Website Builder Advisor: Mini Guide to Choosing a Website Builder
Building a website is easier than ever. You no longer need to know how to code or hire a professional developer just to get started.
Modern website builders combine templates, drag-and-drop editors, hosting, SEO tools, ecommerce features, and increasingly powerful artificial intelligence. Some can even generate an initial website from a short description of your business or project.
But having more choices also makes choosing the right platform more difficult.
This mini guide explains the most important things to consider before choosing a website builder.
What Is a Website Builder?
A website builder is a software platform that allows you to create and manage a website without manually developing every part of the site with code.
Depending on the platform, you may get:
- Website templates
- Drag-and-drop design tools
- Hosting
- Domain connections
- Blogging
- SEO tools
- Ecommerce
- Forms
- Analytics
- Marketing tools
- AI website creation
- Mobile-responsive designs
- Integrations and apps
Some platforms are designed primarily for beginners, while others provide advanced design and development capabilities.
What Is an AI Website Builder?
AI website builders use artificial intelligence to help automate parts of the website-building process.
You may provide information about your business, industry, preferred style, and goals. The AI can then generate elements such as:
- Page layouts
- Navigation
- Headlines
- Website copy
- Images
- Color schemes
- Fonts
- Calls to action
- Basic SEO elements
AI can dramatically reduce the amount of work required to create the initial website. However, the generated website should be treated as a starting point rather than a finished product. Human editing is still important for branding, accuracy, SEO, usability, and conversion optimization.
How to Choose a Website Builder
Before signing up for a platform, determine what you actually need.
1. Consider Your Website Type
A simple informational website doesn’t require the same features as an online store.
You might be building:
- Small-business website
- Blog
- Affiliate website
- Portfolio
- Real estate website
- Restaurant website
- Online store
- Membership website
- Landing page
- Professional services website
- Agency website
- Web application
Start with your purpose and work backward from there.
2. Look at Ease of Use
If you’re a beginner, the interface matters.
A good website builder should make it relatively easy to:
- Create pages
- Edit text
- Replace images
- Change layouts
- Add forms
- Publish content
- Update your navigation
- Manage your website
AI can make the initial setup faster, but you should also evaluate how easy the site is to manage after it has been created.
3. Check Design Flexibility
Templates can give you a head start, but eventually you may want to make changes.
Look for control over:
- Fonts
- Colors
- Spacing
- Sections
- Headers
- Footers
- Images
- Buttons
- Page layouts
- Mobile appearance
Some builders prioritize simplicity, while others give experienced users much greater control.
4. Don’t Ignore SEO
Your website needs to be discoverable if you want traffic from search engines.
Look for features such as:
- Custom page titles
- Meta descriptions
- SEO-friendly URLs
- Image alt text
- XML sitemaps
- Redirects
- Structured data options
- Mobile optimization
- Fast-loading pages
- Blogging capabilities
AI can help generate SEO elements, but automated content should still be reviewed and improved.
5. Consider Ecommerce
If you plan to sell products online, make sure the platform supports your business model.
Important ecommerce features include:
- Product pages
- Shopping carts
- Checkout
- Payment processing
- Inventory
- Shipping
- Discounts
- Customer accounts
- Order management
- Tax tools
- Ecommerce analytics
Don’t choose a basic website builder and assume you can easily turn it into a sophisticated ecommerce operation later.
6. Think About Growth
Your website today may be small, but your business could grow.
Ask:
Can I add more pages?
Can I publish a large amount of content?
Can I add ecommerce later?
Can I connect additional software?
Can I change my design?
Can I access advanced SEO features?
Can I migrate if I eventually leave the platform?
The cheapest or simplest option isn’t always the best long-term choice.
Website Builder vs. WordPress
Website builders and WordPress can both be excellent choices, but they approach website creation differently.
Traditional hosted builders generally emphasize convenience. Hosting, design tools, and many technical functions are managed within one platform.
WordPress provides a much larger ecosystem of themes, plugins, hosting choices, and customization possibilities, but it can require more management.
For someone who wants simplicity, an all-in-one website builder may be attractive.
For someone who wants maximum flexibility and control, WordPress may be worth considering.
Free vs. Paid Website Builders
Many website builders offer free plans or trials.
Free plans can be useful for testing a platform, learning how the editor works, or creating a personal project.
However, free plans often come with restrictions such as:
- Platform branding
- Subdomains
- Limited storage
- Limited features
- Restricted ecommerce
- Limited customization
For a serious business website, compare the complete cost of the plan you actually need rather than choosing based solely on the free option.
How Much Should a Website Cost?
Website costs vary significantly.
Your expenses may include:
- Website builder subscription
- Hosting
- Domain registration
- Premium templates
- Plugins or apps
- Ecommerce fees
- Payment processing
- Marketing software
- SEO tools
- Professional design
- Content creation
A simple website can be inexpensive, while an advanced ecommerce or business website can cost considerably more.
The best approach is to calculate your expected first-year cost and ongoing annual cost before committing.
Website Builder Checklist
Before choosing your platform, ask:
☐ What type of website am I building?
☐ Do I need ecommerce?
☐ Do I want AI website creation?
☐ How important is SEO?
☐ How much customization do I need?
☐ Do I need blogging?
☐ Do I need appointment booking?
☐ Do I need email marketing?
☐ Do I need integrations?
☐ How many pages will I eventually have?
☐ What will the platform cost after introductory pricing?
☐ Can the platform grow with my business?
☐ What happens if I want to move my website later?
Where to Start
There is no single website builder that is perfect for every project.
Instead, start by identifying your website’s purpose and then compare platforms based on the features that matter most.
For beginners, ease of use may be the deciding factor.
For businesses, marketing and scalability may matter more.
For ecommerce, selling functionality is critical.
For designers, customization may take priority.
For content publishers and affiliate sites, SEO, blogging, site structure, speed, and content management can be especially important.
And for anyone who wants to launch quickly, AI website builders can provide a useful starting point.
Explore Website Builder Advisor
Best Of: Find website builders organized by use case.
Comparisons: Compare popular platforms side-by-side.
Reviews: Learn more about individual website builders.
Deals: Find current website-building offers and promotions.
Resources: Learn how to build, optimize, manage, and grow your website.
Choosing the right website builder is ultimately about finding the right balance between simplicity, design, features, cost, control, and future growth.
