7 tools to help you build a great website

Even in the age of apps and social feeds, websites remain a key tool for selling products, promoting your brand, or building a portfolio online. Many hosts offer website builders that create crisp layouts in minutes. However, before you sign up, it's important to review the following features:

• Usability
• Templates and customization
• Scalability
• Pricing and customer support
• Relevant features

Here's a look at some of the best website builders out there.

Designecologist via Pexels

Wix is known for its simple interface and extensive template selection. Its benefits include:

• Ease of use: Wix is famously easy to use. You select a template or ask AI to generate a website, then drag and drop elements until you're satisfied with the design.
• Design and customization: Wix offers hundreds of templates you can quickly apply to your website. Then customize text, images, and colors with built-in tools.
• Key features: Users get access to dozens of features to aid in design, SEO, business management, e-commerce, marketing, and more.
• Pricing and value: Wix offers four pricing tiers. The cheapest tier comes with a free domain for one year, multicloud hosting, and other basic features. Advanced tiers provide more storage space, e-commerce capabilities, and marketing suites.
• Customer support: To reach customer support, you log in and talk to the customer care bot in your chosen language.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: Wix enables you to build mobile-friendly websites with clean layouts and simple navigation.

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Squarespace uses artificial intelligence (AI) to build custom sites. These features make the platform a popular choice:

• Ease of use: Building a Squarespace website is as simple as choosing a template and dragging and dropping the elements. If you're not satisfied with the templates, the proprietary Blueprint AI generates a site with a few clicks.
• Design and customization: Users get access to dozens of templates with clean, readable designs. Once you select a template, you choose from various themes, layouts, and color schemes.
• Key features: Squarespace's wide range of features includes scheduled posts, podcast support, custom merchandise, inventory management, image SEO, and mobile editing.
• Pricing and value: Users choose from four pricing tiers that include website builders and e-commerce features. Advanced tiers include reduced payment fees, professional tax services, and JavaScript customization.
• Customer support: When you need help, the support assistant can answer your questions or connect you to a human agent.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: Every template comes with a mobile-friendly layout that automatically adjusts to smaller screens.

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Built with sellers in mind, Shopify $SHOP hosts e-commerce websites. Its benefits include:

• Ease of use: Shopify makes it easy to build a website with pre-made themes and AI generation that does a lot of the work for you.
• Design and customization: Choose from hundreds of paid themes and a handful of free themes, then adjust the fonts, images, elements, and color scheme to suit your needs.
• Key features: The platform's exclusive features include custom storefronts, certified apps, marketing reports, shipping labels, and access to the Shopify fulfillment network.
• Pricing and value: Shopify offers four pricing tiers with e-commerce services. Higher tiers offer better discounts, lower card rates, staff accounts, and more.
• Customer support: The help center assistant can answer your questions in minutes or help you reach the support team.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: Shopify automatically customizes your layout for mobile devices.

Domenico Loia via Unsplash

Hostinger Website Builder embraces simplicity. Its basic platform offers the following:

• Ease of use: To use Website Builder, you select a template or enter a prompt and let AI generate your site. The smart grid keeps your layout aligned as you drag and drop elements.
• Design and customization: After exploring 150+ templates or choosing an AI-generated site, you can customize the pictures, colors, fonts, and elements to match your personal branding.
• Key features: Users get access to AI content generators, e-commerce services, email marketing, SEO tools, and mobile editing.
• Pricing and value: Choose from premium and business pricing tiers. The business plan includes premium features, such as email marketing, analytics, and mobile editing. It also offers no transaction fees, five email inboxes per website, and over 100 payment methods.
• Customer support: Hostinger offers 24/7 access to its customer success team.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: As you build your website, the platform automatically adjusts the layout for mobile use, leading to quick loading times.

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The Webflow platform is more advanced, but it's accessible to most users. Here's what to expect from this host:

• Ease of use: Webflow is a little more complex than other platforms. Instead of generating premade sites, Webflow enables you to drag and drop elements onto the screen to build your site.
• Design and customization: The visual editor offers virtually unlimited design possibilities. You can also quickly upload content with Edit Mode.
• Key features: Webflow's features include SEO controls, website localization, page building, live collaboration, e-commerce services, and the ability to blog using the visual editor.
• Pricing and value: Standard websites have five pricing tiers, while e-commerce sites have three. Advanced tiers come with exclusive features, such as increased bandwidth, surge protection, and unlimited form submissions.
• Customer support: When you need help, you can log in to talk to the customer support team or visit the Webflow forum.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: While Webflow doesn't automatically adjust layouts for mobile use, you can make your site mobile-friendly using responsive design.

Annie Spratt via Unsplash

Clean and simple, Weebly helps you quickly launch your website. The platform offers these features:

• Ease of use: Weebly is easy to navigate. Simply choose a theme and start customizing your site.
• Design and customization: Weebly offers various premade themes for businesses, portfolios, and personal sites. After choosing a theme, you can add video backgrounds, search bars, images, custom fonts, and animations.
• Key features: Weebly members can manage their sites through the mobile app, set up online stores, and use SEO tools.
• Pricing and value: You can choose from four pricing tiers, including a free version. Premium features include free domains, password protection, shipping labels, and unlimited storage.
• Customer support: For assistance, log in to your account and contact the support team or email them.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: Weebly tailors layouts to make them fast and accessible on mobile devices.

Deng Xiang via Unsplash

If you're loyal to WordPress, Bluehost provides hosting and design options for your site. Benefits of signing up include:

• Ease of use: Bluehost's templates and AI-powered builder enable you to create a website without coding knowledge.
• Design and customization: Use Bluehost's AI system to generate content blocks, or easily customize your site with draggable elements.
• Key features: The extensive list of features includes weekly backups, object caching, SEO plug-ins, and managed WordPress updates.
• Pricing and value: Bluehost offers three pricing tiers with free domains and 24/7 support. Higher tiers come with email marketing and malware detection.
• Customer support: For support, call Bluehost or reach out through its 24/7 live chat.
• Performance and mobile responsiveness: Every Bluehost template is compatible with mobile devices.