Whether you own a small bakery, a stationery shop, or a flower boutique, having an online presence is crucial for success. A website builder for a small business can make it easy to create a professional and engaging website without requiring many technical skills.
In this blog, we’ll explore the best website builders for small businesses, breaking down the features, pros and cons, and options to help you choose the perfect platform.
Let’s get to business.
Things to Know Before Choosing a Website Builder for a Small Business
Before building a website for a small business, it is necessary to be aware of certain points that will help to choose the right setup and platform for your budding business.
Ease of Use
“Will I be able to move through the process without difficulties?” should be the first question a small business owner should ask themself before deciding on the platform that will help with the website building.
As small businesses are in the growing phase, it is mostly the business owners themselves who will be investing the time to create the website.
Hence, there’s a need to make the process as user-friendly as possible.
Customization Options
The niches vary, and each business requires different kinds of designs and elements within the website.
Some businesses require websites to show their online presence as a majority of their sales are offline. They need one-page websites.
But, as online shopping and building an online store are very relevant these days, most small businesses require a full-fledged website that showcases their products and allows customers to make purchases.
Such stores require several features and widgets to make the shopping experience seamless.
SEO Optimization
As every business has competitors, it becomes necessary to stand out to your customers. The best way to do it without initially spending too much is to have a good SEO strategy.
An SEO strategy can be done on point only with the help of good SEO tools. Hence, it becomes necessary for you to choose the website builder that offers you different tools that can enhance your overall SEO score.
Free Plan or Paid Plan
Affordability is key for small businesses. When choosing a website builder for a small business, it is quite natural to choose options that come free of cost.
For someone new to the business, it is only when you are further in that you’ll be able to understand more in-depth the different requirements that you will need for your online store.
Initially, look for basics and then upgrade on requirements.
If you don’t want to wait for how it will progress, you can right away build your website using a paid plan and upgraded features.
All-in-All Website Builder
You will have many options to choose from. But, it would be ideal if you pick a platform that solely works on building websites rather than picking up something that trades website building as one of its services.
Dedicated website builders can help align every detail of your small business website, thus meeting the needs of your users.
Now, let’s move on to the different options that you can hand-pick from.
Best Website Builder for a Small Business: Free and Paid Options
WIX
Wix is pretty much the new entrant to website building. The free plan provided by Wix can help set up your small business website easily.
The WIX website builder comes to market with the need of the hour: AI.
You can create websites with a snap of a finger without any hassle.
WIX has both free and paid plans.
Features:
- The WIX website builder gives the small business the ability to use the drag-and-drop editor.
- 900+ website templates
- Content AI helps build the content for the website.
- Extensive e-commerce functionalities.
- Easy-to-do edits within the website design.
- Built-in SEO management.
| Pros | Cons |
| Drag-and-Drop Editor which makes the process simple | Lot of features are in place which can seemingly confuse a beginner |
| AI’s help with designing websites, email marketing, and content creation | Limited Storage |
| A lot of features are in place which can seemingly confuse a beginner | You cannot change the template once your website has been aired. |
| Supports e-commerce functionality | Paid plans are more expensive when compared to other website builders. |
| Automatic backup creation | Even though mobile responsiveness is on point, some designs don’t adjust to screen specifications |
The starting pricing plan for WIX is from $17/month. You can learn more about different pricing plans.
Hostinger
As small businesses are just growing, the Hostinger website builder can be a good start as it mostly caters to the needs of beginners.
Even though Hostinger has always shined through for its hosting services, its website building also garnered attention from people.
Yet again, we have a website builder that relies on AI for website building, which makes the entire process a tad bit easier for people who do not have extensive technical knowledge.
Features:
- A drag-and-drop facilitated website builder.
- A smart grid that helps to tune the website.
- Ease of editing website from desktop or mobile.
- Customize elements easily.
- Mobile-friendly websites.
- Free domain name with the purchase of an annual plan.
- AI SEO Assistant.
| Pros | Cons |
| Hostinger’s AI website builder helps curate the website in no time | Low possibility of third-party integrations |
| Lower pricing plans for e-commerce websites | No built-in email marketing tools |
| Easy Drag-n-Drop Editor | Unlike other website builders, there are no free plans for Hostinger. But there’s a 30-day trial plan |
| 24/7 email and chat support | Low scalability as the business grows |
| Blends well with Meta and Google tools | Limited Plans |
Hostinger offers two plans: Premium Website Builder plan of $12.95/month and Business Website Builder of $14.95/month. These plans are available for a trial period of 30 days.
The Business Website Builder comes with the entire AI tools package and e-commerce features.
Squarespace
Squarespace is one of the best website builders for small businesses and individuals. The website builder comes with an AI-powered domain search tool.
To make a good small business website, Squarespace is the best go-to choice.
Features:
- Offers 180 sophisticated templates.
- Build-with AI: Squarespace Blueprint AI.
- Easy improvisation of SEO.
- Even the basic plan includes 1000 pages.
- Mobile-responsive design.
- Free Custom Domain name for one year with an annual subscription plan.
| Pros | Cons |
| 180 elegant and sophisticated templates | Not suitable for larger websites |
| Create custom-based templates with Squarespace Blueprint AI | Limited third-party app integrations |
| Extremely User-friendly | No control over website features |
| Improves on SEO | Storefront limitation to templates and features |
| Beginner-focused e-commerce setup | CMS navigation too simplified |
The business plan for Squarespace comes to $23/month. It additionally comes with a 3% transaction fee on online store transactions. You can also look into other pricing plans.
Webador
Webador is an ideal website builder for a small business and comes with both free and paid plans.
Webador brings AI to your service so that, after providing some basic information, you can sit back and relax while the website is being built.
Features:
- 50+ mobile-friendly templates.
- Intuitive web interface.
- Varied set of e-commerce tools.
- Multi-Language Support.
- Free domain name with the subscription plan.
- Aligned e-commerce tools.
- Limited SEO features.
| Pros | Cons |
| All plans have access to a wide range of stock images | Entry-level plan has ads |
| Cheap pricing plans; hence ideal for beginners and small businesses | Paid plans give access to more tools |
| Unlimited storage | Limited third-party integration |
| The entry-level plan has ads | Not ideal for extensive customization |
| Good UI/UX design | Lack of advanced features |
The pricing plan comes forever free but it’s best suited for individuals. If you want a custom domain name, then you’ll be required to purchase one of their paid plans.
Summary
Small businesses, often in their early stages of growth, require a strong online presence to thrive. This blog highlights some of the best affordable website builders—free and paid—tailored to meet their unique needs.
FAQs
- Should I go with a free or a paid plan for a website builder?
Starting with a free plan is ideal since it can be challenging to assess your requirements at the start. As your business grows, you’ll gain more clarity about your needs, making it easier to decide which features to upgrade to.
- Do website builders offer SEO tools?
Yes, most website builders offer SEO tools to optimize your site and improve its organic ranking. These include keyword management, mobile optimization, and assistance with crafting meta-descriptions.
- How much does a paid website cost?
Pricing plans vary among website-building providers. You can choose the one that best suits your needs.
- Are these websites mobile-friendly?
Yes, most website builders create mobile-friendly websites. You can find more details about each builder’s mobile compatibility in the blog.
- Can I switch website builders later?
Switching website builders can be challenging, so it’s best to choose one that supports your scalability needs from the start.
