When you decide to grow your business and to build a customer base, you need to start with a quality website first. This is a surefire way to establish reliable web presence for your company, reach new objectives and target the required audience. As you proceed to the website development process, you encounter multiple questions right from the start. The most crucial of them concerns the choice of the best website design tool.
There are several web design options to try, when you get started with your new project. The choice should basically depend upon several factors: project type and specialization, integrated functionality, goals you set, time and budget you are ready to invest as well as your own technical/programming background. Based on these factors, you’ll be able to choose from three popular options:
- CMS Software;
- Self-Coded Websites;
- SaaS Website Builders.
All these methods are quite effective when it comes to website creation yet each of them has its specific parameters and user requirements. The use of CMS and the creation of self-coded projects implies programming proficiency and, thus, they work great for a certain audience type only.
SaaS website builders, in their turn, are all-in-one systems, which can be used equally by beginners and web design experts. They can be chosen for diverse types of web projects, ranging from simple websites for personal use and up to feature-rich business/eCommerce websites. The systems are functional, affordable and quite easy-to-use. This is what gives them prevalence over other web design tools. Let’s focus on this popular type of website creation now.
Website Builders: Essence and Implication
SaaS website builders are self-hosted platforms that are used for website development, customization and further promotion. Most of these systems come with integrated drag-and-drop or WYSIWYG editing tools, which adds to the ease-of-use and convenience. This is one of the major reasons that makes newbies give preference to this software type.
Website builders fall into two large groups – all-in-one (they let you start any type of web project) and specialized (they are picked for the development of a certain website like a digital store or a portfolio, for example). Whatever web design task you have, you will be able to select the required project type with regard to your preferences and special requirements.
Have a look at the main pros and cons of website builders now that will help you make the riot choice:
Pros
- Simplicity and Convenience. As mentioned above, website builders are created with the skills and needs of non-coders in mind. This is what makes them popular both with beginners and web design experts.
- Quick and Quality Result. The entire process of launching a project with a website builder takes around a couple of hours depending on website type/complexity and the platform you pick for this purpose.
- Design Customization Freedom. Website builders come with a broad range of tools to ensure deep design customization, while some of them even allow for code editing to guarantee personalized approach and unique result.
- Integrations. Many systems come with a range of built-in widgets and extensions available in stock and there is often an opportunity to pick and integrate third-party applications to boost your website performance.
- Template Selection. The majority of website builders provide an opportunity to pick ready-made responsive templates that can be customized as you wish. The themes can be free and paid and they are often divided into thematic categories by default to simplify user choice.
- Hosting and Domain. One of the undeniable advantages of website builders is that they provide hosting and domain name connection options by default. This eliminates the need to look for third-party providers out there.
- Affordable Pricing. Along with free trials/plans, there is an opportunity to choose from several pricing options to fit any budget.
- Customer Support. As far as website builders are frequently used by first-timers, there is always an opportunity to apply for customer support assistance available in stock. The range of support options and the terms depend on the subscription you will go for.
Cons
- Limited Customization. As opposed to self-hosted platforms, SaaS website builders do not grant access to the source code, which results in limited customization options. Some of them, though, come with HTML editing tools, which offer baseline customizability only.
- Cost. Most website builders are quite affordable for everyone yet there are systems, which are too pricey for an ordinary user. This mostly concerns niche-focused platforms.
When you decide in favor of using website builders and start exploring the niche, you will eventually come across a plethora of options. There are two website builders, however, that stand out from the crowd, being regarded the undisputable niche leaders. These are Wix and Squarespace. Let’s compare the systems now.
Wix – All-In-One Website Builder for Beginners and Web Design Pros
Wix – is the most popular and recognizable SaaS website builder in the modern web design niche. Its powerful functionality and deep design customization options have made it a worthy pick for everyone. The system can be used for a broad range of goals as it works great for the development of personal projects, business websites, portfolios, blogs, landing pages, and even digital stores.
The website builder makes it possible to choose from two design editing options – Wix ADI and Standard Editor. The first tool ensures automated website design creation, which simplifies the task for beginners. The second solution allows for DIY project customization, which unveils more opportunities for web design pros.
Additionally, Wix comes with powerful built-in blogging and eCommerce engines, Marketplace, multilingual support, Logo Maker, and quality App Market. Business owners will value the availability of the integrated Ascend platform, which offers over 20 high-end tools for effective business website creation, customization, and further promotion.
When it comes to template choice, Wix also holds winning positions. The website builder boasts a stunning set of integrated ready-made themes (550+). They are free and niche-specific. However, the system doesn’t have a preview feature, which requires a thorough selection process.
The software provides affordable pricing solutions to come up with any needs. There are a free plan and two types of premium subscriptions – Standard and eCommerce, which speaks for their implication. Each subscription type falls into more detailed plans, which contributes to the ease of choice. The cost of Wix plans starts from $13/mo.
Squarespace – A Popular SaaS Website Builder
Squarespace is a popular and trusted SaaS website builder, which has won user recognition due to its powerful integrated functionality and abundance of design editing tools available in stock. The system works best for the development of online stores, portfolios and business websites yet it can also be used for other types of web projects.
The website builder also offers quality built-in eCommerce and blogging engines, Logo Maker, multilingual support, Cover Page Builder and Image Editor. All these tools are available in stock and can be used absolutely at no cost. There is also an integrated online calendar here as well as the opportunity to embed Google Maps into your project. This is a must-have for any business or customer-oriented website. What’s more, Squarespace ensures extensive social media integration options along with access to its integrated Acuity Scheduling platform and Unfold – Storytelling tool. This is another highlight, when it comes to business project development.
Speaking about template editing, Squarespace offers somewhat limited options as compared to Wix. To see what exactly it has in stock, go ahead to read the comparison of the systems, which will help you make the right choice of the platform. All the themes the software offers for customization, however, are of high quality. HTML/CSS editing options are available here as well, which allows starting professional personalized website design.
When it comes to the pricing aspect, the website builder offers a 14-day trial instead of the free plan. Premium subscriptions are versatile here to come up to any budget. The cheapest plan will cost you $12/mo.
What Option to Go For?
Wix and Squrespace have much in common. Both of them are feature-rich, functional and powerful enough to let you launch a quality web project. The systems make it possible to create unique website design and they are applicable for the completion of almost any task. Many users initially give preference to Squarespace yet they further decide to switch to Wix as to the simpler and more affordable platform. Fortunately, it is possible to complete the task independently, following the detailed transfer guide.
If you encounter any problems during the process of Squarespace to Wix website migration or just wish to save your time/effort, professional specialized services like SiteBuilders.Pro will eagerly complete the task for you. Being competent in the niche and aware of special nuances of both platforms, they apply individual approach to your project. This eventually ensures quality result.
