Everyday, or so it seems, there is a new side hustle being brought to life. From pretty lip glosses, and hair extensions, to marketing agencies and tech suppliers, there are small businesses making their way to the business world, ready to leave their marks. Having been in the market for almost two years, I have a great deal of knowledge on two popular website builders, WIX and Godaddy, that I think new entrepreneurs should know more about and how they should use them.
When I started STARMADNESS in 2018, having a professional looking website was a top priority for me. Your website speaks for your brand and reflects its professionalism. So you want to be sure you are building your site to tell customers what you want them to know about your business. For me, a clean, easy to navigate server was ideal. I took my time researching the top website hosts at the time, and created a site using each one to determine what would be best for my brand. Initially, WIX was my first choice, but it was a bit complicated to use and I didn’t have the funds to pay the upfront costs. Likewise, Shopify had great reviews but I couldn’t figure out how to establish my brand with their software. So, I ended up selecting Godaddy to host my site, because it was easy to use and allowed me to make $29.99 monthly payments for my ecommerce store and $15.99 for my personal site.
What I like most about Godaddy is that their themes are simple and they have various elements that one can use to add a little flare to their site. This is a great choice for small businesses that are just getting started, because it’s not complicated to use and easy to pay for. Another big plus is the ability to edit your site from your phone. I loved that option the most since I didn’t always have access to a computer. In contrast, a downside to this host is that its limitations may inhibit your brand when it’s time to expand. If and when your brand expands, as mine has, the website may not be complex enough to carry your new products or services. So, you will have to move on to a new host.
I recently switched over to WIX, after doing more research, and am happy about my decision. Although it can be overwhelming for some, this website host carries over 500 themes and layouts and has an editor option to really make your website look the way you envision it. A con to WIX is the inability to pay monthly, which can turn those who don’t have significant funding away. I knew this change was important for my brand, however, so I saved my money to prepare for it. The total cost was $324.00, and included many incentives like switching my domain over, the option to create a new logo, and vouchers for ads.
Essentially, knowing the needs of your business will help you determine what host will be best to build your website. Though I only mentioned three, there are other options to choose from. The list includes: Wordpress, Square, Bluehost, Weebly, Vistaprint, and so many more. Selecting the right one may seem complicated, but once you do your research, the process will become easier.
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