What Website Builder Should I Use?
When you’re a new practitioner, creating a website is bound to be on your to-do list. Even as a seasoned prac, you may be looking to rebuild your site or completely start from scratch. But websites aren’t as simple as you might hope. There are a few different options for platforms to build your site on.
We’ll look at the three most popular options, and why you might want to use them.
Wordpress
This is the most commonly used platform for websites, and for good reason. It’s simple and easy to navigate the different options. There are plenty of add-ons – or plug-ins - available on Wordpress, and many are free. For example, you can set up Afterpay or Zip Pay plug-ins to accept payments through your site. You can even set up Bitcoin as payment, if that’s your jam.
Wordpress is super customisable, allowing you to create eCourses, integrate with mailing services like Mailchimp or creating membership areas. It’s so versatile, you can set up almost anything you can think of!
It’s a great platform for your web designer to use, but some systems can be a little tricky to set up. It’s one of the best platforms for SEO purposes. This platform is best suited to people who know exactly what they want and has a designer that knows what they’re doing.
What’s great about Wordpress is the ability to apply a theme to your website – e.g. Divi. These templates make it easier to set up and edit your website, but each one will have limitations on what kind of functions you can implement. Some templates are free, many more are paid. If you’re looking to DIY a Wordpress website, I recommend getting training; this is not a platform you can pick up quickly.
But the downside of having so many options is that there’s so many to choose from! It’s generally best to get someone to set up the basics for you, then go from there. This means really figuring out the general layout that you’d want for your website before getting started on it.
To get started, you’ll want to get your domain sorted through a service such as Panthur or Siteground. Check out my blog about domain hosting here. Then you install Wordpress, and you’re ready to get started.
Best for: a practitioner who is confident with what they want in a website and who is willing to put some time into them. It may also suit someone who wants to outsource the creation of their website.
Cons: not a great support team when things go wrong.
Wix
When you consider DIYing a website, Wix is often one of the first platforms that comes to mind; and they’ve brought in some pretty cool features. For example: there’s an app that helps you decide on colours for your wIt’s a straightforward platform, offering drag and drop style creation that makes designing a website simple and fast. If you have all your content ready, you can create a whole website in just a few hours! The limitations of this platform mean that you won’t have many options when it comes to eCourses, downloadables, payment plan options or subscriptions.
You can get your domain with Wix, but if you ever try to migrate and move to a different platform, you’re in for a massive headache. The same goes for the built-in newsletter function; a handy tool, but if you change platforms you’ll need to begin your email list from scratch.
The best option when using Wix as a website builder, is to have your domain hosting with a 3rd party. This will save you (and your web designer) from big problems down the road.
Like Wordpress, Wix has a number of templates you can choose from, or you can start from scratch. You can even update things like your blog page from your smartphone; this back-end access is much more user-friendly than other platforms.
Wix can send you push notifications that someone is on your website’s chat box, but the detail is somewhat lacking. They also have no SEO guides, and can be a bit clunky and slow – depending on who you host with.
Best for: someone just starting out that needs something cheap, basic and DIY-friendly.
Cons: little to no SEO and tech support, and limited additional functions without paying a small fortune.
Squarespace
Finally, we come to the new kid on the block – Squarespace. It’s very user-friendly, has plenty of options for shops and other integrations, and you can opt to pay month-to-month. This makes it a relatively cost-effective option, as well as a good starting point for beginners.
It has just moved from version 7.0 to version 7.1 which has made it even more user friendly than before. This update has also given Squarespace more website development options, which in the past has been somewhat limited.
While it is easy to navigate, employing a basic drag and drop creator, it also takes a pretty minimalistic approach to websites. This makes it a great starting point to easily and quickly build up a simple website. However, it does limit the types of customisations that are available on other platforms.
Squarespace offers integrations like having an Instagram reel on your site. Their support team is second-to-none, and they have a huge range of templates to choose from. Some free, some paid, it’s the easiest way to set up a simple website.
For SEO purposes, Squarespace offers a lot more than Wix, but isn’t quite on par with other platforms like Wordpress. You’ll also be able to set up sections for eCourses, memberships, payment options and more, all in the one place.
Best for: a practitioner with beginner to average technology-savvy. For someone who is interested in a more minimalistic website that can be built up quickly.
Cons: you won’t be able to add a lot of the extras that other platforms offer.
So there you have it: three of the biggest names in website builders.
Some are more user-friendly than others, some have a better support team and others will be better for setting up your SEO. If you’re still sitting there scratching your head, unsure of what direction to move in, it could mean you’re ready to talk to a professional – err, that would be me.
Get in touch now for a consult on building your first website or refreshing your existing one. Whatever your tech needs, I’m here to help!