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Mar 27, 2023

Simplify Web Design: Scorecard for Selecting a Website Builder

Article brought to you by Nilead, a website builder platform with fully-managed design, development, and management services.

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From Weebly to Wix to Squarespace—the list of options for creating a beautiful, functional site goes on and on. How do you decide which website builder is the best fit for your business? To make that decision easier, we've created a scorecard to compare popular website builder solutions and help you narrow down your choices.

We'll look at the features, support systems, cost structures, and other important criteria to help you get started on creating your new site. Read on to find out how to simplify web design with our scorecard approach.

Website Builder Basics: DIY vs Professionals

Before you start deciding on a website builder, it's important to think about whether you'll want to design the site yourself or hire a professional to build it for you. If you're short on budget or don't have the technical know-how, DIY websites are a great option. But if you're looking for a more comprehensive website with professional support, then hiring a professional is the way to go.

To help you decide which route is best for you, consider these factors:

  • Time: How quickly do you need your website up and running? The DIY option allows for faster launch times.

  • Budget: DIY websites are ideal if your budget is tight or limited. Professional websites tend to cost more but may offer better value in the long run.

  • Knowledge: Do you have web design skills or experience? If not, then a DIY option may be best because they usually require less technical expertise and provide easy templates for quick development.

  • Scalability: Is your website intended to grow over time? A professional website offers more robust features that can develop with your business needs.

Evaluating Cost and Features of Website Builders

When selecting a website builder, you'll need to evaluate both the cost and features of the platform. While many website builders offer free basic plans, upgrading to premium options is often necessary to get features like custom domains, e-commerce functionality, or design customization.

To simplify your comparison between website builders, you can make use of a feature scorecard. This scorecard includes different criteria such as ease of use, hosting type, and cost structure so that you can easily compare different providers. It's also important to read real user reviews of the platform you are considering in order to get a true picture of what others think about their experience.

Take your time and do your research on each platform before making your final decision—this will help you make sure that the website builder you choose meets all your needs in terms of features, price point, and user experience.

User Experience: Ease of Use Is Key

No matter what, you want a website builder that's easy and intuitive to use, even if you’re not tech-savvy. A great website builder should feel like a toolset that anyone can pick up and master. How do you know if it’s easy to use?

Features & Functionality

Perhaps the best indicator of ease of use is the range of features and functions available. Does your prospective website builder have the right tools to achieve your goals, without overwhelming you with too many options?

For instance, if it includes a content management system (CMS), does it let you easily create compelling designs and engaging blog content? Does it offer analytics for tracking site performance? Can you easily incorporate chat boxes or videos? Above all else, does it allow for integration with other software programs or services that might be essential to how your business runs?

Usability & Navigation

Navigation is a key component of user experience. Look for a website builder that helps guide visitors evenly through your website pages. Consider whether there’s an intuitive way to navigate around the different design elements in order to customize them. If your site has multiple languages, make sure there's an easy way to switch between them with minimal effort.

Getting the right website builder doesn't have to be complicated – by evaluating these three factors, user experience, design capabilities, and cost-effectiveness, you can easily prioritize which features matter most to you when selecting a web design platform.

Check for Design Options and Responsive Design

When selecting a website builder, it's important to check for design options and make sure the builder offers responsive design features.

Design options are crucial for giving your website personality and creating a great brand experience for visitors. Look out for customization features like themes, page layouts, font families, and color schemes that let you make your site look the way you want.

Responsive design is also important. Responsive web design automatically adjusts the display of your website's content to fit different device sizes like desktop, mobile, and tablet. Without this feature, visitors will have difficulty viewing and navigating through your content on their mobile devices — which will lead to a poor user experience on your site.

To summarize, when selecting a website builder, be sure to check both the design options available and whether it offers responsive design features – these factors are essential for creating an optimal user experience on your website.

Performance Matters: Loading Times, in-Built SEO Tools & Compatibility

Although you might be tempted to dive in and get a website builder that has every feature under the sun, don't forget about performance and how it affects website loading times. You want a website builder that's optimized for speed, so visitors won't have to wait more than a few seconds for the page to load.

In addition, make sure the web builder you choose has in-built SEO tools and features that help you optimize your content. After all, what good is great design when no one can find your website?

Finally, compatibility matters too. You don't want to be stuck with a site builder that only works with specific browsers or devices. The best site builders are designed to work on all major internet browsers—Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Edge—as well as on mobile devices.

Integrations: Connecting to Social Media, eCommerce & More

When you’re looking for a website builder, one of the key factors you should consider is integrations. Integrations allow you to connect to a range of services, like social media accounts, eCommerce platforms, and email marketing tools. Ultimately, this capability helps to streamline your website design experience and make day-to-day tasks much easier.

To help you evaluate the various website builders at your disposal, think about the following:

  1. What integrations does the platform support?

  2. Is there an app store? Does it include popular integrations?

  3. Does it have a single sign-on (SSO) feature that lets you log in to different third-party applications with one login?

  4. Do they provide tutorials and support articles on how to set up each integration?

  5. What additional features can be unlocked through integrations?

  6. How user-friendly are the integrations? Will they be easy for non-technical users to use?

  7. Is it possible to add custom code if needed?

  8. Are there any additional fees associated with certain integrations?

Integrations are an important part of website design, as they help create a more seamless experience when managing your site and its content; don’t be afraid to shop around for the best fit for your needs!

Conclusion

Simplifying web design is key to having a successful website. When selecting a website builder, you want to make sure it meets your business needs, is easy to use, and is cost-effective. By considering the factors mentioned in this article and using the scorecard provided, you can evaluate the options available to find the right website builder for you.

Whether you are a new business or an established one, website builders can provide a great solution to get a high-quality website up and running quickly and easily. With a little research and effort, you can find the right website builder to simplify your website design process and ensure you have the website you need.

Nilead is a website builder for non-technical users with many features not available on other platforms including:

  1. Multiple languages (with right-to-left languages support)

  2. eCommerce ready

  3. Customer relationship management

  4. Internal task/project management

If you are looking for an alternative to Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace, give us a chance to show you a demo of what Nilead can do for your business.

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About the author

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Vu Nguyen

Vu Nguyen is an entrepreneur, developer, and founder of Nilead. He loves backend website development and has experience in eCommerce (owning an online store as well as being a developer), Search Engine Optimization, UX Design, and Content Strategy.

Since 2005, Vu has headed and overseen UX design teams for projects in corporations, start-ups, individuals, etc., regardless of their size. He has been involved in both the creative and technical aspects of each project - from ideation to concept and vision, prototype building to detailed design, and build-up to deployment.

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