You need a website. Not a complex web application, not a custom-coded masterpiece: just a professional online presence that tells people what you do, where you are, and how to contact you. Maybe sell some products or book appointments online.

The problem isn’t finding a website builder. It’s picking from a dozen options when you don’t know (and shouldn’t need to know) the technical differences. Here’s what actually matters for small businesses that aren’t tech companies.

What small businesses need from a website builder

Forget features lists with 200 checkboxes. Here’s what actually matters:

• Professional look without a designer: templates that look good out of the box
• Mobile-responsive: because 60%+ of your visitors are on phones
• Fast loading: slow sites lose customers before they even see your content
• SEO basics: showing up when people Google your business
• Easy to update: you should be able to change your hours or add a photo without calling someone
• Contact forms and maps: people need to reach you and find you
• Reasonable cost: not $500/month for a 5-page site

Best website builders for small businesses compared

Feature	Squarespace	Wix	WordPress.com	Shopify	Carrd
Price	$16–33/mo	$17–35/mo	$4–45/mo	$39/mo	$9/yr
Best for	Best design	Most flexible	Blogging + SEO	Selling products	One-page sites
Ease of use	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Design quality	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
SEO	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐
E-commerce	✅ Good	✅ Good	✅ Basic	✅ Best	❌
Blogging	✅ Good	✅ Basic	✅ Best	✅ Basic	❌
Booking/scheduling	✅ Built-in	✅ Via apps	✅ Plugins	✅ Via apps	❌
Custom domain	✅ (included)	✅ (included)	✅ (paid plans)	✅ (included)	✅ ($9/yr plan)
Free plan	❌ (14-day trial)	❌ (free with ads)	✅ (limited)	❌ (3-day trial)	✅ (limited)

Squarespace: Best design quality

Pricing: Personal $16/mo, Business $33/mo, Commerce Basic $36/mo, Commerce Advanced $65/mo

Squarespace makes the best-looking websites for people who aren’t designers. Every template is architected by their design team, and it’s genuinely difficult to make an ugly Squarespace site. The layout constraints that some people find limiting are actually what keep everything looking polished.

For small businesses, the Business plan ($33/mo) includes everything you need: custom domain, SSL, unlimited pages, SEO tools, basic e-commerce (with 3% transaction fee), email marketing tools, and scheduling through Acuity (included). The all-in-one approach means fewer subscriptions to manage.

The editor is block-based and visual. You see exactly what visitors will see as you edit. Adding pages, changing images, updating text: all straightforward without touching code. Most business owners can maintain their site without help after initial setup.

Limitations: Less flexible than Wix for unusual layouts or custom functionality. The structured templates mean you work within their design system rather than going freeform. Blogging features are good but not as powerful as WordPress. Third-party app ecosystem is smaller than competitors.

Best for: Restaurants, professional services, creative businesses, and any small business where visual brand matters. If your first impression needs to look premium, Squarespace delivers.

Wix: Most flexible builder

Pricing: Light $17/mo, Core $29/mo, Business $36/mo, Business Elite $159/mo

Wix gives you the most freedom to build exactly what you want. The drag-and-drop editor lets you place elements anywhere on the page: total creative control. The App Market adds functionality (booking, restaurants, events, membership areas) without coding.

For small businesses with specific needs, Wix’s flexibility shines. A restaurant can add online ordering. A salon can add appointment booking. A gym can add class schedules and membership management. A photographer can add client galleries. The app ecosystem covers most use cases without custom development.

Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) can build a site for you based on your answers to a few questions. It’s not perfect, but it creates a solid starting point that’s faster than starting from a blank template. For business owners intimidated by building a website, ADI removes the blank-canvas anxiety.

Limitations: Total design freedom means you can also make ugly, inconsistent sites if you’re not careful. Pages built with the old Wix editor can’t easily migrate to the new one. Site speed has historically lagged behind Squarespace (though they’ve improved). The free plan has Wix branding and ads.

Best for: Small businesses with specific functional needs (booking, ordering, memberships, events) who want flexibility to customize without limitations. Good for businesses that need lots of different page types.

WordPress.com: Best for blogging and SEO

Pricing: Free (limited), Personal $4/mo, Premium $8/mo, Business $25/mo, Commerce $45/mo

WordPress powers 40%+ of the internet for a reason. It’s the most capable platform for content, SEO, and long-term growth. If your strategy involves content marketing, blogging, or ranking in Google, WordPress gives you the most control over your search presence.

The SEO advantages are real: clean URL structures, granular control over meta data, integration with tools like Yoast SEO, fast page loads on proper hosting, and a content structure that search engines understand natively. For businesses that depend on local SEO or content marketing, this matters.

WordPress.com (the hosted version) is simpler than self-hosted WordPress.org. You don’t manage hosting, updates, or security. The Business plan ($25/mo) gives you access to plugins and themes that expand functionality almost infinitely.

Limitations: The learning curve is steeper than Squarespace or Wix. The editor is less visual/intuitive. You need to understand concepts like themes, plugins, and widgets. Design quality depends entirely on your theme choice: there’s no design guarantee like Squarespace offers. The free and lower-tier plans are very limited.

Best for: Businesses that publish regular content (blog posts, articles, guides), depend on SEO for customer acquisition, or plan to scale their site significantly over time. Also good for businesses that want maximum long-term flexibility.

Shopify: Best if you’re selling products

Pricing: Basic $39/mo, Shopify $105/mo, Advanced $399/mo (plus transaction fees)

If your small business sells physical or digital products online, Shopify is purpose-built for you. Inventory management, shipping calculations, tax handling, abandoned cart recovery, multi-channel selling (Instagram, Facebook, Amazon): it’s all built in and optimized for selling.

The checkout experience is the best in the industry. Shopify Payments handles credit cards without a separate merchant account. Shop Pay offers one-click checkout for returning customers. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and buy-now-pay-later options are all available.

For businesses that also need informational pages (about, contact, services), Shopify handles that fine: but it’s clearly e-commerce first, brochure site second. The page builder for non-product content is adequate but not as polished as Squarespace or Wix.

Limitations: If you’re not selling products online, Shopify is overkill and overpriced. The monthly cost plus transaction fees adds up. Blogging is basic. Design customization requires their Liquid templating language for anything beyond theme settings. The cheapest plan ($39/mo) is pricier than competitors for businesses that only sell a few products.

Best for: Retail businesses, DTC brands, anyone selling 10+ products online, and businesses that want multi-channel selling (online + social + marketplace). Not ideal for pure service businesses or informational sites.

Carrd: Best simple one-page site

Pricing: Free (1 site, limited), Pro Lite $9/yr, Pro Standard $19/yr, Pro Plus $49/yr

Carrd is a one-page website builder that costs almost nothing. For businesses that just need a landing page: your name, what you do, how to contact you, maybe a few testimonials: Carrd delivers in 30 minutes for $9/year.

The constraints are the feature. One page means you can’t overthink it. You pick a template, add your content, connect your domain, and you’re live. No agonizing over navigation structure or page hierarchy. For solopreneurs, consultants, and very small businesses, this is often all you need.

Build quality is surprisingly good for the price. Sites load fast, look clean on mobile, and include basic form capture for leads. The Pro plans add custom domains, embedded forms, and payment widgets (Stripe, PayPal).

Limitations: One page only. No blogging, no e-commerce, no booking, no multi-page navigation. If you need more than a landing page, Carrd isn’t it. SEO is limited since you have one URL to work with. Analytics are basic. You’ll outgrow it as your business grows.

Best for: Solopreneurs, consultants, freelancers, and very small businesses that need a professional web presence without complexity or cost. Perfect as a starter site while you figure out if you need something bigger.

How to decide

Ask yourself three questions:

1. Do you sell products online? → Shopify
2. Do you publish regular content for SEO? → WordPress.com
3. Do you just need to look professional? → Squarespace (premium feel) or Wix (more flexibility)
4. Do you just need a landing page? → Carrd

And honestly? Any of these will work better than no website at all. Don’t let the decision paralyze you into doing nothing. Pick one, build your site in a weekend, and iterate from there.

For a comparison focused on freelancers and creative professionals, see our Squarespace vs Wix vs Carrd for freelancers breakdown. For Shopify plan details, check our Shopify pricing guide.

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FAQ

Do I really need a website if I have social media?

Yes. Social media platforms change algorithms, suspend accounts, and can disappear (ask anyone who built their business on Vine). Your website is the one digital property you own completely. Plus, Google My Business links to your website, and many customers won’t trust a business without one. It doesn’t need to be complex: even a Carrd one-pager legitimizes your business.

How much should a small business pay for a website?

For a DIY builder site: $16–40/month covers most small businesses well. Avoid spending over $50/month unless you need e-commerce or advanced features. Custom-designed websites from agencies typically cost $3,000–15,000 upfront but require ongoing maintenance. For most small businesses, a $16–33/month builder site looks professional enough without the upfront investment.

Can I move my website to a different builder later?

Content (text, images) transfers easily since it’s your content. But design, functionality, and URLs don’t transfer between platforms. Moving from Squarespace to WordPress (or vice versa) means essentially rebuilding. Choose a platform you’re willing to stick with for 2–3 years minimum. If unsure, WordPress.com offers the most long-term flexibility since you can eventually migrate to self-hosted WordPress.

How important is website speed for a small business?

Very important. Google uses page speed as a ranking factor, and users abandon sites that take more than 3 seconds to load. Squarespace and Carrd typically have the fastest load times out of the box. Wix has improved significantly. WordPress depends on your theme and plugins. Shopify is fast for product pages. Don’t overload your site with huge images or unnecessary animations.

Should I hire someone to build my website or do it myself?

For a basic 5–10 page business site, DIY with a modern builder (Squarespace, Wix) is absolutely viable. Most business owners can build a solid site in a weekend. Hire someone if: you need custom functionality, your brand requires bespoke design, you genuinely don’t have time, or you’ve tried and hate the process. A good freelance web designer charges $1,500–5,000 for a small business site on these platforms.