The 17 Best Website Builders For Small Businesses In 2023

Some owners avoid creating a website because their operations are too small or they can't afford the resources necessary to build one from scratch. Luckily, you should know that there are excellent website builders available that don't require any special skills. Now with options out there, how do you decide which website builder is the best fit for your needs? It's definitely a question to answer. Let’s get straight to the topic and find out how exactly this offer will come in handy for your company. Mind the gap!

Having a website is essential to the success of a business, big or small. However, if you’re running a small business and looking to help get it off the ground by launching a website, you need to use the best website builder in the industry. If you’re shopping around for one, we’re here to help you decide. 

In this article, we will run down the list of the 17 best website builders for small businesses so far this year. Keep in mind, though, that this list is not in any particular order, and the best website builder for a small business may vary based on its specific needs and requirements. 

What are the best website builders for 2023?

Here are some of the best creation tools thus far this year:

1. Bitrix24

2. Wix

3. Squarespace

4. Weebly

5. Shopify

6. WordPress.com

7. BigCommerce 

8. Webflow

9. Mailchimp

10. Site123

11. Jimdo

12. Zyro

13. Duda

14. GoDaddy Website Builder 

15. Strikingly 

16. IONOS

17. HostGator

Take a look at such Factors When Choosing the Best Website Builder 

In addition, to the features needed for an eCommerce store, such as a shopping cart, product pages, pricing options and payment methods there are some factors you should get in mind:

1. Compatibility with third party applications: Make sure the website builder you want to choose is compatible with the applications your eCommerce store needs. It can be like tools for marketing, but also customer relationship management (CRM) and analytics.

2. Check resources like bandwidth and storage: It's important to assess the resources needed for your eCommerce website. Mind to consider factors like storage capacity to ensure your website runs smoothly. A web hosting checklist can be a resource in making informed decisions.

3. Security at the first stage: Running a business website entails handling information, such as customer data including login credentials and credit card details. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize security measures to protect this information in the best way.

It is important for business owners to prioritize selecting a website builder that offers security measures. For eCommerce websites having an SSL certificate is a bear necessity. Additionally, look for features like DDoS protection, firewalls and automated backups.

Most website builders come with hosting services included. It's important to consider the factors. While aiming for close to 100% uptime is ideal for eCommerce stores, a minimum of 99.9% should be targeted. To simplify your research process you can refer to our web hosting comparison.

The performance of your website plays a role in retaining visitors. To assess the performance of existing websites built with the platform you are considering you can use tools such as BitCatcha, GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights. When it comes to pricing keep in mind that an expensive website builder may not always be the option. On the other hand, free plans often have limitations such as displaying ads on your site and not allowing you to connect your domain name. It's also beneficial to choose a website builder that offers pricing options so that you can easily scale as your small business grows.

In terms of support options popular communication channels like email, live chat and phone calls are commonly available. Additionally, many builders provide self help customer services such as knowledge bases and blog tutorials.

The easiest website builder for beginners is the one that does not require any coding knowledge at all, with a simple drag-and-drop design scheme, SEO, and marketing tools. A good choice for beginners provides you also with pre-designed templates, so you have a starting point to create a professional website.

1. Bitrix24

If you’re looking for a user-friendly website builder or a drag-and-drop website builder, Bitrix24 is the one for you. First of all, Bitrix24 is free. It offers a host of services, from hosting to custom domains, content pages, and landing pages, among many more. With Bitrix24, you don’t need to know how to code or design. Creating a website for your own small business is very easy! 

Bitrix24 is specially built to help small businesses set up their websites using pre-made custom smart blocks. The very best of Bitrix24? Free unlimited hosting, a cloud CRM to house all of your files and business particulars, superior SEO and marketing tools, sales intelligence, your very own communication toolbox with an integrated contact center, as well as capture forms and templates to take your business from small to enterprise.

2. Wix

Apart from being a free website builder, Wix also happens to be a user-friendly platform with a wide range of templates and features. It’s beginner-friendly, so it’s not intimidating to use even when you don’t have an idea of what you’re doing. Packed with numerous templates, advanced SEO and marketing tools, you can keep updating your website as you go and as your business grows. 

With Wix’s free subscription, you can get everything you need to build your website from the ground up – drag-and-drop design options, up to 500MB bandwidth, customer support, and so much more. Upgrade to a premium subscription, and you will be able to connect a custom domain, create an ad-free site, get up to 16 GB and more worth of bandwidth, etc.  

3. Squarespace

You’ve probably heard of Squarespace if you’ve watched a social media clip of an influencer. Squarespace is a stylish and professional platform with excellent e-commerce capabilities. Their tagline is “create a website in minutes”, and it’s backed up by ready-to-use templates, fonts, and color palettes to make your free website as customized as you want. 

Squarespace is one of the best website builders if you’re looking for tiered pricing, features, and benefits. The higher the subscription plan you go, the more you’re able to do with your website: from mobile-optimized websites, fully integrated e-commerce, advanced analytics, and powerful merchandising with advanced shipping and advanced discounting. 

4. Weebly

An intuitive platform that’s easy to use and offers strong e-commerce features, Weebly is the best website builder for creative entrepreneurs and business professionals. Among its many features is a blogroll that allows you to highlight your products and/or services through the written word. 

The Weebly basic user package teaches every user how to build a website and provides any business with SEO, lead capture, and contact forms, as well as chat and email support channels. Choose from their available premium subscriptions to unlock more services and features for your business website.

5. Shopify

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform with a wide range of tools for online stores. With thousands of themes, apps, and integration, Shopify is the best website builder if you want to carve out a niche for your store in the e-commerce industry. If you happen to be a creator who makes products to sell by hand, Shopify is a website creation tool that will help make your store one of a kind.

In the event that you’re a drop-shipping startup, you have access to a host of product-sourcing apps that you can select to build an arsenal of goods on offer. You can also learn how to build a website by following a tutorial. An option to try Shopify for free for 3 days is available, but to get the basic components of a website for your small business, you will need to pay a small monthly fee. 

6. WordPress.com

A flexible platform with a large community and an extensive plugin library, WordPress.com is a free website builder. It’s self-hosted and can be used as an open-source software for a fully-collaborative experience. WordPress.com enjoys a lot of attention from creatives such as writers, photographers, and visionaries. Anyone can use it for free, but as with other top website builders, there are add-ons that you can buy or upgrade to a paid plan to take your small business’ online store to the next level. 

If you want a free domain for one year, the ability to collect payments, remove ads, and unlimited email support, you can sign up for a Personal plan at $4 per month, which is billed monthly. However, if you want to avail of the best website builder for your online store, you can sign up for the eCommerce plan.  This plan offers you everything the Personal Plan can afford you with the addition of live chat support, premium themes, the option to upload videos, collect revenue from ads, integrate with Google Analytics, and more! 

7. BigCommerce

A powerful e-commerce platform with robust features for growing businesses, BigCommerce is the best website builder for larger or booming ventures. It hosts a great number of establishments in various industries, covering a number of markets. They offer solutions for a number of uses which are listed as: 

• Multi-Storefront

• Headless Commerce

• B2B

• Wholesale

• Omnichannel

• Offline to Online

• International

• Commerce-as-a-Service

• Emerging Brands

• Small Business

• Enterprise

• Crypto

• Migration

BigCommerce does not require coding or design knowledge, thanks to its drag-and-drop editing solutions. You can also optimize your site for mobile access, customize themes and integrate with WordPress. BigCommerce also offers powerful security and reliable support. Users also have the option to request a demo if they want to know how to build a website.

8. Webflow

Webflow is a highly flexible platform that offers a strong focus on design and customizability. It’s a testament to the fact that you do not have to shell out tons and tons of money just to create a great-looking, responsive website. It’s the best website builder for novices because it has a drag-and-drop design process, so users do not have to know how to code or design professionally. 

With Webflow, you have the capabilities to monetize members-only content and optimize SEO. You can also hire a Webflow-endorsed website building expert if you want your website to be professionally-done or if you require help with any project. If you want to go it alone, Webflow has a library of over 400 lessons covering a variety of design and website building platform topics from layout to typography and 3d transitions, among many others. 

9. Mailchimp

Mailchimp, a known platform for email marketing tools has expanded its services to cover all aspects of your marketing needs.

One notable feature offered by Mailchimp is its free website builder, which comes with a user drag and drop editor. The website builder provides an user experience (UX) to their email management service. You have access to themes and pre designed color palettes but you also have the option to customize your own color palette to align with your brand.

It's important to note that Mailchimp's website builder does not include a domain meaning you cannot start with a 100% solution. To have a domain for your Mailchimp site you will need to purchase one from a third party provider. Typically the cost of acquiring a domain for the year is $10. Once you've obtained the domain you can follow the instructions provided by Mailchimp on how to link it to your website.

As your business grows and expands Mailchimp offers paid plans that provide features. This includes paid email marketing plans if your subscriber list surpasses 2,000 contacts.

Who would benefit from using Mailchimp's services? Microbusinesses that engage in e-commerce activities or offer appointment scheduling services can greatly benefit from creating their website through Mailchimp's platform. This makes it an ideal choice, for those selling products or providing coaching services.

10. Site123

If you’re on the hunt for a beginner-friendly platform with a simple interface and a range of templates, Site123 just might be what you need. First of all, you can use Site123 for free without having to enter your credit card details. You only need to do that once you upgrade or sign up for a premium plan. If your business is still at its beginning stages and you do not yet have images to post on your website, Site123 also has an integrated image bank that contains royalty images you can use in the interim.

You can also enjoy dependable support in case you are not sure how to build a website. Whatever your query, you can be sure you’ll get the assistance you require, available round-the-clock, 24/7. Site123 has four available plans:  Basic, Advanced, Professional, and Gold. And there are four duration options on hand that subscribers can choose from 3 months, 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months.

11. Jimdo

An affordable website building platform with a strong focus on e-commerce and simplicity, Jimdo takes your business information from your social media accounts and integrates them into your website through the use of their website creation tool. You can use Jimdo for free, but getting a premium account is the best way to go if you want to have access to as many tools and features as you can get for your small business. 

Using the best website builder for your small business is as easy as drag and drop:

• Create a Jimdo account

• Answer a few questions about your business

• Customize your website until you get it to your specifications

• Add your preferred website pages

• Set up automatic SEO integration

• Publish your site 

13. Duda

If it’s a website building platform with a focus on mobile optimization and offers a wide range of templates, Duda is the way to go for you and your business. This website builder also brings you comprehensive reports and analytics that perfectly show you how well your website is doing in the online world and continuously optimize it for improved performance. 

You can give Duda a try for free without having to enter your credit card details anywhere and test out the functionalities for at least 14 days. If you want to upgrade your experience with a paid subscription, Duda also has tiered pricing plans, and each one comes with a particular set of features and benefits that fit your needs. You also have the choice to avail of the Custom plan with possibly the following capabilities:

• Access to Duda’s robust API

• Tiered discount pricing 

• Single Sign-On (SSO)

• Simple Editor-DIY flow for your clients

• Onboarding & account management

• Unlimited access to team & client management features

• Additional high-value managed services

• Integration with external datasets

Duda also has an Expert Program where small business owners are connected with a community of professional designers and developers who happen to have immense experience in using Duda. Doing this will help you make better decisions on which plans and which services to acquire for your business. 

14. GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy Website Builder is a beginner-friendly platform with a simple interface and affordable pricing. You’re probably seen one of their ads online about providing small businesses with reputable email and site domains that customers can trust. GoDaddy Website Builder’s free website plan, your business will be capable of taking online payments through GoDaddy Payments. 

GoDaddy Website Builder also gives you the power to choose which payment options, shipping methods, and upgrades you want to use for your small business website. The page for GoDaddy Website Builder enumerates the steps you can take to build your own:

• Pick a template to start your site for free

• Add your content and business info to make it yours

• Use built-in marketing to let people know you’re open for business

• Manage everything from one dashboard on any device

With GoDaddy Website Builder, you will also have access to hundreds of templates that you can use without training or technical skills. After a few clicks, you will have a slick but easy-to-use website for your venture. As for tools, GoDaddy Website Builder happens to have a repository of license-free images that you can use, as well as integrated SEO, social media, and email marketing tools.

15. Strikingly

Strikingly is a platform that is designed for single-page websites and small businesses, which makes it the perfect choice to go with if you’re looking to get your venture off the ground. The free plan from Strikingly gives users unlimited free sites with 5GB worth of bandwidth and 500MB storage per site. You can sign up for yearly plans if you want to enjoy more benefits like custom domains, auto-translation, site memberships, a dedicated account manager, and more. 

If you want to fully commit and get the most bang for your buck, so to speak, you can sign up for yearly plans or 2, 3, or even 5-year subscription plans. If you have a change of heart, you can cancel anytime, and it’s hassle-free, or you can change the type of plan you’re signed up for. If you ever get lost while putting together your site or hit a wall in the middle of updating your online profile, you can consult their knowledge base or reach out to their support team, who are more than happy to help subscribers out. 

16. IONOS

IONOS is primarily known as a web hosting provider. Its website builder, MyWebsite competes with some of the popular standalone builders out there. The interface is user friendly and the drag and drop functionality makes it accessible to anyone. New users can take advantage of a discount for the year with IONOS and subsequent renewals are reasonably priced at $6 per month if paid annually.

However it's not immediately obvious that even the priced plan includes IONOS ads (which is usually expected on free website builder plans). To remove these ads you'll need to upgrade to the Plus plan. Keep in mind that the priced plan has some limitations in terms of features—there's no multilingual translation option, parallax scrolling or photo galleries. Additionally there are no business apps for added functionality. If you wish to incorporate apps, for reviews or booking services for example you'll need to upgrade your plan.

One standout feature offered by IONOS is their plan which allows you to create personalized content tailored specifically for visitors. This means that first time visitors will see something compared to returning visitors. Moreover you can customize content based on sales promotions, holidays or other special events.

17. HostGator

HostGator stands out as one of the budget choices, among the top website builders available. The user-friendly editor makes it easy to navigate with its drag and drop feature that allows you to place elements anywhere on the page.

With HostGator there's no need to invest in marketing tools for your website. It comes with built in email marketing campaign features and lead capture forms. Furthermore even the priced plan allows you to add a store albeit with a limitation of three products.

• One thing worth noting about HostGator is that its templates may appear dated compared to its competitors. Some templates are quite minimalistic featuring an image with a button in the center and lacking designs. On the other hand, this simplicity provides you with a canvas upon which you can create a unique look and feel for your site.

• A standout feature of HostGator is its tutorial that guides users through using the editor. While many other website builders offer tutorials HostGators stands out for its level of detail making it less likely that you'll need assistance from customer support.

In terms of usage scenarios we recommend HostGator for projects, blogs or small scale business websites. It offers affordability and an easy to use editor. Falls slightly short, in terms of template variety.

The best website builder

Ever get the feeling that it’s time for our small business to venture out into the big world? Do you see the need for an online presence for your company? Is the time right and ripe for you to set up a website for your business? If the answer to these questions is yes, your timing could not have been any more perfect. With today’s advancements in technology, you have more than a few options to choose from. 

Make a list of what you need in terms of the look that you want your website to have, the value and functionalities that you want visitors to be able to enjoy when they visit your site, and what they can walk away with. Focus on highlighting your products and/or services as well as the overall customer experience. With the selection that we have for you in this article, you’re never short of alternatives when it comes to choosing the best website builder to go with for your business. 

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