What Are the Main Features to Look for in a Website Builder?

What Are the Main Features to Look for in a Website Builder?

The COVID-19 pandemic has tremendously impacted almost every industry, as it forced businesses to undergo digital transformation and bring their services to the online space. Plenty of business owners lacked the tech savviness or the budget to create a website, so many turned to a specific product of modern business technology: website builders. These online tools allow users to create websites without coding experience.

Website builders have seen significant growth worldwide in recent years, which is expected to continue in the next decade. Experts forecast a $3.5 billion market size by the end of 2032.

Website builders provide small business owners several advantages that can help them keep up with large entities online. These include beautiful designs at low to no costs, SEO readiness, and e-commerce functions. Considering there are more than 1.8 billion websites today, startups need to stand out and make sure their web presence is optimized.

If you are in the market for a website builder, here are critical features to look for:

Design Options

The best website builders offer various design options that can be easily customized to match your brand’s look and feel. Look for a platform that includes templates and themes that are both modern and mobile-friendly.

Ease of Use

Website builders are intended for users with no coding knowledge. Hence, ease of use is an essential factor to consider. A good website builder features an intuitive user interface, drag-and-drop functionality, and the ability to make edits in real time.

E-commerce Capabilities

Not all website builders offer e-commerce features, but those that do can help you create an online store that is both attractive and easy to use. Look for a website builder with built-in shopping cart capabilities, payment processing options, and inventory management tools.

SEO Features

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for any website’s success. You want to ensure your website hits all the right notes for search engine algorithms. Look for a website builder with SEO-friendly features, such as page title tags and meta descriptions, custom URLs, and the ability to add keywords and other SEO elements.

Image Library

As you build your website, you will need beautiful, high-quality images to make it look professional. Businesses with a budget typically hire a photographer or subscribe to a stock photo service. However, a website builder with its own image library can give you access to royalty-free images at no additional cost.

Integrations

If you’re planning to use other online tools for your website, you should check if your website builder allows integrations. This feature will save you time from having to connect other services to your site manually.

Most website builders offer integrations with popular third-party services like Google Analytics, MailChimp, and social media platforms. These apps can help you track performance and better engage with visitors.

Security Features

Security should be a top priority when it comes to your website, as data breaches can cause irreparable damage to your brand’s reputation. Look for a website builder with features such as SSL encryption, malware protection, and data backups.

Customer Support

You’ll inevitably run into issues when building your website. That’s why it’s crucial to choose a website builder that offers reliable customer support when you really need it.

Ideally, support should be available 24/7 and offer multiple methods of contact. Another plus is if a website builder provides a comprehensive learning hub and helpful tutorials for common questions.

Conclusion

A website builder is an excellent tool for businesses that want to create their own website without the help of a web developer. However, with so many different website builders on the market, finding the right one for your needs can be a challenging and time-consuming task.

Consider factors such as design capabilities, ease of use, e-commerce solutions, image library, and SEO-ready features to help narrow your choices.

Photo by Igor Miske on Unsplash