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In this lesson, we will be talking about the best DIY website creation platforms that exist.
Choosing a do-it-yourself website creation platform is probably one of the main things
that is holding you back from creating a website yourself.
It makes sense.
There are so many options out there that it is easy to suffer from decision fatigue, and
just give up even before you start.
Fret not, my friend.
I’ve got your back.
In the next few minutes I’ll be comparing 4 of the most popular website creation platforms
in the market: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, and WordPress.
Wix
Out of the four options, Wix is the platform I use for my business.
Those who are just starting out and want to test the web design waters will enjoy its
intuitive interface.
Want to add an image?
Easy.
Just click ‘add image’, and either upload one yourself or add one of the numerous stock
photos included.
The same goes for any other element you wish to add, since Wix is a pure drag-and-drop
editor.
To create your own website, you can select from numerous templates that are crafted for
particular industries.
The only disadvantage with this is that once you choose a template and have started creating
your website with it, you cannot change it, so make sure to choose wisely (in the next
module, we will cover how to choose one of Wix’s myriad templates to create a website
that wows).
All of the templates are mobile responsive, and can be edited to suit the needs of smaller
screens, including mobile and iPad.
Wix also offers various widgets, free and paid, that you can add to customize your website’s
look, feel and design.
Wix offers five plans that range from $4.50 to $24.50 per month on an annual plan, and
includes a free version.
I use the Combo plan for one of my websites, and the the Unlimited Plan for another, that
cost $8.50 and $12.50 per month respectively, since both have features carved out especially
for online entrepreneurs and bloggers.
Squarespace
One of the main advantages of Squarespace is the myriad integrations it has with third-party
providers, like LeadPages, as well as its strong website building options and tools.
All of their templates are mobile responsive without having to make any additional changes
to the website.
This is good since its interface is not so user- and beginner-friendly, and it does not
offer an in-house widget marketplace.
Squarespace is also scalable as your business grows, since it is excellent for commerce
and creating sales pages.
Unlike Wix, it has deep analytics features.
It also provides a free SSL certificate.
Squarespace offers four plans that range from $12 to $40 per month.
Although it does not offer a free option, it has a 14-day free trial.
Weebly
Weebly is easy-to-use and produces professional-looking websites.
It has been consistently adding more and more features to its website builder, as well as
offering updates to existing features.
Although its templates are not as beautiful as the ones in Wix, you can change the template
after you have selected it, mainly because you can only add content to certain areas.
If you are proficient in coding, Weebly is great since you can edit its HTML and CSS
code.
This is useful if you want to make changes to certain elements, and allows for greater
flexibility in the design.
You can also export your website code, but once you do that, editing the website in the
future will be purely code-based.
Two of the main disadvantages of this platform are that it does not provide a universal undo
option, and you cannot add images to the website more than once after they have been uploaded.
Weebly offers four plans that range from $8 to $49 per month, and includes a free, basic
option.
WordPress
WordPress allows you to choose from two options: WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
The main difference between both is that with WordPress.org, you host your own website.
WordPress.com has many limitations with regard to customizations, templates, plugins, and
adding a domain name, so in this comparison, I’ll be talking about WordPress.org.
Since WordPress is an open source platform, which means that their code is open to anyone,
it is great at offering a huge variety of plugins and templates for you to choose from.
Some of these are free, and a part of their own library, and others are paid, and can
be purchased from third party websites.
The downside to this is that, due to the large quantity of options, not all of them are particularly
good or useful, and you can suffer from decision fatigue trying to decide on the best option
for you.
Compared to the other platforms we’re addressing today, WordPress has the steepest learning
curve, and so is not beginner-friendly.
You do need to know how to code if you want a unique website that stands out from the
rest.
It also requires frequent maintenance and monitoring on your end.
The initial investment for a WordPress site is also steeper than its counterparts.
Since you’ll be paying individually for hosting, a premium theme, plugins and a domain
name, you will be cashing out at least $150-$200, on the low end, in the first year.
If you are trying to choose a do-it-yourself website creation platform, and want to see
the advantages and disadvantages of each side by side, I created the perfect resource for
you, which you can download below.
With the Website Builder Comparison Table, you can see the pros and cons of selecting
Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, or WordPress as your platform of choice.
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Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next video.