What's "best" about best website builders?
Before answering your question about best website builders, you want to define what's "best." In essence, why do you want to build a website and which website builder best suits that goal?
What is a website builder?
As the name implies, a website builder builds websites. There are two types of website builders: [1] software that resides on your computer and [2] browser-based, or online tools, to create websites (you do not have to purchase or install software onto your local computer.
The first type of website builders include such programs as Dreamweaver, FrontPage (now Expression Web and Joomla. The second type is used through your browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox, etc.).
Where can you find website builders?
Most hosting companies offer browser-based website builders. These are the companies from whom you rent specialized computer (or server) space to "serve out" web pages from your website to visitors. For instance, GoDaddy offers a website builder called Website Tonight. Typically you would purchase a hosting package from the hosting company and their website builder is included.
There are some popular website builders offered cost-free. Here are three of them:
- Joomla - This package is of the first type, being downloadable software to install on your computer. It might more accurately be described as a content management system or CMS where it can manage multi-user contribution to the website.
- Drupal - Another CMS package which, like Joomla is downloaded and used on your computer. Several reviewers said something similar to, "If you wish to set up a content management system yourself and you do not have PHP and HTML skills, Drupal is not your best choice."
- Google Sites - This is a good choice for novices who know no HTML or any other technical mumbo jumbo. Google Sites may be of particular interest to nonprofits who have 501(c)3 status as there are some real benefits. Through Google Grants, nonprofits receive free Google AdWords advertising.
What's the "best" in "best website builders"?
Different people mean different things when they ask, "what are the best website builders?" Does "best" mean...
- least expensive or free?
- it creates attractive websites?
- it can do all the bells and whistles including video, sound, blinking and flashing?
- it's easy to use?
- it can help grow your business by attracting lots of targeted traffic?
What do you mean by "best"? If you're looking for an inexpensive method to put a website on the Internet, take a look at Google and Joomla as well as the website builders offered by hosting companies.
Best all around?
What if you want to...
- have an attractive website
- attract lots of visitors
- increase sales
- grow your business
If you think of "best" in a holistic sense where you create an attractive website full of useful content, visited by many targeted potential customers, of whom some become paying customers to grow your business, then you might need to look more closely at what constitutes the top website builder out of the best website builders.
Whether you choose to build your own website or hire a professional, you want to know if the website builder offers at minimum these traits:
- philosophy of building or growing your business through quality, useful website content presented in an attractive, user-friendly way
- caters well to the professional as well as the novice (use software such as Dreamweaver or a block-by-block page builder)
- a constellation of tools to create web pages which attract both search engines and people and aid in marketing including profitable keywords/phrases identification, choosing a profitable niche, auto-submission, auto-site mapping, auto-blogging, visitor-contributed content, ezine publishing, subscription management, email autoresponders, inbound link building, etc.
- learning systems including university courses, online distance learning (see syllabus), self-paced learning, video action guide, written action guide.
- plethora of resources including guides about your specialized knowledge, writing for the Internet, inbound links, auctions (such as eBay), product pricing, decision making, info publishing and more.
- case studies of user-built and specialist-built web businesses
- not just claims of success, but proof of results
Decide what it is that you need
What is your top priority for creating a website? Choose among the best website builders based on your top priority. If you like "getting under the hood" and exploring PHP and HTML, choose something like Drupal. If you want a simple and free website creation tool, try Google Sites. If you want a flexible and powerful content management system with which colleagues can collaborate on website content, you might try Joomla. If you want a website builder that will enhance and grow your business that offers professionals and novices value and can offer proof and verifiable case studies of success, then choose the magical.
Making your decision
Want to make an informed decision? List some of the characteristics you think best website builders should have and then score various builders for your own criteria. Plug these into a decision maker and away you go...
Exploring best website builders further...
Top website builders: Make sure you get a yes to these questions. Top website builders get you on the right track. You want to know top website builders will give you these specific abilities and tools.