What is a Website Builder?
Businesses need websites for branding, visibility, and revenue. Whether a startup or an SME (small-medium-size enterprise), everyone benefits from having an online presence. But not everyone can afford to hire a website developer or knows how to code.
Fortunately, technological advancements made website building easier. Right now, anyone can create visually stunning and mobile-responsive websites without coding knowledge.
Let’s explore this technology here and how to use it and set up business success.
A website builder
As the name implies, a website builder is a tool that lets anyone design, manage, and publish a website without learning to code. Its user-friendly interface and its drag-and-drop functionality simplifies website related tasks—from building to maintenance. One can be creative with it, as it allows building professional websites from scratch or use readily available templates.
With a little tinkering, it’s easy to create your website layout and style while integrating your branding elements. This is because the complex part of the system runs behind the scenes. The user-facing part is simple and easy to learn.
Types of website builders
Online website builder
Online website builders are website building tools that require online access. This type is usually an inclusion to website hosting packages. While a website builder is a tool to create your website, web hosting is a service needed to store website files and publish them online.
Online website builders nowadays feature AI elements — with a few prompts, they can create a site for you, write your marketing copies, or even design your company logo, like Domain.com’s AI website builder.
Offline website builder
This type of website builder allows you to design and edit a website on a device offline. Unlike the online website builder, this type requires in-depth coding knowledge and expertise as it doesn’t come with any templates, preset designs, or drag-and-drop features to assist you.
How does a website builder work?
Website builders simplify the process of building a website. Think of them as digital construction kits.
Offline builders are like physical construction kits. You have all the pieces, but you need to assemble them yourself. Publishing your website requires additional steps.
Online builders are more like pre-assembled playsets. All the parts are already built; all you need to do is arrange them according to your liking. They’re also connected to a hosting service, which makes it easy to store your website’s content and publish it online.
With an online website builder, you can easily drag and drop elements like text, images, and videos to create your website. You can customize your website’s design, add pages, and set up features like contact forms and eCommerce stores. Once you’re happy with your design, you can publish it with a single click.
Online website builders are user-friendly, so you don’t need to be an expert to create a professional-looking website.
Why you should use a website builder
Website builders are perfect for beginners and startup businesses. Especially those who don’t have enough time or expertise to build a website from scratch—or funds to hire professional web developers.
Here are some of the main reasons people use website builders and why you should, too:
Builds a website quickly
In many circumstances, a small business needs more than just a functional, good-looking website. The site also needs to be user-friendly and secure, and the website builder can provide you with all these in a matter of minutes.
Website builders are built with your customers in mind. It provides you with ready-made templates composed of essential components like a navigation bar, customizable pages, and easy-to-create contact forms, so setting up your site is done in a few clicks. On top of that, most service providers include an SSL certificate for each website builder purchase, so you are assured of having a secure website from day one.
Limits major errors
Being pre-coded, you have less room for error when using a drag-and-drop website builder. Taking the editor to its limits through experimentation will less likely produce any site-breaking damages. You can pair up any theme with any colors and any additional components, all in the comfort of a controlled environment.
Plus, if you make a mistake, most website builders feature an ‘undo’ button, and some even save copies of your website’s previous versions that you can restore.
Caters to users with low technical skills
You can work with website builders without prior programming or design knowledge. The site editor tool has pre-made templates made by professional designers, so you can easily switch to any designs anytime.
Affordable and easy to maintain
It’s cheaper to use a website builder than to hire a professional developer. Since website templates are pre-coded in website builders, there’s little need for upkeep and maintenance, so you don’t need a developer on your payroll. The web host takes care of the system updates on the backend to keep things safe and secure.
Also, most service providers like Domain.com offer website builders for free within their hosting package, so you don’t need to pay for both separately.
Provides customer support
Website builder providers like Domain.com offer 24/7 technical support, so you are assured of receiving guidance in dire circumstances. If you want to take it further and have the budget for it, you can also enjoy custom design services, which brings in an expert to help you bring your ideas to life.
The downsides of website builders
Despite its usefulness, website builder has its own downsides. Below are some of the most notable ones that have a massive impact on your website or business.
Limited customization and flexibility
Website builders often provide a selection of templates and themes, but they may not allow for extensive customization beyond these presets. You are only limited to what the builder is designed to do.
Bounded scaling
If you have a growing website, then the website builder may not be for you. Sites that get high traffic may need more server setting customization. Most website builders cannot give you those as they limit customization and prohibit changes to server configuration.
Limited ownership and control
Many website builders operate on proprietary systems, meaning you don’t have full ownership of your website’s code or content. Website builders are built using the provider’s codes and design, so they are incompatible with other platforms. Because of this, transferring your website becomes challenging and often requires a complete rebuild.
Who should use a website builder?
Website builders are suitable for less experienced users with websites requiring less maintenance, customization, and server resources. They are individuals or brands needing simple sites for portfolio showcasing, blogging, or selling products and services online. Here’s a detailed look at who should consider using a website builder:
SMB owners
Small businesses often operate on tight budgets. Website builders provide a cost-effective solution eliminating the need to hire professional web developers. Entrepreneurs can swiftly launch their websites, allowing them to start attracting customers sooner.
Individuals with personal projects
Those who want to share their thoughts, stories, or expertise can use website builder as a blogging platform to build their personal brand and establish an online presence.
Freelancers and consultants
Freelancers can use the website builder to display their work samples, client testimonials, and services offered on a static portfolio page. With the help of its vast library of well-made templates, freelancers can enhance credibility and attract potential clients by having a professional-looking site.
eCommerce startups
Entrepreneurs who sell products online can set up basic eCommerce functionalities with a website builder. Online shops from website builders usually have pre-made features that allow you to easily manage products, track sales, and handle shipping options within the platform. Website builders such as Domain.com’s often include SSL certificates and secure payment gateways.
How to choose the right website builder
What makes for a good website builder depends on your current needs and future goals. Website builders can be limiting for well-established businesses with great demands for resources, but it can be beneficial to startups with limited budgets.
Yet, there are universal characteristics shared by all website builders to look out for. We’ve prepared a detailed guide for the best website builder in another article, but here are some of the most important qualities a good one must have:
User-friendliness
Even though website builders nowadays boast features that give you a seamless website-building experience, some of them are difficult to use due to poor design. A good website builder should have an intuitive interface that anyone can easily navigate—even for a novice.
Templates & Customization
When using website builders, many users fear their site ending up looking cheap or looking like other sites using the same tool. While this is a valid fear, most web builder tools nowadays have plenty of customization options that can make your website stand out.
A website builder with tons of customizable templates. This design template allows you to design a site true to your branding without looking like a dupe.
Analytics and SEO tools
Keeping track of your website’s growth is essential. Today, with analytics tools, you can see a full view of their site’s statistics, allowing you to see if your strategy is working. On top of analytics, most website builders allow you to use SEO tools, so you can optimize your website for search engine results, increasing its online visibility and web presence.
eCommerce
If you plan to build an eCommerce platform on top of your website, look for a website builder with a built-in online shop, so setting up your eCommerce platform can be done in just a few clicks. Additionally, look for online shops that have analytics, easy inventory management, seamless checkout, and secure payment that supports a variety of methods, such as PayPal and Stripe.
How do I get started with a website?
It starts with the domain name
Before building a website, you’re going to need a domain name. A domain name is your website’s address and brand identity. For example the domain name of this blog post is domain.com.
You can buy your domain from your website builder company or look for a different domain name provider to manage your domain.
The following are the steps on how to buy a domain name:
- Go to your provider of choice’s webpage and look for a domain search bar.
- Enter the name of your preferred domain, and the lookup tool will check if it’s available.
- If not, and you’re out of domain name ideas, you can use Domain.com’s AI Domain Generator. Just give the AI a short description of your site; you’ll be surprised how useful most of its suggestions are.
- Once you’ve found an available name, add the website hosting plan that includes the website builder.
- Proceed to checkout and fill out your contact details: name, address, email address, phone number, etc.
After your account is set up, you can start building a professional website. Proceed to the website builder page in your provider’s control panel and explore their library of templates. Customize them according to your liking and publish them when ready.
To publish your website online, set up the domain name to correctly point to your website.
Start building your own website!
A website builder is a tool that allows novices and pros alike to create professional websites. With the website builder’s powerful tools, user-friendly design, and ready-made templates, it’s never been easier for you to build a website and expand your online presence.
Start with finding a reputable service provider that takes care of you from start to finish. Domain.com has the tools to help you all the way through—from choosing a domain name to troubleshooting post publishing. Begin your online journey with us and get your website builder and domain name for free on all our web hosting packages.
