June 2024
Developing websites with HTML and CSS takes a lot of time. Website platforms can help you get a basic site up and running if you’re not a programmer. You can quickly start a site to blog, sell goods or services and add plugins or addons for the functionality that the platform lacks.
But, how do you choose the best platform to create a website?
We’ll cover the details below, but before we do, you need to know what factors to consider before choosing a platform and what a website platform is in the first place.
Website creation platforms are the same to the user as is a regular website. You own a domain, someone visits your URL and they see your layout and user interface. So, what’s the difference between a basic website and a website platform?
Platforms, often called content management systems (CMS), offer owners a backend that allows them to quickly:
Data that you input is stored in a database and easily rendered on the user-facing website, which is rendered on an Internet browser.
What once required new pages to be coded one-by-one can now be fully controlled through your CMS. Owners have an easy, non-technical way to add pages and products to their website and customize it to their liking.
If you’ve heard of WordPress or Shopify, you already know what a website builder is, but how do you know which one to choose? Each offers its own benefits and has perks that may make it ideal for certain use cases.
If you don’t know how to choose a business site builder, a few factors to consider are:
You can often try different website platforms to see which one works best for your needs. If you require unique features, functionality or designs, you can work with a developer who can extend most CMS to meet your needs.
While not extensive, we’ll provide a list of the top website platforms available in 2024 below.
WordPress powers over 40% of websites, making it one of the leading CMS platforms in the world. You can install the CMS on your own hosting for full control over the technical side of things.
Premium and free themes offer professional designs and a decent level of customization.
Tutorials and courses are available to help you learn how to use WordPress, and if you don’t find the features you want, you can be sure that there’s a plugin that you can download for free or as a premium option that adds the feature for you.
If you want to blog or run an online store, WordPress can help.
A custom WordPress development team can help you extend the power of WordPress to better meet your needs, making it one of the most extensive CMS in the world.
Shopify is the business site builder for anyone who wants to make their own online shop. Your store will run on Shopify’s servers, which does limit your customization, but you can scale your store much easier.
Over 6,000 apps are available to extend Shopify, which you’ll pay for monthly.
Setup is fast and easy, and if you have any questions, the support team will be glad to help you. If you want to start an online shop or store, Shopify is a strong contender as the best CMS.
Webflow is a popular website building platform for professional sites. The platform offers reliability, a built-in content management system and an advanced style editor.
Like with other similar platforms, Webflow has a large library of customizable templates – more than 2,000. Only a few dozen of these templates are free, so you’ll likely need to pay for the design you like.
All of Webflow’s templates are responsive, so they look great on any device.
While you can build a site with zero coding knowledge, Webflow does allow you to edit the CSS and add HTML and Javascript to your site.
There are two tiers of plans available: site plans and ecommerce plans. Naturally, the ecommerce tier comes at a higher cost, but the features are also more advanced.
Although Webflow is relatively user-friendly, it’s more advanced than other options on this list and works best for those who already have some knowledge of CSS and web design.
Over the years, Wix has grown, evolved and improved to become one of the top website platforms on the market.
The platform offers visual templates for virtually any type of website, from restaurants to musicians, small businesses, photographers, e-commerce shops and more. More than 900 templates are available, each with responsive designs that look great on mobile devices.
Unlike other site building platforms, Wix gives users lots of freedom and flexibility when designing their sites. Plug-ins and add-ons can further extend your site’s functionality and add features.
Built-in SEO features make it easier to rank for keywords and attract organic traffic.
Choosing a website building platform is not a decision to take lightly. The platform you choose must be one that allows you to build the website you envision for your business or venture. Flexibility and ease of use are of the utmost importance. Each of the options above offers all of this and more.
Weigh the pros and cons of each option to find the best website platform for your needs and budget.
