5 Must-Have Features for Beginner Friendly Website Builders
If you’re thinking about starting your own website, the first thing on your mind probably isn’t which website builder to use, but it should be.
While most professionals will have the patience and skill to put together their own website from scratch, if you’re looking to get started in the industry with minimal hassle, then having the right tools at your disposal can make all the difference in setting yourself up for success.
Luckily, choosing an easy-to-use website builder doesn’t mean sacrificing any of the more advanced features that more experienced webmasters will want to take advantage of in the future!
User-Friendly Interface
Some website builders look more like tech savvy software and less like a tool you’d use to build a business.
For example, some builders include white on black layouts that are difficult to read.
Look for websites with bold colors, large typefaces, icons, photos and clear calls to action.
On top of being easy on your eyes, these website builders will help boost your bounce rate (you want people staying on your site), which in turn impacts search engine optimization (SEO).
A good designer or developer can fix up an existing website builder’s design, but it’s easier to get off on the right foot by choosing something that looks great from day one.
Free Domain Name
Though most of us have to start with a very small budget, it’s always better to set aside a small amount that you can use towards buying your own domain name.
Plus, if you decide to build websites as a profession or business, having your own domain will make it much easier to establish your reputation.
There are many different options when it comes to purchasing a domain: GoDaddy and 1&1 are two popular choices but there are many others out there.
Shop around and get one that best fits what you need!
Choice of Templates
When you’re working with free website builders, you can sometimes get overwhelmed by choice.
Some have thousands of templates to choose from and that’s great if you know exactly what you want.
But sometimes, having all those options is paralyzing rather than empowering.
If you’re a beginner, it might be best to look for a more streamlined builder with templates and design elements that will help build your brand rather than distract from it.
Think less choices is more in this case!
Integrated CMS
There are a couple of things you’ll want to make sure your website builder has:
One is a content management system (CMS) and another is an integrated shopping cart.
With an integrated CMS, you can edit your site without uploading or changing files — with no need to learn any coding language.
A well-integrated shopping cart allows you to sell products online without having to set up an account with a third party provider.
This saves time and money, making it ideal for beginners who may not yet know how important e-commerce is or where they would like their business to go.
These features will save hours of frustration and headaches, allowing you to focus on getting customers and increasing profits.
No Upselling or Hidden Costs
The ideal website builder should feature no upselling or hidden costs.
It’s easy to get carried away with site builders and end up spending more than you expected on add-ons and upgrades.
If a site builder is genuinely beginner friendly, it shouldn’t try to trick people into overspending.
Ideally, that means offering free hosting as well as free domain name registration (at least for 12 months).
You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on hosting just because your website designer did so in exchange for a little more money. They don’t need it and neither do you!
Look instead at reliable solutions like Friday, Google Sites which are pretty good at allowing you do whatever you want without worrying about extra fees.
