Most website builders share the same history: they were invented to help non-tech-savvy people build and publish professional-looking websites independently from designers and coders. And they succeeded. In fact, they have revolutionized the niche. Millions of websites are powered by online website builders all over the world, generating income for their owners and simultaneously spreading the word about Do-It-Yourself platforms. It goes without saying that complex web projects require professional expertise and serious approach, and simply can’t rest on sitebuilders for newbies. This is true. But we’re not talking about complex, feature-laden websites, we’re talking about basic, informational sites and blogs that can be designed and published in mere hours. Why should you pay hundreds of dollars for what you can get at $5-10 per month? All inclusive.
#1 IM Creator
The founders of IM Creator developed the platform to help their friends and family design their own websites in a code-free manner. The future team of IM Creator wanted to provide their close ones with complete freedom of design and let them build pages exactly as they planned, both in terms of visual appeal and functionality. These very people became the first testers of IM Creator.
As of today, this website builder is one of the most popular DIY site building solutions, especially among photographers, bloggers and other creative professionals. Each month they add dozens of new, unique templates to their library. Each IM Creator template is an ‘almost done’ website. You just need to personalize it by replacing default imagery with your own logos/pics/videos, adding required widgets and filling in the inbuilt search engine optimization block (title, description, keywords). You can publish a free site using IM Creator’s subdomain, or upgrade your account ($5.95-9.95/month) and connect a custom domain (previously purchased or a new one).
#2 Weebly
Weebly website builder has a pretty similar story: the three founders of the platform created a WYSIWYG software enabling even completely HTML-illiterate users to build and maintain an Internet portfolio (Pennsylvania State University required all students to have one). Today, Weebly is one of the major players in the niche. It competes with Wix, Yola and other easy-to-use website builders. In 2013, they’ve survived a major overhaul – their Editor was completely rebuilt. They’ve also launched an iOs and Android app, saying nothing about their large-scale eCommerce platform update.
#3 Squarespace
Squarespace is the oldest website builder in this list. It was launched ten years ago (January 2004) by Anthony Casalena who was obsessed with an idea of creating an all-in-one website building and publishing platform. Squarespace V6 is now one of the most powerful platforms out there, many compare it with WordPress. Besides traditional for site builders pre-designed solutions and templates, Squarespace offers an unmatched solution for professionals – Developer Center. It gives access to every line of HTML, CSS and Javascript in your website. Full freedom of design and development. Developer accounts never expire when under construction. You may check out this site builder free of charge during a 14-day trial. By the way, Squarespace website builder itself is built on Squarespace platform :).
About the Author
Malcolm Thomas loves researching and testing WYSIWYG web publishing tools. On his personal website http://mmthomasblog.com/ he publishes in-depth website builders reviews and comparisons.
This is an original article from WP Cypher Copyright 2012