Having a website is still crucial for money makers in 2022, and time is just as essential. So how do you build your website yourself in a very short time? Today, there are hundreds of website and landing page builders to help you without writing code.
However, choosing a suitable website builder is a challenging task for every beginner. In this guide, we have analyzed top website builders for publishers and webmasters.
We’ll help you decide on a website builder that suits your monetization goals: blogging, ad placement, affiliate marketing, e-commerce, and more.
Content
- The Best Website Builders In 2021
- Content
- Best free website builder (Wix)
- Best website builder for quick customization (Squarespace)
- Best website builder (Weebly)
- For a customized experience (Duda)
- For writers and bloggers (WordPress.com)
- For basic no-frills websites (GoDaddy)
- For basic e-commerce (Shopify)
- For bigger stores (BigCommerce)
- For visitor stats (Simvoly)
- For image libraries (uKit)
- 5 questions you must answer before choosing a website builder
- What is the purpose of your site?
- How much design control do you want?
- How big is your site?
- How important is e-commerce?
- How flexible do you want to be with the host?
- Conclusion
- Video Streaming
- Online tools and services,
- Online courses
- File Hostings and Storages
- Music and Movies
- Books and Comics
- Anime and Manga
Best free website builder (Wix)
Wix is a simple builder that allows you to create a website using a drag-and-drop interface quickly—no coding or FTP knowledge is required. Wix has notable features such as online asset storage for your website, e-commerce tools, cool video backgrounds, title animations, mobile apps, and a functional free plan.
Its new Editor X interface is intuitive and powerful. To get started with Wix’s web hosting, all you need is an email address. Wix also lets you add third-party code and add Advertisements to your website.
Pricing Plans: If you don’t mind ads by Wix, you can create a website for free. More pricing info: https://www.wix.com/upgrade/website
Best website builder for quick customization (Squarespace)
Squarespace, like almost every other website builder, lets you select a template. Squarespace asks you about your niche, which you can choose from a list of pre-defined categories such as Music, Food, Marketing, and Gaming. Then you select your site’s objective, such as announcing events, displaying art, blogging, or selling products.
Squarespace has many appealing options, including full-photo backgrounds and some of which have scrolling interfaces. Each template is labeled with a category— Blog, Art & Design, or Media & Podcast, to narrow down your search results. You can preview each template before you begin the creation and editing process.
Although Squarespace does not have a built-in advertisement integration, you can include ads on your site using third-party services like Google AdSense.
Pricing Plans: Squarespace does not offer a free plan. Pricing starts at $12 per month (annual payment option). More pricing info: https://www.squarespace.com/pricing
Best website builder (Weebly)
Weebly has a clean, simple UI (user interface) that makes it simple to create great-looking, responsive websites. Weebly’s appealing template designs and integrated e-commerce features provide excellent site-building versatility, particularly for mobile websites. On the other hand, it lacks a global undo button, the option to reuse uploaded photos, and allows for very minimal theme modification.
You can start designing your Weebly site after registering via email. Unlike Squarespace, Weebly has a free plan. Naturally, the free plan has some limitations. Your website will have 500MB of storage, a Weebly domain name, Weebly ads, and a maximum file size of 10MB. On the bright side, all Weebly plans include unlimited monthly data transfers.
Weebly’s blogging interface is as simple as the rest of its website builder, with a New Post button at the bottom of any Blog page. You can drag and drop any element from the sidebar into your blog post.
Pricing: Weebly’s free plan is one of the best by any website builder. It’s notably generous with e-commerce features: no transaction fees, unlimited listings, gift cards, in-store pickup, Instagram, and Pinterest integrations. More pricing info: https://www.weebly.com/pricing
For a customized experience (Duda)
To get started, you can choose from 110 appealing, modern website templates. There is a search bar if you are sure of the template you are looking for, but Duda also includes several other sorting options to help your search. You can search for a website template by color or category, including Online, Travel, Restaurant & Food, and Blog.
When you click a template thumbnail, a panel displays how the template appears when viewed on a phone or tablet. You may even preview the template on all three device types simultaneously—desktop, smartphone, and tablet. This is superior to the approach taken by other website builders.
Pricing: Although Duda does not have a free plan, you can use its 14-days free trial period to check it out. Pricing starts at $14 per month (billed annually). More pricing info: https://www1.duda.co/plans
For writers and bloggers (WordPress.com)
While the WordPress website editor is somewhat limited compared to other platforms, it is intuitive and includes most blogging tools. In general, WordPress is a good fit for bloggers who don’t want to spend time on website design. However, it feels extremely constrained for the majority of other use cases. Anyone searching for a more robust off-the-shelf CMS (content management system) might try Joomla or Drupal. Both are probably less user-friendly than WordPress but provide a greater level of customization. Unfortunately, it is not a drag-and-drop website builder like Wix or Weebly.
Pricing: The pricing plan is quite reasonable, starting at $5 per month. The WordPress website builder also offers a free plan with a lot of limitations. The $8 option appears to be the best value if you’re starting a blog to monetize its content in the future. More pricing info: https://wordpress.com/pricing/
For basic no-frills websites (GoDaddy)
GoDaddy is famous for providing custom domain names and web hosting services. It offers a similar website creation experience as the other website builders on this list. Although GoDaddy is a domain supplier, those rates do not include a domain; you must purchase one separately.
Pricing: The free version includes email, social media promotion, PayPal payment processing, and an SSL certificate. The $10 monthly subscription is the most basic; $15 adds an SEO tool; $20 gives extended support for appointments. More pricing info: https://www.godaddy.com/websites/website-builder/plans-and-pricing
For basic e-commerce (Shopify)
If Wix is the clear choice for most website building needs, Shopify serves the same purpose for an e-commerce store. The platform makes it painless and straightforward to get an e-commerce internet shop online and operating. It assists business owners throughout the process using its e-commerce tools. While Shopify is a good starting point for most retailers, it is not ideal for every circumstance.
Shopify’s platform focuses on product and sales information. For experienced sellers starting up a retail operation, Shopify’s approach guarantees that you do not skip any critical steps as you navigate your inventory, customer information, and tax & shipping rates. Additionally, if you have any questions, Shopify provides 24-hour phone and chat assistance, as well as an active online community forum.
Pricing: Shopify does not provide many pricing options, and its costs are slightly above the industry average. The $29 monthly fee for the “Basic Shopify” plan covers most essentials for an online business. Shopify’s primary disadvantage is arguably its price model. If you want assistance, guidance, and a builder who will handle most technical aspects, the additional fees are justified. More pricing info: https://www.shopify.com/pricing
For monetization from ads (WordPress.org)
Wordpress.org is arguably the best website builder for creating a website or blog with monetization as your goal. It offers some of the best blogging themes available, and it distinguishes itself even further with a diverse collection of plugins that allow you to customize your site’s functionality.
However, when it comes to SEO, WordPress.com’s native features fall short. You’re better off using a plugin like Yoast that is optimized for WordPress SEO.
Pricing: WordPress is a free platform that includes thousands of website templates and addons. It’s incredibly adaptable, and it integrates with practically every third-party tool and service available to webmasters.
For bigger stores (BigCommerce)
BigCommerce is suitable for medium to large-scale online stores that can benefit from the lack of additional transaction costs and the capacity to create limitless product variants. While the shop site builder is not as intuitive as Shopify’s, the time spent getting used to it will save you much money in the long run. When you’re just getting started, the editor has many features and flexibility but can be confusing to beginners.
Pricing: BigCommerce’s pricing tiers are identical to those of Shopify, at $29 (Standard), $79 (Plus), and $249 (Pro), although the features available at each level vary. Even the most basic BigCommerce plan, which costs $29 per month, has unlimited users, bandwidth, storage, products, and no additional transaction fees. Additionally, you can integrate your e-commerce website with eBay, Google Shopping, and Amazon. The pricing becomes more complicated at sales thresholds. More pricing info: https://www.bigcommerce.com/essentials/pricing/
For visitor stats (Simvoly)
Simvoly is a modern, competent, and user-friendly website builder whose developers are constantly introducing new features. Simvoly has recently unveiled a slew of new features designed for professionals. Yet, the website builder still manages to accommodate beginners. Unfortunately, it lacks essential e-commerce and widget alternatives.
Pricing: Simvoly offers a 14-day free trial without a credit card, and there is no permanent free plan. Simvoly’s Personal account ($18 per month) includes a single 20-page website with ten gigabytes of monthly traffic, a single custom domain, and five gigabytes of storage. Additionally, it features a five-product store with a maximum of 25 member accounts. The Business account level costs $32 per month. More pricing info: https://simvoly.com/pricing
For image libraries (uKit)
You can rely on the uKit to render your website correctly on any screen, including small mobile devices. Editing views are available for Tablet and Mobile, and you may drag and drop items and widgets within this view. Not every website builder has this feature—some show you a mobile view, but you cannot edit it.
You can activate or deactivate commentary (which requires a Disqus account) and schedule a blog post to publish at a specific day and time in the future. In general, it’s a good blogging tool—it’s neither overburdened with features nor excessively restrictive.
Pricing: uKit offers a free plan, but you must use a uKit-branded URL. The minimal plan starts from $10 per month ($7 per month billed annually). It includes unlimited pages, visitors, storage, sites, 24/7 support, and a mobile-friendly site. More pricing info: https://ukit.com/pricing
5 questions you must answer before choosing a website builder
Many website builders do not allow you to pick up and move on afterward, so it’s critical to understand what you need. Setting your website’s priorities and goals will make it easier to pick the best website builder for your needs.
In general, you can get a website for roughly $8 to $10 per month with an annual subscription. The majority of e-commerce subscriptions cost between $20 and $25 per month, and premium subscriptions with numerous editors and VIP-level assistance can cost up to $300 per month.
Selecting the best website builder comes down to what your needs are. These questions will help you determine whether you’re prepared to shop like an expert and choose a suitable website builder for your business
1. What is the purpose of your site?
Determine your website’s objective as a first step— to sell products and services. Attract new clients for your services? A portfolio website? A blog? By outlining your objectives first, you can prioritize the tools, plugins, and features you want in a website builder without distractions.
If you want a streaming platform, then choose a constructor with reliable, nimble hosting or the ability to transfer to any host. Look for a website builder with built-in players to add Video Ad Serving Templates (VAST) to your website.
WordPress: If you have a blog from an expert in marketing, dropshipping, entrepreneurship, then get WordPress. It’s excellent for both SEO and growing passive income from ads. With the right WP plugins, you can build websites for
In general, there’s a WordPress plugin for any website niche.
2. How much design control do you want?
Squarespace has a very fixed design framework, but you can alter fonts, colors, and content. Wix allows you to place anything anywhere on your website. Duda allows you to personalize the mobile experience or design unique customer experiences based on browsing history.
3. How big is your site?
Some website builders are better suited to huge site architectures (40+ pages). Therefore, it’s important to know whether your website will have numerous web pages and sections as your business expands.
Most web pages have two levels — parts and the content contained within each section — but online commerce and other websites may require additional levels. Weebly and BigCommerce are perhaps the best examples of website builders that offer many levels of navigation. However, Squarespace and Wix limit you to two.
4. How important is e-commerce?
While every website builder we listed has an e-commerce option, it does not mean they are all suitable. A WordPress website is not ideal if you intend to sell things online. In contrast, Shopify or BigCommerce is specifically designed for online sales and includes numerous e-commerce features.
If all you want is a simple, easy-to-use online storefront, one of the dedicated e-commerce builders makes the most sense. Suppose e-commerce is more of a supplementary feature on your website. In that case, you can choose the builder that feels best and sign up for its e-commerce option. Duda lets you sell up to ten things for free when you subscribe to a paid plan.
5. How flexible do you want to be with the host?
Not all website builders confine you to their hosting service. If you’re wary of commitment or believe you’ll need to transfer hosts as your business or services evolve, use a provider like Weebly or Duda. They allow you to download your website files for use on another server painlessly.
The other significant component is the risk-free trial period. The industry standard is roughly 14 days. However, some companies extend this to a month. Some do not offer a trial period but will refund your money within 30 days if you are dissatisfied.
Conclusion
If your primary goal is to increase sales, start by researching e-commerce website builders like Shopify and BigCommerce. Wix and Squarespace are excellent places to start if you’re a photographer or web designer looking to create a gorgeous website or portfolio website.
WordPress remains our top pick for the best website builder for any purpose when considering versatility, pricing, level of control. And it is friendly to ad formats as well: you can place on a WP-based website any script, from native banners to push ads (Social Bar.)
