Website Builders and Content Management Systems
When it comes to building a website, there are LOTS of options – some free.. some paid.. some flexible.. some limited. They are all different and can vary widely.
One of the easiest and fastest ways to build a website right now is using a website builder or a content management system.
Website Builders
A website builder is an online software and service that enables people with no web development training or background to quickly build a website. They typically have built in themes, simple editors for adding content like text and images, as well as other tools to make it easy for you to build a website yourself.
A website builder usually provides hosting with their software. When you use a website builder you won’t be able to move your website to a different host or platform (unless they are some rare exception).
They also limit how much you can customize it on your own or with your choice of help. You may have to pay their company to add advanced features or customizations to your site. This can be very expensive as they will typically charge hourly and it may take a lot of time to develop.
Some popular website builders include Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. You can learn more about them here.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
A content management system (or CMS) is a typically free website management system that provides various tools, themes, and controls to edit your website, much like a website builder.
The key difference is generally cost and the ability to move your website to a different website host as needed.
Web hosting for content management systems is typically cheaper, however, it can require a bit more work to build the site the way you want.
It will also generally give you much more flexibility when it comes to customizing and expanding your website, like adding an online shop, advanced forms, user logins, and other features.
Some popular content management systems include WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Most hosting companies have a tool called Softaculous that will make it super easy to install any of these systems in just a few minutes.