WYSIWYG stands for what you see is what you get. This is where by you do not edit the source code directly but you write the presentation as it will appear in your final document. Using an editor window, you manipulate with design components and not write blocks of code manually. This just means that while the record is still being created, you view something very similar to the final result.
There are many website builders available. The question is, do you know how to choose the best website builder? Well, the best website builder should attempt to answer the following;
- A good website builder is up to professionalism. It will help you come up with a quality website within little time and it reliable you from the hassle.
- A good website builder strives to empower designers who are not code gurus to develop, design and host a website without depending on developers who are expensive.
- A good website builder will provide you with a responsive and beautiful template that will function as a starting point for web development work even if you are not design-savvy.
Now, which site builder is best and suitable for you? This is a question that many people may have asked severally. Whether you are a beginner or a professional in building websites, there is hope for you.
Before we get into finer details, let us compare between a free and a paid website builders. There is a lot to choose from, whether free or paid website builder. There are many differences and similarities in all online website builders, but the common thing among them is that all of them have very nice features that are worth paying for, and they are always striving on how to convert free users to premium.
Free website builders will give you a basic website look with enough functionality to get your job done, but paid website builders to have very advanced options. Free website builders give you some limitations. These restrictions are not on premium website builders. If you want to project a professional image, then you need to put in some investments.
When you upgrade to a paid tier, you will enjoy some additional perks such as unlimited domain hosting, custom URL registration, and endless customization.
Squarespace
This is an integrated website builder, hosting service and blogging platform. It allows individuals to create web sites and blogs and manage them as well. Their service is not available separately, just in the bundle. Individuals and businesses are not allowed to host their sites on Squarespace. Hosting is mandatory on this site. This is just a drag and drop builder that is focused on delivering high polished and gorgeous imagery experience for users.
It is in 190 countries. Millions of users have created websites on this platform.
Wix
This is free website builder platform that is cloud-based. It allows users to create HTML5 websites. It also lets users create mobile sites through a drag and drop tool. Functionalities such as contact forms, social plug-ins, community forums, and e-mailing and e- commerce may be added using variety third party and six advanced applications.
It is built on a free business model, but users may upgrade to premium, and this is how it earns its revenues. To connect your website to your domain, add e-commerce capabilities, buy bandwidth and remove wix ads, you must upgrade to premium.
WordPress.org
This is an open-source and a free Content Management System. It is installed on a web server. The web server can be part of an internet hosting service, or it can be a network host. It can have its first case of a service such as wordpress.com and the second instance a computer running software package of wordpress.org. The second case, for example, can be a local computer that is configured to act as its very own web server hosting.
It has features such as template system and a plug-in architecture. In April 2016, WordPress was used by over 26.4% of 10 million websites. On the web, WordPress is the most popular and easiest system in use on the web.
Shopify
It is one of the leading online shop builders. It invites other vendors to integrate their products and services into Shopify making it a one stop shop. It offers over one hundred professional and beautiful themes. This is to enable your online store to look great. There are free themes and additional premium themes. You can choose from over 1100 apps that are in Shopify’s app store. These apps are for you to plug into your website to automate your business processes. It enables your customers to browse and buy from your store from their mobile phones via their build in mobile e-commerce shopping cart features. It hosts your online shop and gives you an unlimited amount of bandwidth. This is part of your monthly plan. It also takes care of all security upgrades for servers and all technical details to make sure your website is running, and no one hacks it. They have a 24 hours support, and you can reach them through live online chat, email, and phone.
Bigcommerce
It is a technology company that is privately held, and it develops e-commerce software for businesses. It was founded in 2009. It has 8 billion dollars of total sales that have been processed by their platform.
It offers shopping cart product at different levels of features, pricing, and service. Its lowest tier includes 1.5% transaction fee and has essential features. Its highest level has more advanced analytics, website integration, sales and payment tools. It also reduces limitations like some products. It also offers an enterprise level plan. It offers more than one hundred responsive templates that are built on the best in class theme platform. You can express your brands powerfully and sell more on any device by the aid of latest best practices in design, conversion, SEO and technology
Jimdo
Jimdo is a free website builder that allows you to create online stores. It has above common features and yet it is ideal to build a good website even if you aren’t an online shop. It supports more than nine languages, and more than 15 million websites are created using Jumdo. It’s free platform has got enough tools to make a very functional website. There are no limitations on how long you can remain as a free user. When you sign up for a free site, there is no credit card information needed. It does not require e-commerce transaction support.
Web.com
This is a website builder that enables you to create your professional website. It also helps you optimize your website for search engines. They also have an app that helps users to create websites on phone or tablet. The app is available for iOS and Android. Adding some elements and editing existing features can only be done with only a few clicks. It has more than 2500 different designs available in their template gallery. It doesn’t charge a setup fee. You can build your website with web.com or pay them to do the job for you. Web.com has got a DIY web builder that allows you to make an attractive and functional website although their DIY process takes time and effort more than other modern website builders require.
Google Sites
This is a free web page creation tool from Google. It has a goal of providing a platform where anyone can be able to create an oriented team site, and multiple people can share files. It provides custom domain mapping and also has multi-tier permissions and accessibility. Owners have full permissions to modify the design and the content, editors cannot change the layout of the site but can create content while viewers can only view content
GoDaddy Web Builder
This is the best known cheap web builder. It offers a generous storage and bandwidth. It has no limitations when it comes to some pages on your site. It has domain registration in the bargain. It offers three plan levels. All the projects include a domain registration for which none include an online store. With the monthly personal plan, you get 1GB storage and bandwidth of 150GB. It does not offer a free account level.
Homestead
This is a web hosting company. It offers WYSIWYG tools that help you to build and publish a website. It provides SEO tools, paid search ads, online marketing, and e-commerce. It enables users to create a feature rich set by customizing and integrating content. It mostly focuses on small businesses and services related to e-commerce. It was chosen five times as PC magazine’s winner of top 100 website award.
In order to make a choice between the existing site builders, you can also try using this interactive Wizard which takes in your needs and priorities and outputs the most suitable website builder brand according to those preferences.