Best Web Builders For Designers
Websites are critical in our current era, and for designers, having a portfolio of your work available 24/7 is essential. However, we're not all web designers, so what is the best option?
When creating your first portfolio, it is hard to know exactly which site is best for your style. For most people, one of the big website builders, such as Squarespace or Wix are great options that provide flexibility for almost all situations, while those who know a bit more about HTML and CSS but hate the actual coding part might like WordPress or WebFlow much better. I'll dive into a couple of these options to help you find something that works for your idea.
Squarespace
I personally recommend Squarespace for small teams that are aiming to get a site up and running as quickly as possible. It provides tons of options for making the site yours, while having some of the most variety options for making a blog, starting a business, and more. Squarespace's templates look great as well, making it much easier to get something that looks nice down, without requiring much effort. It, however, has fewer customization options and plugins than WordPress and can feel a bit limiting at times. I would always try to start a design in Squarespace, then if the idea isn't coming out how I want, I switch to WordPress to get a little more granular.
WordPress
WordPress is another great option for new sites, being one of the largest hosting providers in the world. WordPress has infinite customizability to really make the site your own. However, it is incredibly difficult to set up and use without knowing many ins and outs. Many of the custom customizations require some knowledge of HTML and CSS, as well as some background on WordPress itself in order to properly discern where you need to go to change something. Many small to medium-sized teams will hire professionals to come on and design the site entirely, then have someone do maintenance from then on out. But, once a final design is down, the site just works, and it is free forever (with ads) if you are strapped for cash.
WebFlow
Webflow is a fairly new contender here, essentially laying out all of the HTML elements and styles into an easy-to-use UI. If you have experience with HTML and CSS this is perfect for you, as it gives you everything you need to use without having to manually type out all the code. It also is free to set up and try, with paid versions available that are comparable to offerings by WordPress and Squarespace. Obviously, however, if you have no web experience and are going in for the first time, I would stay away from this option.
Honorable Mentions
Even though I didn't directly mention these, they are also good options for people looking to explore more of the eCommerce side of design or wanting to stray away from the traditional builders I mentioned before.
Shopify: Looking to start a business and sell things? This is it. Super easy to set up and use and requires little effort to get your designs on there. It also offers easy ways to connect to services like Printify or Printful to get your item printed and sent directly to your customer.
Weebly: One of the cheapest options, with some of the best reviews out there from other designers. Gives out great benefits for the cost, and includes eCommerce options in their basic plan.
1&1 IONOS: Mostly known for their web hosting, MyWebsite proves to be another great option, giving users intuitive drag-and-drop blocks so your website just works. One of the cheapest options out there too, starting at just $1 for your first month, then $5 for months after.
Smith, A. N. (2023, March 29). Best website builder (top 10 April 2023). Forbes. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-website-builders/
Team, F. (2022, October 19). 8 ways to make your website stand out. FORMAT. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/ways-to-make-website-stand-out