What to Look for In a Cheap Website Builder
Website builders have the power to make or break your business. If you’re committed to building a high-performing site without splurging on pricey packages, here are some factors you prioritize.
- Scalable packages – Your budget might be tight at the moment, but a cheap package may restrict you in the future. Therefore, to save the hassle of switching down the line when your needs evolve, we recommend choosing a platform with scalable pricing tiers.
- AI features – Artificial intelligence features provide businesses with excellent value by saving businesses time and effort. Some top AI features to look out for include AI site generators, AI text generators, and AI image creators.
- Growth features – If you’re looking for a budget solution, chances are your business is in its early stages. This makes the presence of growth features like email marketing and SEO toolkits all the more important.
- Reliable help & support – Some website builders have premium reserved support for the pricier tiers. To avoid getting caught out, it’s always worth researching a solution’s help and support options before investing. This includes when support is offered, as well as through what channels.
- Customizable templates – A builder’s level of customization is a great indication of its overall value. If you want your site to stand out from its competition, we recommend choosing a builder with flexible templates and granular drag-and-drop editing options.
Common hidden fees to watch out for
When picking your preferred website builder, it’s important to look beyond key features and pricing. You should also be aware of any potential hidden fees that the platform might try to land you with. In this section, I’ll run through some of the most common ones to watch out for.
Steep renewal costs post-promotional period
This one catches people out all the time. It’s common for a website builder, such as IONOS, to offer you a discount on the first year of a new plan. But these plans will almost always automatically renew at the original market price. To use the example above, you can currently get an Ionos plan for just $1 per month (the Plus plan) for a one-year term. After this, though, it reverts to $18 per month for the next year, a sizable surge in price.
Domain name renewal costs
Similarly, a lot of website builders will offer you a free domain for one year across some of their plans, with examples including Wix and Squarespace. Normally, though, you will then be charged to renew that same domain for the next year (or on a monthly basis, if you so choose).
Transaction fees
This is unanimous across ecommerce website builder plans. Squarespace, for instance, will let you set up an online store and sell online, but you’ll incur a fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. If you’re selling a lot of products, this will start to eat into your bottom line. In which case, it’s time to opt for a higher-paid ecommerce plan with lower transaction fees to offset those costs.
Costs for plugins and apps
In addition, some website builders will charge you a fee to integrate with certain third-party applications. Shopify, for instance, integrates with 100 additional payment providers, but some of these incur an added cost.
Free vs cheap website builders: when to upgrade
If your needs are quite basic, you might find that a free website builder is perfectly sufficient. For instance, if you’re just looking for a site to host your blog, and you’re not bothered about having a custom domain, a free plan should do the trick.
At the same time, if your needs are a little more specific, you might find it better to upgrade. For instance, let’s say you’re looking for some basic ecommerce functionality. You will not find this with a free plan, period. But you could opt to pay $5 per month for the Shopify Starter plan and start selling tomorrow, albeit via social media.
As a business, your needs will be very specific, so only you will know whether or not a free website builder is sufficient. Remember that you can always start with a free plan and upgrade if you find you need a bit more functionality. Alternatively, you could opt for a free trial to get a flavor of a premium website builder before you commit to paying the full fee.
