What are the best website platforms for start-up's and small businesses? Let’s take a look at 5 best recommended web creation sites. 

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Creating a start-up business takes a lot of courage and perseverance, the range of small businesses we see today are across the spectrum, from financial services to data protection to eCommerce. Given the limited funding that start-ups begin with, it is prominent that when building your presence online, it is done in the most cost effective way, starting with creating your own website. 

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Not only will this allow your potential customers to view your offerings, but also it can act as the centralised hub for integrating all those other mediums. What’s there to talk about in social media when you have nothing to direct your customer-base to? How do you expect to advertise your business with no website?

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So let’s take a look at some of the best website creation platforms for small businesses and start-ups, we’ll walk through pricing and the pros and cons of each to determine the best fit for you.

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1. ) Wix 

180 million people across 190 countries use the Wix website creation platform. 

What draws people in, is the 500+ drag and drop templates you can choose from for easy creation without all the coding hassle. Which makes it easy for just about anyone to create a website, even if you’re not tech savvy.

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Main Features 

Wix seem to have an endless supply of features across their platform, including: 

• Wix editor - where you can drag and drop elements to customise the look of templates or start from scratch. 
• Business tools - where you can find resources to promote your website, improve technical elements, send out invoices and so much more. 
• Extra plug-in elements such as form builders, social media integration etc. 

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Pricing 

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Pros & Cons 

+  Wide selection of templates to choose from.
+  Easy and efficient to build websites to own design with drag and drop. 

+ Simple to edit website design for both mobile and desktop devices.

+  Good selection of plugins and step-by-step walkthroughs. 

-  Out of drag and drop, some elements can be inflexible. 

-  Add-ons and plugins can end up adding up in price.

Learn more about the Wix creation platform here.

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2.) GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a more extensive platform used by 19+ million entrepreneurs, with features including hosting, domains, website creation and other digital marketing tools.

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Main Features 

In their words "A Silent Business Partner" can summarise just what this platform is capable of:

• 24/7 tech and business support.
• Management all in one place.
• Content creation studio.
• Designer made templates and themes.  

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Pricing 

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Pros & Cons 

+ Easy on the wallet and to use.

+ Has a good support team if running into tech troubles.
+ Packed with lots of features.
- Can lack flexibility in terms of editing elements. 

Learn more about the GoDaddy creation platform here. 

3.) Weebly

Weebly is a very user-friendly eCommerce website creation platform with an emphasis on their drag and drop build feature for those that are less tech savvy.

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Main Features 

• Drag and drop template builder. 
• Is the eCommerce alternative from SquareSpace.
• Digital marketing tools to grow online presence. 

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Pricing 

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Pros & Cons 

+ Wide variety of 3rd party app integrations.
+ Great selection of templates.
+ Strong support community.
+ Technical Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) easier to carry out.
-  Not as many plug-ins as other web creation platforms. 

-  Can struggle with formatting elements and placements. 

Learn more about the Weebly creation platform here. 

4.) SquareSpace

Launched in 2003, the SquareSpace platform now hosts millions of websites for businesses.
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Main Features 

• Access business builder tools including: email marketing, logo creators, online stores etc. 
• Offer a free trial to businesses getting started. 
• Creative templates and builder. 

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Pricing 

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Pros & Cons 

+ Good plugin varieties.
+ Deep level of customisation.
+ Build in Search Engine Optimisation capabilities.
+ Amazing variety of templates to choose from.
- More pricier than other platforms.
- Recourse uploading is slower than other sites.
- In need of more integrations for eCommerce websites.

Learn more about the SquareSpace creation platform here. 

5.) WordPress

42% of the web is built with WordPress websites, think of how many sites are out there, that's a lot, right?
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Main Features 

• Endless capability in terms of design and layout. 
• Option to be more technical with coding and personalisation. 
• Infinite plug-ins and integrations. 
• Built in marketing software.

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Pricing 

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Pros & Cons

+ Create a unique and very professional looking website. 

+ Highly customisable with a Pandora's box of features.
+ High amount of plug-ins and integrations to better your online presence.
- Can be slightly pricier than other web creation platforms. 

- Sometimes can be unresponsive and slow on the editor side.

Learn more about the WordPress creation platform here. 

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‍In Summary

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So, which website creation platform is right for your business?

Wix: Simple, cost-effective and easy to customise with drag and drop elements. 

Weebly: If you are an eCommerce based business (selling products online) then this is a good option to go for.

GoDaddy: Very similar to Wix in terms of user friendliness but has a couple more features.

WordPress: For those looking for more control of the unique design of their website.

Squarespace: Pricier website creation platforms, a lot more capability that Wix, GoDaddy and Weebly. 

There you have it! These are just some of the widely used and cost-effective website creation platforms for small businesses and start-ups no matter the vertical you are in. Obviously they all come with their ups and downs, ultimately you will need to determine by some metric which one fits the bill.

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If you want something more simple than a website, landing pages are also a good shout for building a simplistic online presence. Contact us to find out more information on CampaignHero Hero Landing Pages.