogs lack the Autosave feature, so you can lose your content in the event of a server crash or accidental post deletion. This makes the platform unsuitable for professional bloggers.

Limitations on organizing the static pages and blog posts make Squarespace ill suited for creating large, more complex websites

Create a site

Yourmembership

Here’s a premium paid membership website builder that strikes the perfect balance of design and functionality. Yourmembership is a comprehensive platform with excellent content, event and membership management tools. It offers efficient blogging and email marketing solutions, along with the ability to manage both members and events through a single, advanced dashboard.

Yourmembership dashboard

Yourmembership excels at creating engaging, mobile responsive websites with futuristic features such as Microsites and expert website design assistance.

Pros of Using Yourmembership

Highly intuitive backend that makes updating and editing content a breeze.

It allows for seamless integration of the members’ registration pages and the events section.

It offers excellent accounting tools to help with invoice generation and delivery, tracking financial information such as the members’ donations and dues.

Cons of Using Yourmembership

The content editing and customization options are limited in comparison to other top membership website builders.

Yourmembership is one of the pricier software for building membership websites which makes it unaffordable for businesses with a limited budget

Create a site

Weebly

Weebly is one of the easiest to use website builders with membership features such as single click members’ login, different membership tiers, email newsletters and online store.

Weebly membership area

With Weebly, you don’t need to traverse a learning curve to create your membership website. Simple, drag-and-drop mechanism allows you to select the desired elements and click on them to edit or include additional features. It’s an excellent choice for businesses who aim to quickly build a community and offer online courses.

Pros of Using Weebly

Websites built with Weebly are practically ad-free. Weebly’s personal and free membership website builder plans include a Weebly logo at the screen’s bottom. Even the logo is absent in Weebly’s paid plans.

Unlimited navigation levels which support the creation of large, complex website structures.

Cons of Using Weebly

Doesn’t support multilingual sites. Character sets for languages such as Arabic, Chinese and Russian aren’t fully supported.

Certain features are too pricey compared to other top membership site builders. Attaching an email address to your website’s domain, for instance, entails a monthly cost of $6.

Create a site

Thinkific

Thinkific is one of the most popular and powerful platforms for creating, promoting and selling online educational courses.

Thinkific

You can include high resolution videos, images and rich text in your courseware. In addition, you can offer downloadable content such as quizzes, tables and certificates. The free plan includes excellent customization options and is great for new instructors who’re just starting out selling online courses. The premium plans allow you to create unlimited courses.

Pros of Using Thinkific

Thinkific allows you to extend a monthly payment option for the pricier courses.

The excellent voice-over tool for creating PowerPoint presentations allows even beginners to create quality video content.

Cons of Using Thinkific

Thinkific lacks integrated features for email marketing, so you’ll have to rely on third-party email providers.

Doesn’t offer chat support.

Create a site

Kajabi

Kajabi enables you to create and market membership websites, online coaching programs and courses using single-click templates.

Kajabi dashboard

Kajabi Pipelines offers custom automations for optimizing and scaling your website and online courses which reduces your team’s workload. The platform specializes in building large scale, close-knit online communities based on your business’ terms and conditions.

Pros of Using Kajabi

It has an excellent mobile app that facilitates better connectivity and uninterrupted learning. The app is included in all of Kajabi’s plans.

The visual email builder features allows for creation of beautifully personalized messages integrated with countdown timers, videos and animations.

Cons of Using Kajabi

It has a limited library of landing page templates.

Doesn’t support key quiz elements such as randomization and question banks.

Create a site

What Is a Membership Website Builder?

Membership website builders allow you to create gated or members-only websites having features such as paid membership, discussion forums, knowledge-based webinars, courses or classes, ebooks, and newsletters, along with exclusive perks such as free or expedited shipping, early access, discount offers and more. These membership websites can be paid, free, or include a tier-based monetary system for their members.

If your goal is to create a membership website, even the most popular or highest rated regular website builders can turn out to be inadequate. While many top-rated generic website builders do include premium membership features, you can only access them via additional plugins. The act of adding membership features by scouring through dozens of plugins can be both time-consuming and ill-suited to individuals that lack prior coding experience and technical skills.

What Is a Membership Website Builder?

A good membership website builder offers powerful, built-in membership tools such as recurring membership payment, discussion boards, Q&As, and drip campaign management – definitely the best choice for building your online membership platform.

What can you do with a Membership Website Builder?

In addition to the necessary website building tools such as customizable templates, the ability to add and modify pages, graphics, and media, the best membership website builder will also help you accomplish these tasks:

Create an Intranet portal for your members

With a good membership website builder, you can set up a password-protected intranet portal and create secure pages where members can sign up for exclusive programs and courses, share their personal details and engage other members in the discussion.

Create and manage dedicated member directories

A members’ directory is a handy means of listing and categorizing members who’ve signed up for exclusive products or services. It’s also a much-sought feature among the members for searching and connecting with other members. A good membership website builder allows you to create and manage the members’ directories in an easy, efficient manner.

Create and manage dedicated member directories

Plan and run effective marketing campaigns

A good membership website builder can help you market your products and services by using efficient marketing tools that aid in creating and customizing microsites and promotional campaigns that target email addresses and the members’ individual profile pages.

In addition to these benefits, the right membership website builder can also help you manage the events calendar, allow for a mobile check-in facility and e-ticketing. The best builders offer extensive learning material and expert, round-the-clock customer support, so you can get quick responses and resolutions to your queries and complaints.

Criteria To Select a Membership Website Builder

How to build a website with user accounts? You have two options – either to opt for a hosted solution or to install a plugin to your existing CMS platform. Both options can work equally well so don’t get into the analysis-paralysis mode.

Choose a platform that offers multiple pricing options and fits into your budget constraints. Look for hidden costs that come in the guise of set-up, support, or additional features.

Your chosen platform should be easy to learn, with minimal steps for adding new users. Check if you can test the platform from the user’s perspective to better understand its intuitiveness and simplicity.

Most providers offer a basic security level to all businesses. If you are considering additional security levels in your website, for example adding a captcha or two-factor authentication, check your options with the service provider.

Know what are the learning and engagement tools provided by the platform. If you are an educator, you would probably want learning management software integrated into your website.

What are the options to create a forum or community? Does the platform have built-in forum features or do you need to add third-party tools?

Opt for platforms that have tiered membership levels so you can segregate members according to services offered.

You would probably have events that users can sign up for. Look for platforms that include tools like event calendars and online registrations.

The Best Membership Website Builder for You Is…

Different businesses have different needs, but a common thread across all membership sites is the membership base. Your membership base is dictated by the niche you have created for yourself in the industry. Hence, it would be wise to choose a website builder according to your business goals and the structure of your membership plans.

The Best Membership Website Builder for You Is...

For example, an e-learning site will need a website builder that has LMS software support. On the other hand, an e-commerce site will have to go for a platform that allows an online store. Some of your subscription models may need drip content to ensure recurring revenue. If your chosen website builder fails to provide any of the necessary integrations, your business model falls apart even before you begin.

It is also a good idea to keep the pricing constraints in mind while choosing a website builder with membership feature. What may fit an enterprise-level company may not be feasible for small businesses. Ideally, you should look for a platform that offers your users a rich set of features with a comprehensive and integrated experience, all under one roof.

What do you need to create a Membership Website?

Membership website builders such as MemberSpace have made the act of creating gated pages and websites easier than ever. The real challenge lies in converting your existing customer base into paying members and creating content that will invite new members to sign up. Creating the best membership platform for your business requires you to focus on these key factors:

Identify and target your audience

If you’re creating members-only pages for an established ecommerce business, you already have a customer base and need to focus on designing/presenting your products or services for a paid model. When creating a new members-only business from scratch, put some time into researching the current and recent trends, the competition, as well as the customers’ needs and unmet demands. Your members-only content needs to be tailored to the age, spending ability, and requirements of the target customer segment.

High-value content and services

Your membership website’s products or services need to be of high value in order to warrant paid member subscriptions. If, for instance, your product is online courses, you should look to ensure the course material is up-to-date, the curriculum description is accurate, and that the course has good accreditations. It’s best to incorporate popular content delivery methods such as video, email, and downloadable PDFs so you can target customers that favor different learning styles.

Decide on the type of membership and charges

One of the biggest decisions to make when creating a membership website is the cost and duration of the membership. If you’re offering a wide range of services, you may categorize them into different membership plans. If you stand to make money through sources such as displaying ads, affiliate marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, you can also consider offering a free membership plan.

What features should a Membership Website Builder include?

When you’re looking for the right membership website builder for creating your membership platform, make sure to look for these features:

What features should a Membership Website Builder include?

Efficient forum software

Make sure the forum software of your membership website builder enables the members to customize their profiles. The ability to customize aspects such as profile pictures and watch or reading lists empowers the members, enhancing their engagement and overall service experience.

The forum software should have a good text editor and allow private messaging between the members. Customizable comment signatures and achievement-based rewards are some of the most vaunted forum features of the day. Make sure your chosen membership website builder includes these.

Easy, secure membership payments

The website builder you choose should allow for seamless, secure recurring payment for the membership fee. It should allow the members to set up membership renewal via both manual and automatic means. If you’re interested in offering a time-based trial membership, the website builder should allow the member to cancel or pay for his/her membership at the end of the trial period.

Your membership website builder should be able to work with multiple payment gateways, including all the popular payment channels such as credit card, debit card, net banking, PayPal, and digital wallets.

High-end membership features

Your pick of membership website builders should ideally allow for adding unlimited members as well as creating a large number of membership levels. A membership level determines the range of content or services included within a certain membership plan. If you offer a wide range of paid services or have plans for future expansion, look for a website builder that offers a large number of, or unlimited membership levels.

A dedicated members’ welcome page, the ability to hide selected content, and automatic integration with your email list are some other essential features you should look for in a membership website builder.

Do Membership Sites make money?

Recent research has revealed that 70 percent of the world’s business leaders consider membership or subscription business models to be the path to future business expansion and commercial success. In addition, a staggering 82 percent of the world’s businesses are looking to adopt the membership model and utilize private websites to achieve greater financial output.

A membership website is a reliable means of creating a steady stream of revenue, typically with little start-up expenditure. It also involves a high margin of profit – if you launch your membership website with a monthly membership fee of $20, you can generate a monthly income of $1000 with just 50 members.

It’s obvious that now is the most opportune time ever to start or switch to the membership-based business model. If you’re an existing business, it’s best to transition slowly, with the goal of converting no more than 50 percent of your existing customers into paid members over a reasonable time frame. You can begin by offering newer products and services to the paying members while maintaining the traditional setup for the existing customer base, let the growth of your paid membership numbers and the quality of service attract the rest to sign up in near future.

5 Best Church Website Builders for 204

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Nowadays, having a church website is as much a necessity as having, for example, a church events calendar. In fact, the website for the church is an online newsletter where parishioners can find out the necessary information about upcoming events. In addition, donations can be set up directly through your church website. This is convenient for both parishioners and church leaders.

According to statistics, 33% of people in a survey said that they found about their Church through the Internet. So, to be able to bring people to Christ, you need to be found on the web first. Another 80% of people said that they visited the church website before visiting the church. And 64% of churchgoers mentioned the website as a factor that facilitated participation in the church.

Now, it is obvious that websites for churches should be welcoming for new and regular visitors alike. But if you don’t have the time, skill, and budget to build a religious website, it may seem like there is little that you can do.

However, church website builders are Godsends in such a situation. Unlike business website builders platforms for church website creating have special church themes and can offer unique feature for specially church website.

The Best Church Website Builders

There are a lot of website builders out there for building a church website. But only five can be called the best. Here they are:

Wix for a Church

church website builder

Wix is one of the most popular website builders on the market. It is fast, easy, and effortless. But it isn’t specifically designed for churches. However, it does have church website templates for you to choose from.

Pricing

Wix has seven affordable plans that you can choose from. The lowest plan costs $11/month (if paid annually). This makes it one of the most affordable options. You can create a free website first to analyze what Wix has to offer before financially committing to it.

Pros:

Wix comes with a drag-and-drop editor. You just need to select the elements you want on your site. And you can drop them where you want to see them. This makes it very simple to create a customized church website design.

When you create a website with Wix, it comes with hosting. This saves you from the hassle of finding another hosting service provider. With the paid plans, you also get to use a custom domain for your church website.

The church-specific templates let you add pages for events, donations, and contact. You can post sermons on your website and also share blog posts that interest your audience. And all these templates are responsive, which means your website will load perfectly on any device.

Not optimizing your website for search engines is a grave mistake. But with Wix, you won’t be making that mistake. It comes with plenty of SEO features ranging from the basic ones to even the advanced options. For starters, you can add meta title, meta description, and alt tags. You can also link your website to Google Analytics to keep track of your visitors.

Wix has a very informative Help Centre where you can find all the information you’ll need to get started. Also, you get intuitive prompts throughout the website building process. If you still feel stuck somewhere, you can contact support via phone or email. English on-call support is available 24/7.

Cons:

Wix’s only downside is that the free plan and the lowest paid plan both come with advertising. To remove the adverts, you will have to go with the $14/month plan. Also, for some users, advanced SEO with Wix can be a tough nut to crack.

Summary

If you want a professional-looking website customized to your church’s specific needs, Wix is the overall best website builder to go with.

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Squarespace

best church website builder

A study revealed that 94% of the reasons why visitors don’t trust a website relate to its design.

This means the content isn’t the only thing that needs to be up to the mark on your website. You also need perfect designs. And Squarespace is the website builder that lets you do that.

It is a generic website builder known for its extensive and exemplary collection of designs and templates.

And you can find templates suitable for church websites in the Community and Non Profit segment.

Pricing

The entry plan costs $12/month (when billed annually). With all the plans, you also get hosting and a custom domain name. While there is no free plan, you can take a 14-day trial to test the waters.

Pros:

Squarespace’s editor is made of blocks and segments. You can drag and drop different elements to the sections and create pages that have the right balance of images, text, and widgets. Also, Squarespace doesn’t just focus on ease. It is an intuitive builder that guides those who aren’t experienced.

Squarespace has robust blogging features. With a blog that is informative and engaging, you can build a regular readership. And with Squarespace’s features like RSS feed, customizable URLs, drafts, etc., creating a blog becomes very easy.

If you want to collect donations through your website, Squarespace is your best bet. Unlike other builders that just give you a PayPal button, Squarespace has a complete system in place. You get custom checkout, suggestions for donation options as well as customized email receipts to put your donation system in place.

If you would like to post sermons on your website in the form of podcasts, you can do that with Squarespace. It offers an option to syndicate the podcast, which is necessary for adding it to Spotify or Apple podcasts.

A lot of visitors to your website use mobile devices for browsing. And Squarespace supports Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). When you enable the AMP option, you can create lightweight pages that load fast on mobile devices. Also, the templates that you get with Squarespace are mobile optimized.

Squarespace has both a forum and a knowledge center that you can use. Also, you get 24/7 email support and a live chat option.

Cons:

If you are using one of the Business plans for your church website, Squarespace charges a 3% commission on donations. This fee is in addition to what your payment partner would charge. If you want to get rid of Squarespace’s commission, you’ll have to go with eCommerce plans, which are a little expensive.

Summary

While it is no doubt focused on design, Squarespace doesn’t skimp on other features. It is an all-round church website building solution.

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Ministry Designs

free church website builder

Each member of the Ministry Designs team has worked for a church ministry in the past. Their experience and skills make Ministry Designs a great pick for building Christian websites. Especially for those who want to get support and specific functionalities.

Pricing

Ministry Designs’ monthly hosting plan costs $20/month. Plus, you have to pay $1000 upfront as a one-time fee when you sign up.

Pros:

Ministry Designs comes with plenty of beautiful templates suitable for use by churches. No matter what kind of a template you are looking for, you’ll find it with Ministry Designs. Also, all these templates are responsive. This means your website will load perfectly on all devices and screen sizes.

You get a lot of features that are tailor-made for churches. You can create a calendar, add sermons, and also build an email list. These features are added, keeping in mind the need to bring in more viewers and keep them coming back for more.

Your Ministry Designs account will, by default, be a multi-user account. This helps you bring volunteers on board to help you with website building and maintenance. You can add up to three users for free. And for adding more users, you’ll need to pay extra.

Ministry Design also lets you add multimedia content to your website. You can add podcasts and video backgrounds. Plus, it comes with blogging tools as well that help you build readership.

When you sign up with the builder, you get an hour-long phone call as a welcome gesture. Then you are assigned a Ministry Success Representative who can help you learn how to build your website using screen sharing. Also, there is unlimited training available. And you can contact support as and when you need help.

Cons:

Ministry Designs’ hosting package is by no means cheap. And the one-time fee that you have to pay upfront makes it an expensive option.

Summary

If you need a lot of tech support, Ministry Designs is the website builder that will suit your needs. Customer support is where it shines brightest. But, be prepared to pay a hefty upfront fee and a high monthly charge.

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Sharefaith

free church website builder

Over 8,000 ministries have created their website with Sharefaith. And that says a lot about its efficiency and suitability. It is a dedicated church website builder that uses cutting-edge technology to spread the word of God.

Pricing

Sharefaith’s Web+Media package that you need to build your website costs $45/month. It includes free hosting and a donation system. It also comes with support for switching your site from another platform to Sharefaith.

Pros:

All the themes that you find in Sharefaith are suitable for churches. You just have to look for a theme that matches your needs. Also, you can get a demo of the templates without having to pay even a dime.

If you want to keep your audience engaged, you’ll need to add images, banners, and other multimedia content. And with Sharefaith, populating your website with graphics and visual content is a breeze. You can also add audio and video recordings of sermons on your website.

Sharefaith comes with a built-in calendar feature that lets you create a list of events, services, and more. This is a feature that you won’t easily find in generic builders.

To accept donations, you can use the Sharefaith Giving feature. There is no setup fee. Only a 3% transaction fee is charged. You can easily set up an online form and start receiving donations.

Sharefaith lets you add other users to your website. This is made possible using Advanced tools. You can use this feature to add volunteers to the website builder’s backend to update and manage the site. The level of access that additional users get can be controlled.

Cons:

Sharefaith’s expensive pricing is its biggest downside. You can get better features at a fraction of the price with the generic website builders.

Summary

If you don’t have budgetary constraints and would like to have a specific website builder suitable for churches, you can choose Sharefaith.

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Nucleus

church website builder reviews

If you want to make sure that your church has active participants and not just passive spectators, Nucleus is the website builder for you.

Well, that is what Nucleus says about itself. And with over 1,000 churches using the platform, it is evident that you can trust it too.

Pricing

The website builder in itself costs $99/month. But for the whole package, it will set you back by $125/month. This includes hosting. And you get a 30-day free trial to take it for a test drive.

Pros:

Nucleus comes with all the church-specific features. These include uploading sermons, beautiful and responsive templates, and an option for your users to get notifications and sign up for events.

Signup forms are at the core of Nucleus’s offering. You can create stellar signup forms and direct people to the forms. This helps you create a central hub for your church.

Nucleus comes with a lot of pre-created social media posts. The images come with a text overlay and suggested captions. You can use these posts on your social media channels to build a following there too.

Nucleus has a responsive support team and many informational resources that are helpful for first-timers. Also, you have an option to apply for scholarships. If you have a small church and the platform’s fee doesn’t fit your budget, you can inquire about the scholarship.

Unlike most other options in the market, Nucleus lets you test the website builder without the need to give out your credit card details. This significantly increases the trust factor. If you feel you want to use the test version for a couple of more days, you can contact the support staff for a trial extension.

Cons:

Nucleus’ support team is available only from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm EST. This can mean you have to wait for a couple of hours before your issue gets resolved. Also, the cost at which it comes is expensive when compared to other builders.

Summary

If you want your website to be the nexus of your church, Nucleus is the builder that lets you do that by centralizing control, though the facility comes at a cost.

Depending on your specific needs, you can pick the best church website builder from this list. And create a website that helps you connect existing and new visitors to your church and Christ.

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Guide for Building a Church Website

1. The Utility Of Church Websites – What Purpose Do They Serve?

A church’s website is its digital profile. It introduces prospective members to your church’s appearance, location, history and services. It also keeps existing members more connected. According to LifeWay Research, at least 80 percent of US churches have a website.

free church website builder and hosting

If you’re creating a church website, it’s essential you remember the purposes it’s required to serve:

Identify, Introduce And Promote Your Church

Your church website should be able to guide a new member to the church’s physical doorsteps! It must include photographs and videos, the church’s basic information and directions. It should act as a quick introduction to what your church is all about. The online visitor should be able to learn of your church’s leadership, vision, history and services.

Your website also needs to succeed as a digital poster for your church. It should speak in a clear, appealing way, highlight your church’s offerings and encourage people to come and visit the church.

Inform And Engage Your Congregation

The website’s interface and utility needs to be tailored to the needs and expectations of the congregation. As such, it can act as a digital platform to inform them of the church’s regular activities, future events and important updates.

Features like members’ directory, chat, blogs and online sermons are simple, effective ways of keeping the congregation engaged even on days other than the holidays and Sundays.

2. Importance Of A Competent Church Website

To help your church grow, you need a website that meets the current standards of technology and social engagement. Here’s why a competent website is important:

It Adds To Your Church’s Credibility

A competent website lends credibility to the church. It relays the church’s mission, past and present activities with the site visitors so they can develop trust in your church.

IT Is An Excellent Expansion Tool

A competent website can help your church grow monetarily and in congregation size. According to statistics, 24 percent church donations are done online. In addition, 57 percent donors prefer to donate through mobile apps. A mobile friendly church website allows users to make tithes and non-traditional donations online in a familiar, trusted and time saving manner.

3. Must Have Features Of A Church Website

What makes for a competent church website, sets it apart from the generic websites? It’s these essential features:

Easy To Find Information

Your website must include your church’s address and contact information such as working phone numbers and email and the church service schedule. This information should be easy to locate on your website, preferably through the top menu on the website’s Home page.

Online Donations

Your church website should have an online giving option, so members can tithe and offer other donations in a quick, easy way. According to church giving surveys, online giving is the preferred mode for 26 percent of people that attend mass regularly.

Online Giving report of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) has revealed that 32 percent of working age Catholics have made online donations at some point of their life. A website using reliable contemporary online giving options can significantly improve your church’s finances.

Strategically Placed Video Content

According to cisco.com, by 2022, over 82 percent of all internet traffic will be driven by online videos. It’s clear having video content on your website is important to increase user involvement. Video related to recent events and live sermons should be embedded on the website’s home page.

A YouTube channel is a great way of promoting your church and draw in your congregation. Ensure the links to the church’s YouTube channel are strategically placed on the home page. You can also include a dedicated tab for sermon video library in the home page’s main menu.

4. Which Is Better For Your Church – General Website Builder Or Church Specific Website Builder?

The answer depends on your resources, needs and finances. A general website builder is a non-specific platform to create websites that won’t really stand out from other church websites. It’s cheaper than a Church Specific website builder that designs websites around your church’s specific geography, history and offerings.

A church website builder is a platform with existing design templates, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools, site hosting, security and technical support features that enable you to build your website without having to start coding from scratch. When choosing a website builder, you have two broad choices – General website builders like Weebly, Squarespace and Wix, and Church Specific website builders like Nucleus and FaithConnector.

Church Specific website builders offer dedicated technical support to resolve any problems that may arise with your website. If you have a small budget and already have a web developer with you, you should opt for a general website builder. If, however, you’re looking to build a website around your church’s identity, speak to a target audience, and budget isn’t a constraint, a Church Specific website builder is right for you.

Criteria For Selecting A Church Website Builder

When searching for the best church website builder, make sure your choice meets these criteria:

Attractive, Flexible Design

The church website design needs to be simple, attractive and contemporary. Your website builder must satisfy these design needs. Look into the website builders’ customization options. The builder should have color schemes and templates that you like.

Dedicated Calendar

A dedicated events calendar is a must for church websites. The website builder you choose should enable you to create and easily update a calendar that relays the church’s yearly and day to day activities.

Easy Video Uploads

The website builder should allow you to easily upload videos. It’s advisable you take a close look at the website builder’s video editing options and compare these with other website builders’ before making a final decision.

Newsletter Feature

Your church’s own newsletter is a useful way of encouraging participation and promoting the church. Make sure the website builder you select has a newsletter service or allows you to add a newsletter registration form in future.

Essential Sections for a Modern Music Band or Artist Website

No matter which free music website template you choose, it can have any web design, be black or bright, or minimalistically strict. It’s all a matter of taste. But what is truly important is the structure of your music website – the sections that must be present on the site.

So, in addition to the Home page, a modern music website should have several main sections:

About

The About section is where the band or artist shares their story, influences, and background. Include a brief biography, high-quality photographs, and information about each band member or the artist. This section helps fans connect on a personal level and build a deeper understanding of the music.

Music

The Music section should be dedicated to showcasing the band or artist’s discography. Provide streaming options for fans to listen to the music, with links to popular platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or Soundcloud. If the band or artist has released physical albums or merchandise, include an e-commerce store or a link to purchase the items.

Tour Dates & Events

Keep fans informed about upcoming concerts, tours, and events by maintaining a regularly updated calendar. This section should provide details such as dates, venues, ticket prices, and links to purchase tickets. Additionally, consider including past event highlights or reviews to give newcomers a sense of the band’s live performance.

For example, take a look at the Tour page on Metallica’s official website: https://www.metallica.com/tour/ On this page, you can not only see all the scheduled concerts of the Metallica band, but also purchase tickets right away. It’s indeed very convenient.

Videos

A Videos section allows the band or artist to showcase their creative side through music videos, live performances, or behind-the-scenes footage. High-quality videos can significantly enhance fan engagement and encourage sharing on social media platforms.

News & Blog

A regularly updated News & Blog section provides fans with the latest updates, announcements, and insights into the band or artist’s journey. This content can range from new music releases to personal stories and even fan spotlights. Keeping this section updated encourages fans to visit the website regularly and stay connected.

Contact & Booking

The Contact & Booking section should provide clear information for fans, event organizers, and media representatives to get in touch with the band or artist. Include a contact form, email address, phone number, and social media links for quick and easy communication.

Social Media Integration

Integrate social media icons and feeds directly into the website to encourage visitors to follow and engage with the band or artist on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Social media integration helps drive traffic and increases the chances of gaining new fans.

Conclusion

A well-designed and comprehensive website is an invaluable tool for a music band or artist to promote their work, engage with fans, and grow their online presence. By incorporating these essential sections into the website, bands and artists can create a cohesive and engaging digital experience that leaves a lasting impression on visitors.

Best Sports Website Builders for Sports Teams, Leagues and Clubs

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As lifestyles accept the pace of modern living and human bodies adjust to the wear and tear brought upon them because of the lifestyle choices that are unavoidable in these times, health standards are fast dipping. However, in the past few years, health consciousness has kicked in, and one can see dozens of men and women from one’s own social circle opting for health services such as fitness studios, personal training, cross-fit training, and routine gym.

No wonders, these health services have picked up steam, and that’s helping several fitness experts set up profitable businesses in the form of neighborhood gyms, city wide gym networks, fitness studios, personal health coaching, and so on.

Apart from being associated with human health improvement at the core, what’s common to these health based service businesses is the need to attract people, evoking the feeling of trust, and bringing in professional management and marketing communication management to the business for maximizing revenues. Of course, this makes a business website, or at least a sophisticated informative website created with the help of business website builders, a necessity for fitness based services. Here are a few very powerful business purposes that can be solved by a website for your fitness center:

Unified channel to explain and promote your fitness solutions – Your website acts as a multimedia rich and sophisticated introduction to your health services, wherein you can provide ample information about your qualifications as a trainer, the team of health professionals working with you, health equipment and infrastructure, batch details, pricing, and health philosophy.

A 24×7 support center that manages several tasks – Beyond communication, a fitness niche website has a lot of functional benefits to offer. With bookings managers and schedulers, you can convert your fitness website into an online sale channel. With subscription lists, configurable pop ups, newsletters, and niche marketing communications features, a fitness website can be instrumental in creating more prospects for your service.

Trust builder – With so many fitness services available, it’s important to differentiate yourself, and your gym and fitness website can help here. Complement the informative health based content on your website with functional additions such as testimonials from members, extensive image galleries showcasing high intensity workout sessions in action, and broadcasting information about upcoming events and special classes.

Sell products along with services – With an ecommerce ready website, you can easily include relevant fitness products along with payment processing for your fitness services. This truly transforms your website into in integral business enabler rather than a medium of communication.

Modern sports club website builders come with the dual benefit of offering beautiful fitness niche templates upon which you can base your web design, along with several important features that can be leveraged to make your website and your fitness service successful. Let’s discuss the most popular free website builders, followed by a quick discussion about how WordPress can also be a perfect website building solution for your gyms, fitness centers, and personal training services.

Wix Free Website Builder for Fitness

sports team website builder

For any fitness studio, the template of the website has a lot to contribute to the impact, and that’s where Wix makes you win. With modern styling, state of the art design concepts, rich colors and impressive color schemes, and high quality images, Wix’s fitness theme templates are drool-worthy indeed. Wix itself is among the most coveted and simple to use sports team website builder. Throw into the mix Wix’s competence in terms of creating mobile ready websites, and the free hosting benefit, and you have everything in place to create a successful, stylish, and functionally empowered website for your gyms and health salons.

Let’s know a little more about Wix’s most relevant features for your fitness center:

A socially integrated and blog-ready website is pretty much all you need to create a bond of trust with your viewers, and Wix gives you all this with its social media integration buttons, powerful blogging module, and feed management options.

With appointment managers to facilitate planning and delivery of personal training sessions, event displays and notifications to create hype about upcoming events, and contact forms for powerful prospecting, Wix is a business ready website builder for your fitness service.

Selling additional products, apart from accepting online payments from your gym’s members, is as easy as 1-2-3 with Wix. Also, smartly use features such as opinion polls, live chat and targeted advertising campaigns, and analytics to make you website deliver an impressive user experience.

Google apps integration means that you get your personalized Google Mailbox with the website; Wix also makes business management of your fitness center manageable with tools for contacts management, toll free numbers and invoice generators.

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Webs Free Website Maker for Fitness

best sports website builder

Webs offers some really appealing health and fitness themed website templates to users, and blends the perfect degree of customization with simplicity to facilitate an unmatched website creation experience that both newbies and professional website creators will enjoy. Webs automatically creates a mobile version of your website, and changes in the desktop version are reflected in the mobile website on real time basis. Also, you can edit the fonts, headers, backgrounds, color schemes, and all prominent design elements with a few clicks using the WYSIWYG styled website builder. With theme customizations as well as some functionally empowering features, Webs is sports website builder of choice for several personal trainers already; let’s understand why:

Smart little tools help you develop a really stylish and powerful website; for instance, you have an appointment scheduler, Google Maps to explain directions to your location, site memberships with customizable settings, and the provision of offering files for download.

Webs has always ranked high in terms of offering end to end customer support, which makes it a good bet for first time website makers. Phone, chat, email – Webs covers all three convenient and effective customer support media.

With custom domain name, custom email address, and cloud hosting, Webs is the new age website builder for those who want everything under one roof.

Create astoundingly beautiful video and image galleries using the in-built gallery manager, create an e-store out of your website, enjoy the best of analytics results to fine tune the content of your website, and attract traffic with blogging built right into your website – all this and more with Webs.

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Using WordPress themes for fitness websites

The grand-daddy of website building, the content management system that is stably helping more than 50% of the total number of websites to remain accessible through WWW, is also fully loaded to help you create a great website for your fitness studios and gyms. Alongside with website builders for sports team WordPress offers you a very simple yet powerful visual website creation interface, but more importantly, it comes loaded with so many breathtakingly beautiful themes that you will find it hard to choose any website builder over it.

Before delving deeper into the features of WordPress themes for fitness websites, let’s understand that you will need to purchase a domain name and web hosting service to be able to launch your WordPress website on the World Wide Web. However, once you can undertake these two tasks, you have the best CMS to create a superb website that’s totally ready to bring in more business and enhance your service’s brand image.

WordPress comes with these special features:

Inherent SEO capabilities to help you set your website up for a search engine friendly experience on the web.

Awesome plugins to bring in all the functionality you want, right from dedicated social sharing buttons to event schedulers and appointment managers.

WordPress themes come with complete customization flexibility, hence allowing you to fine tune the design the way you want.

Setting up a web store with WordPress is also simply manageable.

Here are some of the most renowned themes for fitness websites:

Fitness Sport Gym Responsive Theme – download

sports league website builder

FitnessGYM WordPress Theme – download

sports club website builder

Fitness – Premium Gym WordPress Theme – download

sports team website builder

10 Best Open Source Ecommerce CMS

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Massive data is common to all successful ecommerce businesses, as apart from a good product at a good price, the factor that makes e-shops successful is its ability to fine tune the selling proposition for individual customers. Not only does an ideal CMS ecommerce solution get you the perfect empowered platform that you can use to publish dedicated and personalize content to users, but also the blessing that your product catalogue needs to churn out the revenues that it promises.

Beginning with an easy to use and intuitive content creation and publishing platform, and encompassing dedicated selling tools such as automated and rule based calculators and pricing elements, marketing tools such as email newsletters and customer surveys, user experience enhancement widgets such as poll and surveys, and product ratings, eCommerce CMS solutions are the vehicle for web selling success.

To create your onine store you can choose one of the best website builders, or you can choose one of the best open source ecommerce CMS. Choosing the most easy to use eCommerce CMS with a manageable learning curve, a solution hat’s as manageable as it’s scalable, and a web store management platform that empowers you towards more results in minimal time is a cricitcal success factor for eCommerce. Avoid getting lost in the ocean of several eCommerce CMS options, and go for the best in the business. Here, we offer quick reviews of 10 of the top content management systems for eCommerce.

Magento – Magnetise your e-store!

Unlike ecommerce website builders Magento is an open source ecommerce CMS that one can use to fuel the growth of online stores and content shops offering downloadable content, for free! Developers have the flexibility to alter the core codes as well as add features and even improve functionality by installing extensions through the “Magento Connect” platform. Magento is ideal for those looking to optimise back-end workflows of their businesses.

Magento

There are over 100,000 ecommerce websites built on Magento – more than any other ecommerce platform except for online website builders. You can see Magento online store examples (and not only Magento) in another review: 20 Best Ecommerce Website Examples in 2024.

Businesses that use the Community Edition of Magento, the open source ecommerce solution,in order run their online stores will obviously need to have access to their very own Magento experts, especially since Magento does not provide any sort of technical support for this software. However, the answers to the most common technical questions regarding the platform are easily available on the site’s User Forum.

Magento’s open source community is rapidly expanding and constantly engaged in helping you run your online store! Magento gives its customers access to hundreds of extensions as well as an open architecture which provides for even more functionality. Magento also allows users to integrate it with other top quality enterprise systems . For those clients running medium to large scale businesses that need constant support, additional features, and our best performance can opt for Magento’s Enterprise Edition.

Magento’s Enterprise Edition offers the following flexible features:

Flexible Marketing Promotions and Tools

Online Analytics and Reporting

Search Engine Optimization with meta-information

Site Control and Management

Google base integration and Catalogue Management

Layered Catalogue Browsing and comparison

Mobile based commerce with iPhone optimization

International, multi-lingual and multi-currency support

3 step Checkout, automated calculation of costs like Shipping, integrated and secure Payment

Feature rich customer support

Tailored customer accounts

Fully customizable order management system

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PrestaShop – ecommerce simplified

PrestaShop is a totally free, open sourced e-commerce platform solution. The software supports a variety of payment gateways likePayPal, PayPal Payments Pro DirecPay, Google Checkout, Skrill, Authorize, Netand even EBANX Checkout via their related APIs. There is an even bigger array of payment modules that are offered to customers, commercially. The Prestashop platform offers e-commerce solutions and training to various levels of merchants, developers, and integrators.

PrestaShop

Prestashop comes loaded with over 310 exquisite features that are carefully designed and developed to help businessmen increase sales with almost no effort. All the program’s features are integrated in to the software and are 100% free. It allows user to manage diversified product lists through its back-office. So, whether a business deals with one kind of product or a thousand, the easy to use interface allows users to manage complex inventories with its simple single-click updates.

Prestashop’s incredibly effective user interface is ideal for complex business needs. The platform includes features such as:

Inventory Management

Product Export to online portals like eBay

Choose the Number of Products per Page

Cross-selling

Sale of Downloadable Products

Unlimited ranges of Products, Categories, Attributes

Product Comparison

Empowering Layered Navigation

Advanced-level Stock Management

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ZenCart – Make the world your store!

ZenCart is an open source shopping cart software. The software is free and extremely user friendly. The ecommerce web site design program is developed by a group of industry experts which include people like programmers, consultants, designers and even business owners themselves. ZenCart software can be installed and set-up by anybody who possess even the most basic website building and technical skills. The software is a personal home page tool which uses a MySQL database and various HTML components.

ZenCart

Of the dozens of shopping cart programs available in the market, none come close to offering the kinds of options, features and support that are available with 100% free Zen Cart software. So much, that it gives commercial platforms a run for their money. Since ZenCart is a free Open Source software and is licensed under GPL2. This licensing allows users to freely modify the source code in whichever ways their application requires it. Because ZenCart comes with many common payment gateways built-in, users can accept payment almost immediately. And if a custom module needs to be integrated, hundreds if not thousands of community-contributed payment modules are available.

Some of the features of the ZenCart ecommerce software are:

It gives customers 24×7 shopping convenience 365 days a year.

Allows for easy updating of product catalogues without having the need for complex HTML coding that would normally be required to alter products.

It runs on the effective combination of PHP and MySQL technologies.

Provides a fool proof and secure platform that provides access only to the authorized administrative personnel.

Comes in a step by step, easy to install package.

It comes with an advanced template system which usesboth stylesheets and images.

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OsCommerce – the pioneers of ecommerce solutions

With a legacy of more than a decade of open source ecommerce solutioning, osCommerce is one of the best CMS for ecommerce of choice for more than 12,800 webmasters and sellers across the world, and is continuing to grow. With a mindboggling and whopping library of more than 7,000 add-ons, and a community of developers and users that really cares for the platform, osCommerce is right up the alley of anyone looking for a free to use ecommerce platform that has the open source blessing of an ever improving widget store.

OsCommerce

Theree is no upper limit to the number of products that can be uploaded via the platform. Thousands of free community add-ons are available which make almost any in-store function possible. The OsCommerce platform has been in the market for more than 13 years, making it the oldest ecommerce solution in the world . This ensures wide availability of active community users as well as numerous 3rd party services which integrate with it seamlessly. Also, being highly customizable makes osCommerce one of the most versatile platforms available.

OsCommerce provides support to its users in many languages, furthering its versatility. The platform comes loaded with features and is extremely easy to install and use.

OsCommerce comes with the following features:

PHP 4 compatibility with backward compatibility

Out-of-the box, fully feature enabled

Multi-lingual with English, German and Spanish as default

Unlimited product and category support

Dynamic product attribute relationship

HTML based, product descriptions

Loaded with breadcrumb trail for easier navigation

Automated website display on home page

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VirtueMart – Handle your ecommerce business with ease

VurtueMart is a free, open-source ecommerce plug-in. It works in tandem with the renowned Joomla content management system. VirtueMart is a complex ecommerce plugin which is not for the average business as it works on an entirely different platform. But, left in the hands of an experienced web developer or programmer, installing, implementing and maintaining the platform successfully can provide some very long term benefits.

VirtueMart

VirtueMart does not come with any kind hosting support and requires a separate hosting package from another vendor in order to function. Mobile compatibility is fairly effective but is only available via iVM Store application that can be purchased from the iTunes App Store or even Google Play. However, the real time application of the VirtueMart plugin is best limited to computer use.

The VirtureMart plugin has the ability to handle “one off” products because it stores every single purchased product’s details as well as the user information in a completely separate component. This user information is entirely in the control of the administrator. In terms of payment options PayPal is the easiest to install and can be done at no cost whatsoever. Conclusively, the VirtueMart plugin is ideal for small to medium scale online retailers who have advance-level technical knowhow.

The VirtueMart plug-in comes loaded with more than 500 features, some of which include:

Enabled with the widely used Joomla extensions

Equipped with a fully customizable shopper input form

Inventory warnings

Virtual stock processing

Multiple payment, vendor , and shipping options

SEO integrated reviews provided by default

100% anonymous checkout portal

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AlegroCart – making ecommerce as simple as 1-2-3

AlegroCart is a shopping cart solution for all your ecommerce website needs. It is open-source, and is based on the MVC framework. The features of AlegroCart include maintenance mode, worldwide currency support system, and even comes with multilingual capabilities for ease of use.

AlegroCart

AlegroCart even has SSL support, one-click currency updater features and also multiple tax and weight classes, providing all-round shopping cart usability. You can use this to display products that can be categorised on the basis of search or manufacturer, and you can add instant price updates on multiple products as well. There is also a selectable picture size option, where you can display your products in the size you want. The solution even comes with automatic search engine URL alias generator, and with full SEO optimization. Apart from these, other great features include:

You can display products based on current, featured, latest, related products and so on.

Modifications in one file in one template ensure that the changes are done with the same file in other templates as well.

Templates include display templates, side column templates and a centre multiple column template as well.

All of the module display pages have an Ajax add to cart function, which you can switch on and off as and when required.

Searching by the cart is done on the basis of product name or number.

You can display quantity discount options by the percentage of the price of the product available.

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OsCmax- the one-stop solution for all your shopping cart needs

OsCmax is one of the most proficient CMS for ecommerce websites and is used extensively nowadays by start-up and growing businesses. This ecommerce CMS includes a plethora of stunning features, starting from unlimited categories for products and coupons and gift vouchers, to a web based admin panel that makes it easier to manage your website and its contents. Other features also include virtual and downloadable product support and integration and support of various popular payment methods such as PayPal, real time credit card processing and AuthorizeNet.

OsCmax

With osCmax, users can also track the full inventory at all times and the application even supports Fedex shipping capabilities and USPS and UPS. Data entry is Excel based, so anyone can get started with this right away. Customer credit reports and customer wishlists can also be saved effortlessly with this application. And apart from these, a gallery of other features include:

Specials display on the main page by default.

Per product shipping options.

Descriptions of all categories neatly displayed.

Separate pricing options for varieties of customers such as wholesale, retail or customised groups.

Products listed by columns.

A dynamic meta tag generator.

It also comes with admin controls and toggle.

Compatible with almost all the modules on the osCmax platform.

Payment methods include Geo Quick Trust Payments, standard osC Credit Card, EFS Net, or simple money orders and cheques.

There is also an admin log for easy categorization and options for affiliate news and affiliate newsletter manager.

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WordPress Ecommerce – the grand daddy of ecommerce CMS platforms

WordPress is one of the pioneers in the field of building websites from scratch, and with exciting features. It packs a punch in terms of useful features for CMS systems. Of the many WordPress Ecommerce features is the fact that not only can store owners use the readymade ecommerce templates, but can also explore design differentiation with CSS and HTML. These packs come with video tutorials for easy setups, and there are integrations with popular payment gateways such as Stripe, Gold Cart, and the best part is, you can integrate automatic pricing modules and offer sophisticated discounts and rebates to frequent shoppers.

WordPress Ecommerce

Here’s a look at some more special features. And a variety of other features include:

Strength and flexibility both on the back end and front end.

Hundreds of unique themes to choose from, and each one is customisable to the last point.

Premium extensions can be added as and when you need, such as table rate shipping, product CSV Import Suite, bookings and others.

You get a host of free extensions such as delivery notes, Google Analytics, PDF Invoices and Packing Slips, Custom Product Tabs Lite, etc.

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Implementing the most fine tuned ecommerce strategies with Drupal Ecommerce

Drupal Commerce is the best way to go about managing or configuring your ecommerce website according to your needs since it’s one of the best ecommerce CMS. It has very stringent development standards, and comes with features designed for maximum flexibility. Out of its many features, Drupal Commerce comes with the advantage of creating different custom attributes, VAT support, tax calculation and even discount pricing rules. You even get dynamic product displays and order management means and methods for smooth running of your website.

ecommerce cms platforms

Users can also follow different and multiple payment gateways and Drupal Commerce also comes with integration with Drupal 7’s Fields, Rules, Views and Entity API as well. You can enhance all the modules such as payment modules and PCI compliance, and get the top notch features of analytics as well. Why not check out these top notch web commerce enabling features available with Drupal Commerce?

The platform even comes with full documentation in terms of commerce kick-start guides, merchant guides and developer guides as well, and a host of other strong features like adaptability to any kind of changes that your website goes through.

Users get establish social network integration with top networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

There are many theme layers, with fully customisable features and is fully responsive, so it works on all display devices.

Smart check out processes and integrated payment gateways enable fulfilling shopping experiences for users.

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