What is a Website Builder, and Should You Use One?
Having a website is practically a requirement for businesses and personal brands these days. Almost everything is done online now, including shopping, wedding registration, and art portfolios. Having a well-designed website is important to help you stand out from the crowd and get the online presence you desire. Thankfully, with modern website hosting options, long gone are the days of needing extensive knowledge in computer coding to build and design a professional website. You don’t even need to hire an expensive expert. With a website builder, you can easily create the website of your dreams.
What is a Website Builder?
A website builder is a powerful content management tool that allows you to design a website without having to understand HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or any other coding language. Websites are made up of these codes, but website builders allow a simpler process. Most website builders feature drag-and-drop options that allow you to visually build your website. This way, you can see the changes you make right away. And with available templates, you may not even need to go that far. With a website builder, anyone can create a professional website in a matter of minutes.
Can You Use a Website Builder with a Hosting Service?
While some website builders offer their own hosting, you can use their services with other hosting options. Working with a dedicated website hosting company allows you greater control over your account and more resources to power your website. With any website hosting option, you can choose from hundreds of applications and widgets that help you design and manage your website. This includes the option to use website builders to design your sites while hosting them on your own terms.
Should You Use a Website Builder?
Website builders, especially these days, are quick and easy to use. It’s the perfect option for any business owner who wants a professional design without having to pay for a professional website designer. Learning to code for websites takes a long time, and unless you have that time to devote to it, it’s a good idea to go with a website builder.
That said, website builders do lack a certain amount of flexibility. While their design options allow various templates and connections, you’re still stuck with only what they provide. This means that if you have a specific layout you want for your website, you may not be able to build it, given the blocks a builder offers. If you want full control over the design of your website, then it’s best to forgo the builder and use professional coding instead.
What Website Builders are Available?
There are a lot of different options for website building around, and each has its pros and cons.
WordPress
WordPress is probably the most popular website builder available. It has dozens of templates that fit nearly every website need. WordPress also allows the use of third-party widgets to further enhance your website. Although it started out as a blogging website and many people still use it as such, WordPress can be used to design nearly any kind of website. Every industry, from eCommerce to doctor’s offices, uses WordPress daily to design websites.
Joomla
Joomla is another popular website builder that many companies utilize. It’s an easy-to-use open-source content management system that allows users to quickly and professionally design websites without needing extensive knowledge in coding to do so. Joomla is often chosen by bigger businesses and corporations and is growing every year with new content and web design tools.
Parallels® Plesk Sitebuilder
At Cirrus Hosting, we offer Parallels® Plesk Sitebuilder to help our users design their website in as little as five minutes. By using our website builder, you avoid having to set up an account with a third party or learn to use a different system to manage your website. Parallels® Plesk Sitebuilder has over 300 professionally designed templates to choose from and a host of expanding features that make your website shine. By choosing to design your website through your Cirrus Hosting account, you get full customer support and assistance.
What If You Choose Not to Use a Website Builder?
If you decide to forgo the website builder and design your website from scratch, you can still get the most from any website hosting option.
Self-Design
If you have extensive background knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or similar coding languages, you can save yourself a lot of money by building your website yourself. The downside, however, is that building a website from scratch takes a lot of time, especially the more complex it is. If you decide to do the design yourself, you may not have as much time to dedicate to the rest of your business as you’d like.
Hire a Designer
A popular option among business owners is to hire a professional website designer. Although this option is more costly, the end results are worth the extra money. Professional web designers can take your ideas and options of layouts to create a professional design that helps your business stand out from the competition. At Cirrus Hosting, we have a team of web designers available for hire to help create the perfect website for you.
Web Hosting Options with Cirrus Hosting
At Cirrus Hosting, we believe that everyone deserves the website of their dreams. No matter which web hosting option you choose, you can integrate website builders to help you design and manage your website with ease. We also offer free migration assistance, so if you’ve already built your website, you can keep your design and data when you choose to host with us. If you’re ready to experience the best hosting for your website, you can browse our plans online or give us a call at 1-647-478-9984 if you have any questions about your account.
