How to Find VCs: A Proven Guide for Startups
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In the pre-digital age, you generally needed a brick-and-mortar storefront to connect with your customers. In the digital age, your website serves as that storefront, showcasing your products and services to prospective customers. A website is table stakes for any small business. No matter your industry, you need at least a basic site to drive more customers to your business.
As a small business owner, especially when starting up, the thought of building your website might seem like a bridge too far. However, several platforms make building basic or complex websites more manageable than you might think.
In this article, we'll cover the various platforms and help you finally answer the question, "Which website builder is right for my small business."
We recently did a webinar on this topic with Small Business University. You can view it here.
Before diving into the different website-building platforms, understanding your small business's unique needs is essential. Are you a local bakery looking to attract more customers? Using a theme from somewhere like Wix might be enough. Or you're an online boutique aiming to expand your e-commerce operations. Shopify is the best for eCommerce. Your business goals and requirements should guide your choice of a website platform.
Additionally, you need to consider your skills and time commitments. With little skill and time, you can use a template from somewhere like Squarespace and get something up quickly. Suppose you have some HTML and CSS experience and want a more comprehensive and unique site. In that case, you can consider something more advanced like Webflow.
We'll review several popular site builders here and help guide you.
Let's begin by looking at some of the most popular website-building platforms.
Skill level: Advanced
Known for its flexibility and customization options, WordPress is a top choice for businesses looking for complete website control. It's an excellent platform for content-heavy websites, so if you do much blogging, WordPress can handle it. There's also a vast array of plugins and themes that can help you extend your site. However, the more plugins you use, the more bloat and the slower your website. Plus, they can lead to security vulnerabilities. A bad WordPress plugin caused the Panama Papers leak.
Skill level: Beginner
Wix is user-friendly and offers a drag-and-drop interface, making it ideal for beginners. It's a versatile platform that can suit a variety of business types.
Skill level: Beginner
Squarespace is known for its stunning design templates, making it an excellent choice for businesses prioritizing aesthetics. It's user-friendly but offers fewer customization options compared to WordPress.
Skill level: Intermediate
If you plan to sell products online, Shopify is a dedicated e-commerce platform. It provides robust e-commerce features and is designed to help small businesses set up online stores quickly.
If your primary business is selling online, you should use Shopify as a part of your solution. It often makes sense to use Shopify in addition to WordPress or Webflow, where you host most of your marketing information and content and then link users to Shopify to sell products online.
Skill level: Expert
Webflow is a modern website builder that stands out for its unique web design and development approach. It combines a visual design interface with powerful code-based customization options, making it a versatile choice for small businesses and designers.
Here at Peak Digital Studio, we're a Webflow shop, which means it's the most powerful, flexible, fast, and SEO-friendly platform. But if you're a small business owner with limited web experience, building something from scratch can be too much.
If you are looking for a great website that helps you do almost anything you need on the web, consider working with us!
In conclusion, the right website-building platform for your small business depends on your unique requirements and goals. Be sure you know what you want to get out of your website and what skills are required to build it. If you want something simple, some drag-and-drop builders will work just fine. However, if you want something robust, consider a platform like Webflow and an agency like Peak Digital Studio to help you build a world-class website on your budget.