The Importance of A Small Business Website
Are you getting the most out of your website? For the vast majority of small businesses, a website serves as little more than a way to provide general service information, generate leads and possibly sell a few products. Other businesses, though, use their websites as the main point of contact and the primary source of revenue. If you want to be in the latter camp, you don’t have to be a brilliant web designer. The best website builder for a small business can help you create an outstanding, engaging site that drives revenue and increases brand awareness.
- Wix has hundreds of templates geared toward every major industry
- Jimdo’s intelligent design wizard is effortless to use
- Site123 builds elegant websites in a matter of minutes
- WordPress is the go-to for millions of people around the world
- Weebly boasts an accessible editor that makes design easy
Here’s a deeper look at the best free website builders for small businesses:
1. Wix: The Best Free Website Builder
Wix is the most highly recommended website builder for small businesses. Just look at the numbers: Wix has more than 43 million users, with another 45,000 people signing up each day. The secret to Wix’s success is simple: There are hundreds of templates to choose from, suitable for any industry you can imagine. No matter what your line of work is, you’ll find a Wix theme that will make your business stand out from the competition.
Whether your goal is to establish a business site, a photography gallery, or anything in-between, there is a template for you. Once you’ve selected the template, setting up the rest of the site is very straightforward—all you have to do is replace the existing images and text with your own. The drag-and-drop feature allows you to customize sites however you’d like, and Wix includes a built-in Ecommerce shop and dedicated customer support. The platform even makes your website mobile-friendly, so that your customers can find you on the go.
2. Jimdo: A Hassle-Free Website Builder
Jimdo’s greatest strength is Jimdo Dolphin, a smart website builder that essentially does the legwork for you. While it doesn’t offer quite the same quality and variety as Wix, Jimdo’s a solid solution for small business owners who don’t want to sacrifice quality for ease.
Jimdo lets you build a website in a manner of minutes, though customization options are available for those who would like some hand in the design process. Those pressed for time can upload their logo and Jimdo will automatically select matching themes and colors. Users can choose from a wide variety of templates and stock photos, or upload their own images and customize their text. And crucial for small business websites, Jimdo’s free plan includes built-in social media tools, photo galleries, video embedding, and contact forms.
3. Site123: A Time-Saving Website Builder
Site123 makes building a website feel effortless. Its site-building wizard organizes a fairly large selection of professional templates and other design flourishes into a graspable whole, allowing those with time constraints to capture their business’ identity in simple but elegant layouts. Its simplicity hardly betrays its powerful feature set. Small business owners will find booking schedulers, logo designers, and SEO tools, and 24/7 live support. In addition, every website built by Site123 is mobile-ready and equipped to host online stores.
4. WordPress: The Most Popular Free Website Builder
WordPress is a household name, even for those who’ve never considered or even understood website design. That alone speaks to its approachability and popularity: indeed, WordPress makes taking your small business online an easy, hassle-free endeavor. With its rich templates, sleek, professional looking designs, and celebrated adaptability, WordPress is a natural go-to for millions of people trying to promote their small online business.
5. Weebly: An Approachable Free Website Builder
Weebly combines simplicity and sophistication into an approachable, easy-to-use website builder. The free version isn’t as packed as the paid version, but for small businesses just starting out or looking to experiment before investing in a paid website service, Weebly makes a good argument for itself.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Small Business Website?
As a small business owner, you don’t have to shell out thousands of dollars to a web designer to craft a profitable site. Nor do you have to settle with a homepage that looks, well, homemade. These days, website builders like Wix provide elegant templates, drag-and-drop design tools, and all the add-ons that can produce a professionally designed website quickly, and more importantly, for free. That way, small business owners with little time or coding experience can still broadcast their business online without compromising on aesthetics or functionality. Just know what you want to say and how you want it to look, and let one of the best website builders do the rest.
