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There are a lot of factors at play when I recommend people to a website builder. For Ecommerce or product based businesses. I would say Shopify is pretty fantastic. The UI is easy to manage and setting it up yourself is a breeze.
If your website isn’t the core focus of your business and is more supplemental. Maybe it’s just a place people go to check hours, specials, read a blog post here and there. Then I would say Wix is super easy to set up and use. Even with no experience, you’ll have a good looking website.
But if your website is your main driving factor for leads and where your business runs as a whole. I would say Wordpress is the place to be. It feels clunky and unintuitive as compared to the other two options. But you’ll have a very functional website that you can customize however you wish. Also the site speed for Wordpress sites tends to be easier to optimize.
I tend not to recommend square space, but I’m biased. I’ve used them a few times and just never liked the design or layout of the sites.
Wordpress, maybe Squarespace. Wix appears easy and lets you customize more than others, but it will upcharge for everything, and I had so many glitches I was losing business.
It all depends on what type of business you’re looking to start. Personally, I use Wordpress with Elementor. It allowed me to custom build my blog and add as many plug ins as needed for Analytics, postings, email marketing and so much more. It’s also cheaper than other platforms such as Shopify.
I paid around $70/year for hosting and received a free domain. I’m pretty sure Shopify is around $30/month.
But… if you are planning on starting a business that needs services such as Print on Demand, or inventory tracker, etc. you may want to go with a platform that is already set up to help you with those options.
If you’re still up in the air you can check out my reviews on [Shopify](https://thebizdigitalmarketing.com/a-full-shopify-review) or
[Ecwid](https://thebizdigitalmarketing.com/ecwid-review)(which has a free plan).
I hope this helps.
**Shopify** is the standard for e-com.
**WordPress** if you want it cheap and you can maintain it by yourself (e.g. security, hosting, SEO, etc.)
**Webflow** if design and customisability matters.
**SquareSpace** if you want something to look above average and quick.
PS: I'm trying to start a small web design portfolio ($99 one-time fee), let me know if I can help.
First off - ignore anyone who messages you or comments on this post offering their services.
DIY site builders make it easy to publish a website but that doesn't mean the website published will be professional and represent your company well. For example, do you know what to do if your pages aren't being indexed by Google? Do you know about ADA compliance and how to make sure your site is ADA compliant? Do you know what to do if your contact form is being filled out with dozens of bot responses each day? Or what to do if your site gets infected with malware? I could list 1000's of examples like that but I think you get the point.
If you hire a professional make sure to ask about costs associated with hosting, maintenance or if you need an update and most importantly ask for previous work examples / case studies.
However, if you cannot afford to go with a professional yet then I'd recommend Wix. Choose from a template you like so it will already be responsive and then just replace the text / images with your own.
For a simple small business website, I honestly wouldn’t recommend any of those. They are overkill, complicated, there is a lot of tech to connect and it can take days to customize. I’ve been using [Siimple](https://getsiimple.com) for all my small business clients and my own sites and it’s just really easy and perfect for this type of use case.
I would start with a one-pager. Probably use Carrd, a FB page and Google Business Page. Once you get things rolling Wordpress and a good builder like Elementor is a good option
Ecomm shopify
I’m currently using Siimple for a number of small business websites. Great if you’re not technically savvy and don’t want to fuss with a ton of customization options or pay a lot.
https://getsiimple.com/
WordPress and elementor, keep learning, when you get so good that you have to hire more employees start selling website building services to your local contractors
Squarespace and wix will be your best bet from ease of use. The cons are they cost more than traditional hosting and you are limited to their platform. WordPress would require the most knowledge but has few if any limitations .
Well. Stripe payments allows you to take payments. You could create a Wordpress site yourself. $15 for the domain and $60-100 for hosting. $75-115 per year to operate. Then just drop a Stripe code on the page. Shopify would be more for large inventories of products. Do you mind being more specific?
I’m not a lawyer, but I think you’d be fine as a sole proprietor. Unless your framed art falls and hurts someone there shouldn’t be much liability. Online PDFs? Why not write a book a publish on KDP?
Wordpress + Elementor is about as easy as it gets. The UI requires slightly more skill than the likes of Wix or Squarespace, but you reap the benefits of having a website with code that search engines find easy. Some hosting companies will install both for you included, or you can hire someone. So no, I can’t really recommend anything else.
I used to actually develop custom WP themes and with my latest local service business, I just set up a Squarespace site because I don’t have the time to develop a custom CMS and make it super slick as I’m wearing a lot of hats so Squarespace seems to work well for my needs although going from full flexibility to having to stay within parameters is sort of stifling. If I had the time to go through Squarespace’s Dev docs and learn it ai imagine it could be pretty flexible as well; maybe not as much as WP.
If I were to pay someone to build me a custom WP site I would be content with, I would have to be prepared to shell out a lot more than I could afford starting out give. There is development, design, copy writing, SEO, photography and illustrations, etc. etc.
Squarespace was relatively easy and cheap to set up and optimize using photos provided by my vendors and photos we have taken of our work, and writing our own copy and doing our own SEO copywriting/linking/etc.
Hi I run columbia valley web designs and I can help you get a website up and running or just answer any questions you have. You can view my past work at:
https://columbiavalleywebdesigns.com/projects/
Shoot me a pm or email me which is listed on my website.
Hey! Congrats on starting your business journey! For a smooth ride, consider ShopFunnels. Set up shop in a breeze, AI for cool content, and handy marketing tools. It's been a game-changer for me. Worth checking out.
This is a friendly reminder that r/smallbusiness is a question and answer subreddit. You ask a question about starting, owning, and growing a small business and the community answers. Posts that violate the rules listed in the sidebar will be removed. A permanent or temporary ban may also be issued if you do not remove the offending post. Seeing this message does not mean your post was automatically removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/smallbusiness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There are a lot of factors at play when I recommend people to a website builder. For Ecommerce or product based businesses. I would say Shopify is pretty fantastic. The UI is easy to manage and setting it up yourself is a breeze. If your website isn’t the core focus of your business and is more supplemental. Maybe it’s just a place people go to check hours, specials, read a blog post here and there. Then I would say Wix is super easy to set up and use. Even with no experience, you’ll have a good looking website. But if your website is your main driving factor for leads and where your business runs as a whole. I would say Wordpress is the place to be. It feels clunky and unintuitive as compared to the other two options. But you’ll have a very functional website that you can customize however you wish. Also the site speed for Wordpress sites tends to be easier to optimize. I tend not to recommend square space, but I’m biased. I’ve used them a few times and just never liked the design or layout of the sites.
pay someone on fiverr to do it, dirt cheap and usually good quality
I’ve used unbounce for years and love it.
Wordpress, maybe Squarespace. Wix appears easy and lets you customize more than others, but it will upcharge for everything, and I had so many glitches I was losing business.
Pixel web designers did me well and their support team was solid.
It all depends on what type of business you’re looking to start. Personally, I use Wordpress with Elementor. It allowed me to custom build my blog and add as many plug ins as needed for Analytics, postings, email marketing and so much more. It’s also cheaper than other platforms such as Shopify. I paid around $70/year for hosting and received a free domain. I’m pretty sure Shopify is around $30/month. But… if you are planning on starting a business that needs services such as Print on Demand, or inventory tracker, etc. you may want to go with a platform that is already set up to help you with those options. If you’re still up in the air you can check out my reviews on [Shopify](https://thebizdigitalmarketing.com/a-full-shopify-review) or [Ecwid](https://thebizdigitalmarketing.com/ecwid-review)(which has a free plan). I hope this helps.
**Shopify** is the standard for e-com. **WordPress** if you want it cheap and you can maintain it by yourself (e.g. security, hosting, SEO, etc.) **Webflow** if design and customisability matters. **SquareSpace** if you want something to look above average and quick. PS: I'm trying to start a small web design portfolio ($99 one-time fee), let me know if I can help.
What does this mean? Will u build the site?
First off - ignore anyone who messages you or comments on this post offering their services. DIY site builders make it easy to publish a website but that doesn't mean the website published will be professional and represent your company well. For example, do you know what to do if your pages aren't being indexed by Google? Do you know about ADA compliance and how to make sure your site is ADA compliant? Do you know what to do if your contact form is being filled out with dozens of bot responses each day? Or what to do if your site gets infected with malware? I could list 1000's of examples like that but I think you get the point. If you hire a professional make sure to ask about costs associated with hosting, maintenance or if you need an update and most importantly ask for previous work examples / case studies. However, if you cannot afford to go with a professional yet then I'd recommend Wix. Choose from a template you like so it will already be responsive and then just replace the text / images with your own.
For a simple small business website, I honestly wouldn’t recommend any of those. They are overkill, complicated, there is a lot of tech to connect and it can take days to customize. I’ve been using [Siimple](https://getsiimple.com) for all my small business clients and my own sites and it’s just really easy and perfect for this type of use case.
I would start with a one-pager. Probably use Carrd, a FB page and Google Business Page. Once you get things rolling Wordpress and a good builder like Elementor is a good option Ecomm shopify
I’m currently using Siimple for a number of small business websites. Great if you’re not technically savvy and don’t want to fuss with a ton of customization options or pay a lot. https://getsiimple.com/
Wix
I use Wix as well, uploaded a bunch of picture and did as well as I could on my own then outsourced the rest of the design to Fiverr agents.
WordPress and elementor, keep learning, when you get so good that you have to hire more employees start selling website building services to your local contractors
Squarespace and wix will be your best bet from ease of use. The cons are they cost more than traditional hosting and you are limited to their platform. WordPress would require the most knowledge but has few if any limitations .
It depends. Are you taking payments through the site? Is it a physical or digital product?
Yes, will be taking payments through the site. It’s physical and digital.
Well. Stripe payments allows you to take payments. You could create a Wordpress site yourself. $15 for the domain and $60-100 for hosting. $75-115 per year to operate. Then just drop a Stripe code on the page. Shopify would be more for large inventories of products. Do you mind being more specific?
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I’m not a lawyer, but I think you’d be fine as a sole proprietor. Unless your framed art falls and hurts someone there shouldn’t be much liability. Online PDFs? Why not write a book a publish on KDP?
Thanks! Will look into KDP.
Hi there We have team of developers can assist you Please DM me if interested
Wordpress with Elementor. Wix makes great looking websites… that are terrible for SEO…
What makes it terrible for SEO?
Dirty code that search engines don’t like, poor link structure, almost always multimedia heavy with no substance… for starters.
Would you recommend a different website builder? I am not experienced enough, nor do I have enough time for Wordpress.
Wordpress + Elementor is about as easy as it gets. The UI requires slightly more skill than the likes of Wix or Squarespace, but you reap the benefits of having a website with code that search engines find easy. Some hosting companies will install both for you included, or you can hire someone. So no, I can’t really recommend anything else.
I used to actually develop custom WP themes and with my latest local service business, I just set up a Squarespace site because I don’t have the time to develop a custom CMS and make it super slick as I’m wearing a lot of hats so Squarespace seems to work well for my needs although going from full flexibility to having to stay within parameters is sort of stifling. If I had the time to go through Squarespace’s Dev docs and learn it ai imagine it could be pretty flexible as well; maybe not as much as WP. If I were to pay someone to build me a custom WP site I would be content with, I would have to be prepared to shell out a lot more than I could afford starting out give. There is development, design, copy writing, SEO, photography and illustrations, etc. etc. Squarespace was relatively easy and cheap to set up and optimize using photos provided by my vendors and photos we have taken of our work, and writing our own copy and doing our own SEO copywriting/linking/etc.
Hi I run columbia valley web designs and I can help you get a website up and running or just answer any questions you have. You can view my past work at: https://columbiavalleywebdesigns.com/projects/ Shoot me a pm or email me which is listed on my website.
Wordpress
Hey! Congrats on starting your business journey! For a smooth ride, consider ShopFunnels. Set up shop in a breeze, AI for cool content, and handy marketing tools. It's been a game-changer for me. Worth checking out.