So you’ve decided to invest in a brand new website, congratulations! Having a website is a great way to drive traffic to your products and services as well as having your own corner of the internet for people to find out more about your business.

You may be wondering with all of the website platforms available to you, which one is going to be right for you and your business. Today, I’m going to give an honest and unbiased look at all of the website builders and how to tell if they’re the right one for you.

Today we’re going to look at:

• SHOWIT
• WORDPRESS
• SQUARESPACE
• SHOPIFY
• WEBFLOW

Let’s get started!

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Showit

Let’s start off with my personal platform of choice; Showit!  Showit is a drag and drop website builder for creative professionals. Showit is incredibly user friendly to use as there is ZERO code needed! There is a lot of creative freedom when it comes to building websites and the design potential is endless. Showit is also great for SEO as it integrates with WordPress for blogging. This means you get the design freedom of Showit and the SEO power of WordPress. A win-win in my opinion!

Give Showit a try if….

You’re a creative professional (photographer, content creator, designer..etc) or small business looking to build a completely custom website with great SEO.

Give Showit a miss if….

You have an e-commerce business and are looking to sell a wide range of different products in your store. Whilst there is the option to integrate Shopify lite with your Showit website, there are better options available for larger e-commerce stores.

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WordPress

WordPress is still one of the largest website building platforms available. Whilst there is an endless amount of creative freedom available with WordPress, it’s not the most user friendly platform for beginners. You will need prior knowledge of coding or a web developer to help you build your website. Some of the pros of WordPress is that it comes with a range of different plugins to customise your website and you’re also able to choose from a wide selection of templates for all kinds of businesses. If you’re planning to build a membership site or an online store WordPress is a great option for this.

Give WordPress a go if…

You have a larger business or you’re planning on starting a membership site/ E-commerce business and don’t mind the learning curve that comes with WordPress or plan to hire a developer. 

Give WordPress a miss if…

you’re a small business owner who wants the ease of being able to navigate and make updates and don’t have time to deal with code!

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Squarespace

Like Showit, Squarespace is a drag and drop website builder for small businesses. It’s another great alternative to WordPress as it’s easier to use if you want a website you can easily manage and update by yourself. Unlike Showit there are certain design limitations but I will say it’s a good option if you plan to DIY your own website. Each website begins with a template you can build from which makes it an easy to use platform.

Give Squarespace a go if…

You want to design your own website and are happy to use a template. It doesn’t need to be the most aesthetically pleasing website ever, you just want a smart, functional website for your biz!

Give Squarespace a miss if…

You’re looking to have complete creative freedom to build a beautiful website for your biz without needing to know code

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Shopify

Shopify is hands down the best option for e-commerce businesses. Whether you plan on selling physical or digital products it’s the most comprehensive website platform out there for e-commerce businesses. Whilst you have the option to integrate a shop on either showit or squarespace, Shopify is the best option for those who are serious about building an online store with multiple products and those who require extensive e-commerce tools.

Give Shopify a go if…

You plan on building an e-commerce business and want to build a functional online store with all of the analytical and plugin options to help you scale your business.

Give Shopify a miss if…

You are a service based business with no products for sale OR you plan on offering a small select few items (e.g digital templates) you can either integrate a store on Showit/ Squarespace OR try your hand at an online marketplace like etsy!

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Webflow

Webflow is a relatively new platform but is increasing in popularity due to its customisation options and impressive animation features. Despite the fact that there isn’t much coding required it still seems to have a steep learning curve. Unlike 

Give Webflow a go if…

If you’re a small to medium size business who is thinking of hiring a designer and want a website with fun animations and features, Webflow might be a great option for you. 

Give Webflow a miss if….

you plan on building a website yourself and are happy to use a template themed site for its ease of use and manageability.