Thereâs no shortage of platforms and tools for building websites in the market. There are so many in fact, that finding a decent one is not much of a problem. If âdecentâ isnât good enough for you, it gets tougher. Finding a top-of-the-line product becomes a challenge.
Affordability and ease of use are two important characteristics to look for; but they alone wonât get you there. Customizability, flexibility, and guaranteed delivery of a website that is responsive and SEO friendly are even more important qualities.
Some of the most important features users usually look for in a website building tool are:
- A tool or platform that offers straightforward and flexible content management, so that your projects proceed along a smooth path.
- A responsive, user-friendly website is a must if you hope to compete with, or outcompete, the competition.
- You want a platform thatâs rich in widgets; the more the better, to build awesome functionality into your site.
- An ability to integrate with social media has become a hallmark of modern websites.
Keeping the aforementioned points in consideration, following are some of the most effective website building platforms that you can find in 2017, along with their amazing features.
Wix
A platform for creating high-quality websites for free, Wix is a cloud-based development tool that enables you to create a landing page, website, blog, or e-commerce site with many features incorporated.
There is a collection of more than 500 pre-designed templates that you can choose from and you have complete freedom to customize any part or add features, animations, or backgrounds through an intuitive Wix Editor.
The best part is that Wix lets you create a great website even if you donât have any experience with web development or coding. Also, there are different built-in tools that you can incorporate in your website including an online store, professional blog, online booking and scheduling tool, multi-channel sales, and online payment tool among many others.
You can create website on Wix for free with all the basic features and if you want more, there are premium packages starting from ÂŁ4/month to ÂŁ21/month for websites and ÂŁ15/month to ÂŁ27/month for business websites.
SnapPages
The SnapPagesâ team took an excellent design platform, and reworked it from the ground up, to deliver a better one for building and managing modern, responsive websites. SnapPages 3.0 focuses on what users want and need; as opposed to providing a laundry list of features. The result: a platform consisting of what may be the best website builder on the market today.
Theyâve even optimized their drag and drop editor for touchscreen use, so you can make changes or edits on your tablet or laptop while on the go. Their website templates are professionally designed, customizable, and mobile optimized; plus, when you build a website with SnapPages, it is fully hosted on the cloud. You can access it anytime, from anywhere.
SnapPages is also a dream platform for bloggers. All the tools you need to create, share, and even monetize your blog, are there. If youâre looking for a web design platform with features that will actually help you, and not simply sound good in a sales pitch, give SnapPages a closer look.
Webflow
Webflow gives designers the power to develop a responsive website their way â visually. Instead of having to immerse yourself in writing production-ready code, this design and development platform does it for you, while you design.
You can also create totally custom content structures and a custom database for every website you build, so you can enjoy the benefits of designing around real content. Againbarwithout writing a single line of code.
If youâre a freelancer, Webflow frees you from the need to subcontract developers to bring your vision to life. Webflow also gives in-house design team members a tool they can use to create and share fully-functional prototypes for review and feedback, build internal sites like style guides, or even quickly and easily create landing pages, blogs, help centers, and more.
Pixpa
Integrated e-commerce, client-proofing, and blogging capabilities make Pixpa a one-stop, website-building platform for you to share, showcase, and sell online. Pixpa is a super-easy-to-use drag and drop website builder. Its cost-effective pricing plan includes customizable themes and unlimited images, hosting, and bandwidth. Sharing your work through digitally delivered files, and taking feedback makes client proofing easy.
Pixpa is also the choice of creative professionals from 108 countries, one reason being is the ability to create galleries and showcase work any way you want. The 12+ gallery layouts adapt automatically across all devices. You can create private galleries for clients, from which they can select images and/or provide feedback.
Pixpa websites are hosted in the cloud, thereby ensuring constant uptime and fast delivery.
Simbla Website Builder
The Simbla Website Builder is a website, database, and application building platform that allows you to create your websites in a Bootstrap environment. Thereâs nothing to install, no coding is necessary, and you can get access to your site at any time.
Its many features include a host of useful SEO, designer, and developer tools, and responsive website templates addressing all types of businesses. All your work is backed up and stored.
Themify Builder
No coding is necessary when using the drag and drop Themify Builder to create a website. Youâll find the builder in any Themify theme, but you can purchase and use it as a standalone tool, or as a plugin for any WordPress theme.
Building a website is easy, and you can preview the results in real time as you proceed. A useful Duplicate feature enables you to clone modules for future use.
Site123
Just enter your content, and youâll have a fully responsive site up and running as easy as 1 â 2 â 3. Thatâs SITE123 in a nutshell. No coding or other technical expertise is necessary, and SITE123 isnât bogged down with a host of options that can be more confusing than helpful. You can build your website for free. Hosting and additional bandwidth are available for a small monthly fee.
Simvoly
Simvoly is a platform thatâs been designed to make things easier for you when you want to get online fast; whether you have a presentation website, an online store, a gallery or portfolio, or a blog.
Everything you create with Simvolyâs drag and drop builder and beautifully designed themes will be user-friendly and responsive. There is no transaction fee if you plan to sell online, and live chat support is there when you need it. You can try Simvoly free for 14 days.
uCoz
Do you love creating a website the easy way? uCoz is for you. Do you also enjoy getting under the hood from time to time so you can edit code to fine-tune your design? uCoz is for you as well.
This is one of the most flexible websites on the market in terms of giving you full control over your design. Youâll receive good value for your money too.
uKit
uKit makes an excellent choice for you if you prefer to focus on the visual aspects of building a website, and would rather not become entangled in technical detail. uKit is a drag and drop builder that requires not coding.
A nice collection of designer-made themes will help you get your project(s) off to a great start, and your resulting websites will be both SEO and mobile friendly.
Conclusion
What to these tools and platforms have in common? They all are easy to use, they make good choices for pros and novices alike, and they are free to try out. One is totally free with an optional pricing package.
Each of these tools and packages produce SEO and mobile friendly websites. None need coding, although one platform considers designers/developers who enjoy doing it â and allows it. Thereâs something here for everyone.
