7 Best Website Builders for Small Business

Building an online presence is how ambitious small businesses turn big visions into real results. The right website builder acts like your best hire — helping your lean team execute faster without getting bogged down in complexity. 

Here’s a clear, practical guide to the best website builders for small businesses, covering their pros, cons, pricing, design flexibility, and SEO features to help you fuel your next big move.

What’s a website builder? 

A website builder is an intuitive tool or software platform that allows individuals and small businesses to construct, design, and launch an online presence without needing technical coding skills. Featuring prebuilt templates, visual drag-and-drop editors, and integrated management tools, website builders build your site so you can focus on connecting with your customers.

What are the key features of a website builder? 

When choosing a website builder, look for your teams to connect on your shop. Features like a drag-and-drop editor, professional mobile-responsive templates, built-in SEO tools, and reliable customer support. 

Having your website builder operate seamlessly inside or alongside your customer relationship management (CRM) platform allows you to instantly capture leads, sync customer data, and track customer interactions in one central hub, turning your website from a digital storefront into an growth engine.

The information in this article is provided for informational purposes only, and Salesforce makes no guarantee about its accuracy or completeness.

Top 7 website builder tools 

1. Salesforce

Salesforce’s Commerce Cloud is often hailed as one of the best website builders for small business commerce, and for good reason. While it’s primarily known for its customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, Salesforce has expanded its offerings to include powerful tools for building and managing ecommerce websites. 

Salesforce can seamlessly connect your website with your CRM, marketing, and sales tools, providing a unified platform for managing customer interactions, sales data, and marketing campaigns. And, Salesforce offers a small business suite that is customizable, allowing you to tailor your brand to meet the specific needs of your business and your customers.

Pros: 

• Seamless integration: connects your website with CRM, marketing, and sales tools.
• Customizable: Tailor your website to meet specific business needs.
• Security: strong data security and compliance measures.
• Analytics: Gain valuable insights into website performance and customer behavior.
• Scalable: Easily scale your website as your business grows.
• Sales, service and support: Connect your teams and access reliable and responsive customer support.

Cons:

• Complexity: For complex teams, it can be a steep learning curve and can require technical expertise.
• Resource intensive: Requires additional resources for maintenance and updates, depending on the customization.

2. Wix

Wix is a website builder for businesses looking to establish a strong online presence. Known for its drag-and-drop interface, Wix makes it easy for even those with minimal technical skills to create a professional-looking website. This ensures that small businesses can build a site that reflects their brand and meets their specific needs.

Pros:

• Design flexibility: With over 800 designer-made templates, Wix provides extensive customization options. The templates are modern and versatile, catering to various industries and styles.
• App market: Wix boasts a rich app market with numerous third-party integrations to enhance functionality. From marketing tools to ecommerce plugins, there are many options to extend your website’s capabilities.
• SEO features: Wix’s SEO Wiz tool guides beginners through the SEO setup process. The platform offers customizable meta tags, alt texts, and a range of SEO tools to help your site rank higher on search engines.

Cons:

• Limited template switching: Once a template is chosen, it cannot be changed without rebuilding the site. This can be a significant drawback if you decide to redesign your site later on.
• Loading speed: Some users report slower loading times compared to other builders. This can affect user experience and SEO rankings.
• Ad-free plan: You need to opt for a paid plan to remove Wix ads. The free plan includes Wix-branded ads that might not be suitable for professional businesses.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace is a design-focused website builder known for its professional-grade templates and all-in-one platform approach. It provides businesses with integrated hosting, domain registration, and built-in tools, allowing users to build a functional online presence without complex technical setup.

Pros:

• Design quality: Squarespace is renowned for its stunning, professional-grade templates that are perfect for creatives. The designs are visually appealing and highly customizable.
• All-in-one platform: Squarespace includes hosting, domain registration, and SSL certificates. This all-in-one approach simplifies the process of setting up and maintaining your website.
• Customer support: 24/7 customer support with live chat and email assistance. Squarespace also offers a comprehensive knowledge base and community forums.

Cons:

• Learning curve: Slightly more complex to use than Wix, especially for beginners. The platform offers many customization options, which can be overwhelming for new users.
• Limited third-party integrations: Fewer integrations compared to other builders. While Squarespace covers most needs in-house, it lacks the extensive app ecosystem of Wix.
• Price: Higher price point for e-commerce features. Advanced e-commerce tools are only available in higher-tier plans, which can be expensive for small businesses.

4. Shopify

Shopify is an ecommerce platform designed to help businesses build, customize, and manage online stores. It provides selling tools, built-in inventory management, and multichannel sales features, making it an solid choice for businesses focused primarily on online retail and digital commerce.

Pros:

• Ecommerce focus: Shopify is tailored specifically for online stores with powerful e-commerce tools. The platform is built for selling online, with features like inventory management, order tracking, and payment processing.
• Sales channels: Integrates with various sales channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon. This multichannel integration helps you reach customers wherever they are.
• SEO and marketing tools: Advanced SEO features, customizable meta tags, and Google Analytics integration. Shopify’s SEO tools are designed to help your store rank well on search engines.

Cons:

• Transaction fees: Additional transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments. These fees can add up, especially for small businesses with tight budgets.
• Content limitations: Less flexibility for non-ecommerce content. While Shopify excels at selling products, it’s not as versatile for content-heavy websites.
• Cost: Can become expensive with add-ons and apps. Many essential features require additional apps, which can increase the overall cost.

5. Square Online (Weebly)

Square Online (formerly Weebly) is a straightforward website builder designed with simplicity and affordability in mind. Offering a ‌drag-and-drop editor, pre-designed templates, and basic integrated ecommerce features, it provides small business owners and beginners with an accessible entry point to build and launch a professional online presence without complex configuration.

Pros:

• Ecommerce capabilities: Built-in ecommerce tools for small online stores. Weebly offers features like product management, payment processing, and shipping options.
• SEO tools: Basic SEO tools including meta descriptions, alt texts, and a sitemap. Weebly provides the essentials needed to optimize your site for search engines.
• Customer support: Offers live chat, email, and phone support. Weebly’s support team is available to help with any issues you might encounter.

Cons:

• Design flexibility: Limited customization compared to Wix and Squarespace. Weebly’s templates are not as flexible, which can be a limitation for businesses with specific design needs.
• Template selection: Fewer templates available. While the available templates are professional, there are fewer options compared to other builders.
• Advanced features: Lacks some advanced features needed for larger businesses. Weebly is best suited for small businesses and personal projects.

6. WordPress

WordPress is a customizable content management and website building platform built on the open-source WordPress software. It offers flexibility through themes and plugins, making it good for content-heavy sites, professional blogs, and growing businesses seeking complete control over their design and functionality.

Pros:

• Customization: Extensive customization options with thousands of themes and plugins. WordPress.com offers unparalleled flexibility, allowing you to create virtually any type of website.
• Blogging capabilities: Powerful blogging platform with advanced content management. WordPress.com is the go-to choice for bloggers and content creators.
• SEO features: Built-in SEO tools, and additional plugins like Yoast SEO. WordPress.com’s SEO features help you optimize your site for search engines effectively.
• Community and support: Large community with extensive tutorials and support forums. WordPress.com users benefit from a vast knowledge base and active community.

Cons:

• Complexity: Steeper learning curve, especially for beginners. While WordPress.com offers powerful features, it can be challenging for those new to web development.
• Maintenance: Requires regular updates and maintenance. Keeping your site up to date with the latest plugins and security patches is essential but can be time-consuming.
• Limited free plan: Limited features and WordPress ads on the free plan. The free plan is useful for personal blogs but not suitable for professional business sites.

7. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is an website builder and hosting tool engineered for speed, efficiency, and ease of use. It enables small businesses to quickly design, launch, and manage an online presence using a simplified editor alongside integrated marketing and ecommerce tools, making it ideal for those who want to get their website online with minimal setup time.

Pros:

• Speed: Quick setup with an easy-to-use editor. GoDaddy Website Builder is designed for speed, allowing you to get your site online in minutes.
• Customer support: 24/7 phone support. GoDaddy’s support team is available around the clock to assist with any issues.
• SEO tools: Integrated SEO tools to help improve search engine rankings. GoDaddy provides the basics needed to optimize your site for search engines.
• Ecommerce: Basic ecommerce capabilities included. GoDaddy Website Builder offers simple tools for selling products online.

Cons:

• Design options: Limited design flexibility and fewer templates. GoDaddy’s templates are less customizable compared to other builders.
• Feature set: Lacks some advanced features compared to competitors. While suitable for basic websites, GoDaddy Website Builder may not meet the needs of more complex projects.
• Template switching: Changing templates requires rebuilding the site’s content. This can be inconvenient if you want to redesign your site later on.

Find the best website builder for your growing business

Choosing the right platform is all about finding a partner that helps you connect with customers and scale on your terms. From drag-and-drop ease to fully integrated commerce, the right tool fits your unique goals.

Get started with Starter Suite for free or activate Foundations to try out Agentforce today.

AI supported the writers and editors who created this article.