The global explosion of eCommerce that has taken place in the last decade has been due in no small part to the growth of the internet’s user base. As of 2017, over 50% of the world’s population (about 3.2 billion people) have access to and use the internet regularly.
That massive user base has meant billions in revenue for eCommerce giants like Amazon. It can also mean tremendous value for your small business.
The first step to cashing in on the opportunity the internet has to offer your organization is building a quality website. Helping you do that is the purpose of this article.
There is a log of excellent website development platforms people can choose from today that make getting up and running online easy. Our team has gone through and created a list of the top 8 you should consider using to build your site!
1) WordPress
There is no website development platform more popular on today’s internet than WordPress. WordPress is a content management system that gives users unrivaled value in website building functionality given its robust feature set and free price point.
You read that right.
With WordPress, you can have a website up and running immediately and the platform will charge you no money (although you will have to have a hosting account and domain purchased from a third party).
WordPress isn’t only popular among bloggers as its reputation sometimes suggests. It’s also growing in the eCommerce space given its powerful sales oriented plugins (ex: WooCommerce).
The big con of WordPress is that it’s not a drag and drop editor like some of the other choices on this list. Because of that, it has a bit of a learning curve.
2) WIX
WIX is the original drag and drop editor that smashed into the internet’s mainstream consciousness. With WIX, you can build stunningly beautiful websites that are mobile ready in minutes.
The best part is that all you need to do to leverage WIX’s powerful tools is drag and drop elements where you want them.
This represents a massive upgrade in the ease-of-use category in comparison to content management systems like WordPress and “Joomla!” (which we will talk about later in this list).
Using WIX comes at a price though. The cheapest plan you can get is $5.00/mo, the most expensive is $25.00.
3) Weebly
Weebly is another great drag and drop editor that’s a go-to for many small business owners. Like WIX, Weebly is easy to use and allows you to build stunning web pages without any knowledge of coding.
We love Weebly for its massive selection of pre-built website templates it offers subscribers to help them get online quick or inspire their more customized designs.
Weebly costs between $8.00 and $38.00/mo.
4) Joomla!
Joomla! is one of the top website development platforms that offer robust development tools absolutely free to users! Like WordPress, Joomla! is a content management system. Consequently, if you’re familiar with WordPress, migrating over to Joomla! should be easy (and vice-versa).
What we like about Joomla! is its “not for profit” disposition. It also has an awesome community of developers that keep the product functioning well and growing every year!
5) Squarespace
Squarespace is one of the most popular website development platforms on the market today. It’s also the most aggressive platform as far as marketing goes.
Squarespace, just like the other platforms on this list, lets you build beautiful websites without coding. Where the platform stands out, however, is its scalability.
This platform has infrastructure that can support massive organizations. So, whether you have a vape company like Blazed Vapes, a medical practice, or any other business, you can be sure that you can grow exponentially using SquareSpace.
6) GoDaddy’s Website Builder
If you have a domain hosted with GoDaddy, it’s worth checking out the web building tools they have to offer.
Their website development platform has a drag and drop interface, an awesome photo library you can pull stock images from, and a wide variety of layouts. Know that if you’re looking to scale, GoDaddy’s website builder makes sites that are very hard to migrate to more robust platforms.
7) BoldGrid
BoldGrid is one of the few website development platforms (it’s more of a plugin actually) that is powered by WordPress’ engine. With it, you get the streamlined website editing experience you would with WIX and also the robustness of WordPress.
It really does give you an almost perfect best of both worlds experience!
Given that WordPress powers this plugin, setup of your website with BoldGrid will still require the involved process of getting your own 3rd party web host and installing WordPress.
BoldGrid also comes at a price for expanded functionality but base functions are free.
8) Shopify
When people think of website development platforms for eCommerce, the first platform many mention is Shopify.
Shopify offers powerful website building features that make it simple for novices to get beautiful sites online quickly. It also offers features like integrated hosting, backups, and updates (all things you’d have to manage manually with platforms like WordPress and Joomla!).
Where Shopify really stands out among other website development platforms is its included eCommerce features. From inventory management to sales statistics and beyond, if you want an eCommerce website builder that works out of the box, you’ll want to start with Shopify!
Plans for this platform start at $29.00/mo and go up to $299/mo for advanced money making operations.
Wrapping Up Our Top 8 Best Website Development Platforms
If you’re a business owner looking to take advantage of tremendous opportunity online, the first thing you’ll have to do is build a website. To achieve that end, you’ll want to find easy to use website development platforms.
To get started on your search, we recommend checking out the ones listed above. All of them offer awesome feature sets, flexible pricing and of course, can build you gorgeous sites fast!
Want to know more about everything from website building to monetizing content and beyond? If so, check out more of our expertly created content on iStats.com today!