The best website builder for small businesses: A simple guide.
It’s the ultimate question - which website builder should I use for my small business? There are so many options out there that choosing can be really overwhelming. So look, I know how busy you are. I know you haven’t got hours to read a lengthy blog post and you’ve got a million and one jobs to tick off today, so let’s just get down to the nitty gritty.
What’s the best website builder for small businesses?
Straight up, before you have to read anymore, I’d recommend Squarespace (I promised I’d get straight to it!). It’s the platform I use for most of my clients and it’s perfect for small businesses like yours.
Why I love Squarespace for small business websites
First and foremost, it’s really easy to use. And easy is what you need, right? With limited tech know-how, you can set up a good looking website that just works. It’s a drag and drop builder, so you don’t need to use any coding and the themes work really well on mobile devices (mobile layout is super important - don’t skip it!).
It’s got built-in ecommerce functionality, which again, is pretty straightforward to use and so adding in your products and shipping options etc doesn’t require a steep learning curve (or multiple late nights tearing your hair out).
You can add a blog (with built-in AI, though use with caution!), there’s built-in analytics so you can see who is landing on your site, there are galleries and forms and buttons and all the things you need to build yourself a gorgeous website.
Finally, there is built-in mailing list software, so not only can you capture peoples email addresses through beautiful pop-ups and strategically placed opt-ins, but you can also send them emails directly from within your Squarespace account. Win!
Who might Squarespace not work for?
As with anything, there are always negatives, but these are only negatives if they apply to your small business. I’d say the two major reasons Squarespace might not be for you are firstly, if you have a need for bespoke website customisation and functionality or secondly, if you sell a large number of complex products.
The reason Squarespace is so easy to use is because it limits how much you can do with it. There are only so many layout options (although there are plenty!) and you are limited to the functionality that’s already built in. You can’t add on external plugins and you can’t choose from thousands of theme templates. So if you want a specific layout or if you need bespoke functionality, it might not be the platform for you.
Likewise, setting up your shop in Squarespace is easy because it’s limited in what it can do. For smaller shops that need basic products and stock management, it’s perfect (I use it for my product based business and it’s been great). However if you have a more complex product range or a huge stock, it might not be powerful enough.
What other website builders are suitable for small businesses?
If Squarespace doesn’t sound right for your business, then I would recommend either Shopify or Wordpress. There are loads of other website builders available, but honestly, I would just stick to one of these platforms, as you aren’t going to be getting anything more else elsewhere.
Shopify
Shopify is such a powerful ecommerce platform and it’s perfect for big online shops, so if you need to know that you have every ecommerce feature going, then Shopify is your platform. It’s going to require a little technical know-how and it will take you longer to build, but if strong ecommece is what you need, then this is where you need to be.
Wordpress
Wordpress is ideal for those of you that have a really specific idea of how you want your website to look and you want complete flexibility on the design. There are thousands of themes available for Wordpress and these can be further customised should you need to. On top of that, there are thousands of plugins for Wordpress, so you can bolt-on any extra functionality you need. If you need an online shop too, you can use the WooCommerce plugin. Keep in mind though that Wordpress is a much steeper learning curve and you will need a lot of technical know-how to get your website set up.
How much do website builders cost?
Of course, there are costs to consider with each platform too. If you want to get an idea for how much these website platforms cost, you can read more about it here - How much does a small business website really cost.
So there you have it, a very simplified guide to which website builder is best for your small business. If you have any further questions, drop me a message and I’m more than happy to help.
If you feel slightly overwhelmed by the task of building your own website, why not let me help? I’m dedicated to helping female small business owners get online with beautiful, affordable websites. Find out more below.