If you’re trying to create a website, you’ve probably debated about whether you should have someone design it for you or if you should try a do-it-yourself builder.
Well, the fact is that today’s website builders are so responsive and user-friendly that it just makes sense to take on the role yourself, even if you have no real experience with coding or website design.
With so many website builders on the market, how do you find one that meets all your needs?
Let’s look at some of the most common and useful elements that you will need to incorporate into your website.
Preliminary Questions
First off, when you are comparing website builders, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions about the software itself. (Really, a lot of these go with purchasing any software system.) These questions include:
- Is the software company older and established or is it a new company that hasn’t been as tested? There’s nothing wrong with newer companies, but for something this important, you probably will want to stick with a company that has been around for a while.
- How many people have downloaded the website builder? Trust us when we say that you don’t want to be the guinea pig testing this out for the first time.
- What do the reviews look like? If it only has a few reviews, that means that people aren’t really using it a lot. Look at as many of the reviews as you can, not just the really good ones or really bad ones. Pay close attention to what the negative reviews are criticizing: user-friendliness, adaptability, customer support, performance issues, and the like.
- Does it offer a free trial of the software? This is a bonus because it allows you to take the website builder for a quick spin to see if you like it.
- What type of customer support does it offer? Are there a lot of resources online? One of the worst things is to buy a builder only to realize that there are no resources or support and that you are basically on your own. Companies that have a reputation for good customer support are usually worth looking closely at, even if their cost may be a little higher. And that leads us to…
- How much does it cost? Remember, cheaper does not always mean better. Make sure you know what features come with the price point.
Elements
Once you have begun to narrow down your search, there are specific elements that make sense to have with your do-it-yourself website builder. These include:
- Hosting—Some website builders do not have a hosting service as part of the package. This means it will help you build the site, but you will have to pay for a hosting service afterwards in order to be present on the Internet. However, other builders include hosting services as part of the package. This may not be a deal-breaker for you, but it is something to think about as you shop around.
- What You See Is What You Get—For some builders, you must build the page, make adjustments, and then preview the page to see how your changes look. But the better, more responsive website builders allow you to use drag-and-drop features to place the elements directly on the page so that you can see it exactly as it is going to appear on the browser.
- Mobile Devices—The majority of people are now viewing websites on mobile devices like smartphones. You want a website builder that can help you design your site so that it can be viewed easily and responsively on these devices as well as computers.
Building Your Website
If you’re looking for a do-it-yourself website builder, then you should really consider our Website Creator. This is a very responsive and easy to use builder that lets you get your site created easily and ready to roll out with as little fuss as possible.