So, you’re ready to build a website for your business. If you insist on doing everything to do with the build yourself, you will need the tools to complete the project.

With the digital economy in the midst of eclipsing the retail economy, you have a chance to build a business that grows in perpetuity. You’ll pull market share away from your competitors, positioning your company or brand as the industry authority.

However, where do you start with web design? What are the tools you need to build a successful site that converts? Let’s take a look at some of  the best web builder platforms and tools to help you get your website ready for launch.

Assess Your Needs

It’s somewhat tempting to jump into the build with the first platform available. However, there is a range of tools serving different functions for all types of websites.

Do you have coding knowledge? Or do you get cross-eyed when people start talking about JavaScript and PHP? Regardless of your niche or business, planning is essential to creating an effective web design that draws eyeballs to your content strategy.

Ask yourself these questions before diving into the development process with any platform.

• What are your business goals and objectives?
• Who is your target customer, and do you have a buyer persona mapped out?
• How do your content and website provide solutions to your prospect’s problems?
• Who is your competition, and what is their buyer journey?
• What areas of your offering overcome shortcomings with your competitors’ offerings?

It’s challenging for any business owner to find their niche. It’s an evolving process that requires constant attention and monitoring on your side. Understanding the general direction of your business assists you with mapping the customer journey and setting your goals for your website build.

Let’s look at the different platforms available for your projects.

Website Builders for Testing Ideas

Are you testing a new business concept? Assess the demand for your business before you commit resources to the build. Setting up a landing page using a web builder platform lets you assess the need for your products or services before you dedicate your budget to launching a complete site.

Unbounce

Unbounce offers you a landing page design tool serving over 15,000 companies and brands. With Unbounce, you can create measurable digital marketing campaigns That evaluate your business model, products, and services without launching a comprehensive website.

You get easy drag-and-drop design tools to help you build any page design you want. More than 100 standard templates are available, with customization options to tailor them to your liking.

You don’t need coding knowledge to launch your landing page, but experienced developers will like the addition of JavaScript and CSS style functionality to customize their templates.

Webflow

Webflow offers you sophisticated design tools, along with a content management system (CMS), SEO functions, and eCommerce integration.

Webflow is actually a free service, but if you want to unlock the full potential of this web builder you will need to pick a subscription. The cheapest option on Webflow is $12 per month, which works out at roughly £10.

We like the user-friendly page designer, allowing you to scale your design as you grow your experience.

Wix

Wix offers you another user-friendly web builder platform for testing ideas. You get access to an editor and more than 500 templates, with endless customization options.

You can start your Wix website on a personal plan at just £6.50 per month.

Squarespace

Squarespace brings you another platform for building your site. You get a user-friendly experience with a guided setup to get you started with your design.

We love the high-quality templates available for your pages. You get additional features like SEO functionality, analytics, scheduling and the ability to create custom buyer personas for your campaigns.

Squarespace isn’t free, but it’s affordable, with plans starting at £10 per month if you pay annually, or £13 per month if you pay monthly.

Weebly

Weebly is the best choice for beginner developers with no idea what they are doing with web design.

You get a free plan with plenty of templates, but you’ll need to upgrade to a membership tier to get the full user experience from this platform.

The Best Web Builders for Blogging

WordPress

There is only one practical solution for developers when it comes to blogging. WordPress is the leading CMS. There’s a reason why it’s the preferred choice for over 655-million websites online.

WordPress offers you a level of customization that’s hard to beat. You get a user-friendly experience, allowing you to upload blogs with a few clicks.

The platform comes with several SEO plugins to enhance the visibility of your blogs to the search engines.

Web Builders for eCommerce

WordPress

WordPress takes the cake again for the best independent eCommerce website builder. This CMS offers you endless customizations and the ability to host four pages or four thousand pages on your site.

The WooCommerce plugin gives you everything you need to start selling physical or digital products online.

WordPress integrates with PHP systems like Magento, allowing the most complex website builds.

Read our guide on why WordPress is a great platform for business and shop websites here.

Shopify

Shopify is a premier eCommerce solution serving over 500,000 entrepreneurs. IT offers you an easy setup using a drag-and-drop builder to design your storefront.

You get hosting included with your subscription to the platform and an app store allowing you to customize your storefront design.

Shopify subscriptions start at £24 per month, and the platform charges you a 3% commission on all sales.

Choose the Right Web Builder for Your Project and Experience

Whether you’re building a blog, eCommerce store, or a website for your small business, there’s a solution in this post for your development needs.

Assess your needs and experiment with each platform to find the right partner for your website build.

However, hiring a professional service might be a good idea if you struggle to use these solutions. Our team at webdeveloperlondon.com can help you with the right design for your online business.

Leave the website work with our team of professional developers and focus on the other aspects of launching and growing your business. We’ll take care of the technical stuff while you work on growing your business!