If you’re a small business owner, then sporting an excellent website is a massive benefit in a variety of ways.
You need every advantage you can get in our ever-competitive global economy.
That’s why you should consider a website that helps to brand your business and advertise your offers.
There are more, less-obvious benefits of having a website too, you know.
Benefits of having an impressive website:
- Your website can help to generate leads
- Your website can help with search rankings
- Your site can host a blog that promotes your offers
- You can share your brand’s stories on your blog too
- You can sell your products on your website
- You can list your services on your website
- You can post contact info on your website
- You can share news updates, promotions, contests, and news
- You can host webinars, share e-books, promote your social media channels, and more!
Your website also has the potential to be one of, if not the first impression that your end-users experience.
For that reason, your first impression must rock!
But how are you supposed to build an excellent website, unless you’re a Ph.D. in computer science or a Master of Marketing?
After consulting with countless students and colleagues, I fully realize how stressful and overwhelming the process of website development can seem.
That’s why in this blog post, we’re going to brainstorm 10 of the most straightforward page builders for small business owners.
After being a marketing geek and tech geek for my life, I contend that the following website builders are all indeed excellent choices.
# 1 – ClickFunnels
ClickFunnels is one of my favorite marketing page builders for a variety of reasons. The first reason is that their team loves marketing. They offer an abundant wealth of experience in the marketing world.
If you want to learn all about marketing, sales funnels, email marketing, copywriting, and online sales, then the ClickFunnels team is superb. Their community is also stellar if you wish to surround yourself with like-minded professionals.
ClickFunnels also allows you to quickly launch fully-fledged marketing pages capable of generating leads, selling products, and managing orders.
If you want a website designed to generate leads and to sell, then ClickFunnels is a great choice to consider. I give ClickFunnels double points for tremendous ease of use.
All the templates your small business needs are here. You’ll find templates for lead capture pages, course pages, book funnel pages, sales pages, video sales letters, and just about any other type of marketing funnel.
If you want an easy “all in one” marketing page builder that allows you to build, market, and sell your products, then ClickFunnels is fantastic.
ClickFunnels is for you if:
- You want to list, sell and deliver your products online
- You don’t want to mess around with any code
- You appreciate fantastic marketing training
ClickFunnels is not for you if:
- You don’t have anything to sell
- You already have a marketing funnel and sales funnel solution
# 2 – Kartra
Kartra is another tremendously powerful page builder with a boatload of advanced marketing automation features.
One of the main things that I love about Kartra is that they boast a bunch of innovative marketing automation features. If you like the idea of possessing advanced marketing funnels without knowing how to program a single line of code, then Kartra is worthy of investigation. Seriously. Spend a few minutes checking out some of the preview videos available on the Kartra website.
Kartra also boasts several “done for you” style funnels, including funnels for authors and teachers. Kartra also boasts plenty of lead generation features that you’ll love if you want to build your email newsletter.
So, if you want to automate your marketing funnels, and sell your products online, then Katra is fantastic.
Another thing I love about Kartra is that its service includes free video hosting. If you want to host marketing pages with video, then Kartra makes it very easy.
Kartra is for you if:
- You love the world of marketing automation
- You want to sell your books, courses, or products
- You want to launch video sales letters or online courses
Kartra is not for you if:
- You don’t have anything to sell online
- You don’t want to explore the world of advanced marketing automation
# 3 – WordPress.org
MrComputerScience.com proudly runs on WordPress.org!
If you’re new to the world of WordPress, think of it as a simple blogging platform that any business can use.
The main thing I love about WordPress.org is that it’s 100% free. WordPress.org is an open-source platform. You can use it for your commercial, business, or any website without owing any royalties or fees.
To start using WordPress, all you need is to buy a domain and a WebHost. Both of which are very inexpensive. (I run MrComputerScience.com for about $50 – $100 or so per year).
WordPress is, by far, my favorite content management system. It’s ridiculously easy to use, especially these days. Early in the days of WordPress, there wasn’t much in the way of page building options.
These days, however, I would argue that the modern WordPress editor makes for a fantastic page builder with semi-decent options for small business owners.
You can easily use WordPress to insert graphics, images, lists, videos, podcast content, or anything else that you want.
WordPress is also an excellent blogging platform. So you can easily insert new updates on your website whenever you wish. You can also easily publish static pages, such as contact pages, about me pages, and so on.
With the latest widgets and updates, I would argue that WordPress is genuinely one of the easiest to use page builders on the planet.
WordPress is for you if:
- You’re a nerdy marketer who loves to tinker
- You love the idea of starting a blog for your business
- You love the idea of having total control over your blog
WordPress if not for you if:
- You loathe the thought of all things tech
- You don’t want to fuss with third-party plugins and widgets
# 4 – Thrive Architect
Thrive Architect is a WordPress plugin that makes building beautiful marketing pages very easy.
I’ve personally used Thrive Architect on this blog for a while. It’s easily one of my favorite WordPress plugins for building simple, yet beautiful websites and marketing pages.
Historically, I’ve used Thrive Architect to build lead capture pages, sales pages, welcome pages, squeeze pages, and blog pages. Plus, other stuff that I’m probably forgetting.
The thing I love about Thrive Architect is that it works smoothly with WordPress. As a long-time blogging nerd, I think that Thrive Architect is undoubtedly one of the best page building options for WordPress users. It’s also straightforward to use, and the Thrive Architect page builder is truly “drag and drop” simple. If you can use Microsoft Word and standard apps, then Thrive is easy.
Another thing that I appreciate about Thrive Architect is that it’s dirt cheap. Thrive boasts a ton of marketing templates and pages for a variety of reasons, and they possess a drag and drop editor that’s easy to use.
Thrive boasts plenty of options for lead capture pages, course pages, sales pages, webinar registration pages, coming soon pages, and more.
Thrive architect is for you if:
- You’re a fan of WordPress
- You love the idea of starting a business blog
- You want a very affordable page building option
Thrive architect is not for you if:
- You loathe the world of tech
- You don’t want to use WordPress
# 5 – Constant Contact
Constant Contact is known for their excellent email marketing software. As a huge fan of email marketing, I think that Constant Contact rocks.
I think that just about any small business should consider experimenting with email marketing. It’s easily one of the cheapest ways to get the word out about your business. Your ideal prospects might love to receive a newsletter that your brand publishes regularly!
Constant Contact isn’t just an email marketing platform, you know. Constant Contact also offers a 100% free page building option. After experimenting with the Constant Contact page builder, I’m pleased to report that it’s effortless to use. The websites also look very modern and professional. You can easily create a sleek-looking website for your business without any technical hurdles using the Constant Contact page builder.
Constant Contact also boasts an Ads tool for Facebook and Google that help to create optimized ads. This ad-building feature is perfect if you want to promote your email newsletter or your business landing pages using paid advertising.
All in all, if you’re a marketing geek, or if you want to experiment with a free page builder, then Constant Contact has some crucial features.
Constant Contact is for you if:
- You want to experiment with an easy to use page builder
- You don’t want to spend a fortune on your business website
- You also want an email marketing automation provider
Constant Contact is not for you if:
- You already have a third-party email marketing solution
- You’re not interested in any email marketing
# 6 – GetResponse
GetResponse is another tremendously fantastic email marketing service provider and marketing automation tool. I’ve experimented with GetResponse a great deal over the years, and I’ve certainly run several marketing campaigns using their software.
All in all, GetResponse has an excellent (and long-lasting) reputation, and they know email marketing from top to bottom.
In other words, if you’re looking for an easy to use tool to help manage your email newsletter, then GetResponse is fantastic.
Over the years, GetResponse has evolved from a simple email marketing tool to a robust marketing engine with a variety of features.
GetResponse now handles full sales funnels, landing pages, and advanced marketing automation. You can even host live webinars using the GetResponse platform.
GetResponse also swings a nifty drag-and-drop page editor perfect for your various landing pages.
So if you want to build a lead capture page, a webinar registration page, a contact page, or a simple squeeze page, then GetResponse rocks. GetResponse also boasts the advantage of handling your email marketing leads and email newsletter, too, which is a significant advantage.
GetResponse is for you if:
- You want a simple drag-and-drop marketing page builder
- You also want an email marketing autoresponder tool
- You love the ideas of an all-in-one marketing tool with webinar marketing capacity to boot
GetResponse is not for you if:
- You already have a reliable, third-party email marketing platform
- You’re not interested in any email marketing at all
# 7 – StudioPress
The humble MrComputerScience.com blog proudly runs on a StudioPress theme, and I’ve used them for years.
StudioPress is the home of the Genesis framework, a foundation for beautifully coded WordPress themes. StudioPress is one of my favorite WordPress solutions for fantastic and amazing websites.
The StudioPress themes are cleanly coded, regularly updated, and they look beautiful on mobile.
If you consider using WordPress, then definitely check out the StudioPress selection of premium themes. Their themes range in style from chic to bold, to professional. Whether you want to launch an online course, an online store, or a baked cookie boutique, StudioPress has you covered in style.
It’s also easy to integrate an e-commerce store using the WooCommerce plugin if you choose. Plus, not to mention the massive variety of premium plugins that enhance a traditional WordPress website. The possibilities are endless.
Combine StudioPress with the standard drag-and-drop Gutenberg editor within WordPress, and the nearly-infinite amount of premium plugins, and you have some sweet website building capabilities.
On a personal note, I’m a massive fan of StudioPress. I purchased the StudioPress “Pro Plus Package,” so now whenever they launch a new theme, I can try it for free.
StudioPress is for you if:
- You want to build a beautiful website without breaking the bank
- You don’t mind tinkering with WordPress
- You love the idea of starting a WordPress blog, or you want a premium theme
StudioPress is not for you if:
- You don’t use WordPress, and you don’t want to
- You already have a premium WordPress theme that you’re happy with
# 8 – Squarespace
Some of the best websites that I’ve seen over the last few years have been products of Squarespace.
Some of my favorite small business owners rock Squarespace, and I must say that their website templates look fantastic.
If you want a website with a modern look, then Squarespace is easily one of your top choices for super-simple website launching.
The main thing that stands out to me about Squarespace is that they have such a wide variety of templates.
Whether you want to build a website for your local business, event, wedding, restaurant, blog, Podcast, or online store, Squarespace has the template to match your taste.
If you want a beautiful website that’s simple to use, then you can’t go wrong with Squarespace. The Squarespace templates are mobile-friendly, very modern-looking, and there is plenty to use.
On an added personal note, if I wasn’t already happy with WordPress, I would consider moving to Squarespace. I’m a fan of their designs and think that they’re a nifty company.
Squarespace is for you if:
- You want a beautiful, modern-looking website
- You love the idea of choosing from various themes
- You want a visually stunning mobile-friendly design without tech trouble or coding
Squarespace is not for you if:
- You want to focus on sales funnels
- You’re looking for a 100% free page-building solution
# 9 – Wix
Wix is a beautiful platform perfect for small business owners who want a clean web presence without a big marketing budget.
Wix boasts a straightforward page editor that makes it dramatically simple to customize a beautiful website.
Wix also has a fresh SEO optimization plan builder that’s perfect for local business owners.
If you want to launch a blog, accept bookings, or manage an online store, then Wix makes everything relatively simple.
Wix also boasts an array of exotic (unique) features for the small business owner. Email marketing, professional email accounts, and plenty of widgets to help customize your website.
Wix is for you if:
- You want a variety of themes without breaking the bank
- You’re a local business owner who would love an SEO marketing plan
- You want to launch an online store without the confusion
Wix is not for you if:
- You wish for advanced marketing automation
- You’re going to build sales funnels with advanced marketing features
# 10 – MailerLite
MailerLite is one of my favorite email marketing companies. If you want your business website to focus on email marketing and lead generation, them MailerLite rocks.
MailerLite is a genuinely unique email marketing platform, because you can start using their service without opening your wallet.
As a thrifty (cheap) blogger, I love MailerLite’s pricing structure. I advise any small business owner to consider using MailerLite, especially if you want to launch an email newsletter without spending a fortune.
MailerLite also boasts a ton of cool marketing features such as email automation, list segmentation, subscriber management, and pop-up subscribe form tools.
MailerLite’s interface is intuitive and easy to use. If you can read the content on this blog, then you won’t have trouble using MailerLite. 😉
Of course, MailerLite also rocks an intelligent landing page builder that’s free. The page builder is perfect if you want to launch a beautiful email marketing funnel quickly. So if you want an excellent lead capture page, a squeeze page, or an email registration form, then MailerLite is simple to use. Plus, you can’t beat the price!
MailerLite is for you if:
- If you want to launch a new email newsletter on the cheap
- If you want a super simple way to build beautiful lead capture pages for free
- If you want to generate email leads on a budget
MailerLite is not for you if:
- If you already have a robust email marketing tool
- If you don’t want to use email marketing
# 11 – Weebly
Weebly is a tremendously popular website builder perfect for eCommerce sellers, beautiful business websites, and online stores.
Just how popular is Weebly? Well, according to their website, well over 50,000,000 (that’s fifty MILLION) people trust their services.
Weebly boasts a handful of exciting features that set them apart from the pack. First, Weebly allows your website to have awesome video backgrounds that look stunning.
The drag and drop page editor is straightforward to use, even if you loathe all tech stuff and web design elements. You can also share your videos on the Weebly platform. So if your business produces videos, then a Weebly website is a great option to help promote your work.
Weebly also offers a fresh photo editor right on its platform. So if you create lots of graphics or share lots of images for your business, then Weebly has a ton to offer.
Weebly is for you if:
- You want to launch an online store without coding
- You want a beautiful business website without fuss
- You wish to integrate lots of photos, video, and media on your website
Weebly is not for you if:
- You don’t have any products to sell and don’t want an online store
- You want to build robust sales funnels with advanced marketing automation
# 12 – Ucraft
If you want a business website that looks different and stands out, then Ucraft is a worthy choice. Ucraft is a website building platform with a logo designer, a landing page builder, an eCommerce store builder, and they also support blogs.
The first thing I noticed when I found Ucraft was that their website templates are different. Instead of the cookie-cutter templates, the templates on Ucraft look like fancy graphic designers make them.
If you want your brand to boast a unique and refined look, then you should at least check the website templates that Ucraft has on its platform.
Their template categories include small business, eCommerce, blog, personal, restaurants, art, and more. So, there’s a wide array of templates available for multiple business styles.
The best part about Ucraft is that they’re risk-free. You can register for an account and begin building a handy website without paying a single penny. If you don’t love their website template styles? Then you’re never at a loss.
Ucraft is for you if:
- You want a unique-looking blog with a smashing design
- You want to launch an online store that looks fantastic
- You want to start a blog that looks great, without dealing with any technical fuss
Ucraft is not for you if:
- You’re looking for advanced marketing automation features
- You don’t have an online store and don’t want to sell anything online
# 13 – Strikingly
Strikingly is a fantastic website platform perfect for small business owners who wish to launch an online blog or eCommerce store.
That’s one of my favorite features of Strikingly. Strikingly allows you to build a highly-functional eCommerce website with surprisingly little fuss.
So if you want to sell your products online in style, and if you’re going to launch your website quickly, then Strikingly rocks.
Whether you want to sell your widgets or arts and crafts, Strikingly can help you launch a sweet storefront in style.
Strikingly also boasts blogging features. So if you love the idea of starting a blog, but you don’t like the idea of dealing with WordPress, then Strikingly stands out because they’re effortless to use.
One of the only complaints I’ve heard about WordPress is that it’s technically tough to learn. If you can relate, then Strikingly might be worthy of consideration if you want to blog without any tech headache.
The Strikingly page editor is straightforward to use, and they promise that you can build a beautiful looking website in less than 30 minutes! If that offer sounds too good to be true, then put them to the test. You can try their service for free, so there are absolutely zero risks on your part. All of the risks are on them.
Strikingly is for you if:
- You want to launch a blog, but don’t want to use WordPress
- You want to start an online store without hiring any developers
- You want to use a simple drag and drop editor to build your landing pages
Strikingly is not for you if:
- You don’t have any digital products to sell and don’t want to launch an online store
- You’re not wild about blogging and have no interest in creating one for your business
Conclusion – Why Your Business Needs an Awesome Website!
Thank you for reading this guide! I want to let you know that I love all of the options on this page.
I’ve been building websites since I was a tiny kid in High School! Or even before then! The reason I mention that is because I would have killed for any of these services back in the day when web design was a massive headache.
That’s why I love all of these services. They make launching an online store, blog, or business website, a big fat piece of cake. Remember that your business needs a fantastic website, so don’t take this vital step for granted!
If you’re a small business owner, then you realize how tough it is to compete.
Face it. Competition is thick. Maybe you’ve noticed that a lot of Main Street businesses are hurting. Meanwhile, the large organizations of the world are flourishing?
That’s why, if you’re a small business owner, it’s a great idea to hustle to brand yourself. Promote yourself anyway that you can!
The point of this rant is that boasting a fantastic website is a cool way to differentiate your business.
Finding the right page building tool is so simple these days. All the options listed on this page are fabulous choices.
My advice is simple; spend some time researching these tools in further detail, and then choose one that you like.
Thanks for reading, and please have a miraculous day.
Cordially.
Mike “The Business Website” DeVincent
MrComputerScience.com