The best drag and drop website builder in 2024. Is it the best solution to create a website for a small business?
Updates: January 9th 2024
Reading time: 11 minutes 24 seconds
Having a strong online presence is a must in the modern world. If you want your small business to succeed, you need a professional website. Website builders are an unprecedented chance for small business owners to take the matter into their own hands with no coding knowledge or astronomical budgets for hiring a web designer. The drag and drop technology makes building your website easier than ever. But there are many interpretations of this approach on the market. How to navigate through the rich landscape of drag and drop tools? Here's your comprehensive guide.
What is a drag and drop concept?
The term drag and drop comes from the language of computer user graphical interfaces. It describes an act of grabbing, dragging, and dropping a visual element from one location or targetted area to another. It empowers users to interact with digital content effortlessly, enhancing productivity and user experience across a wide range of applications, including file management, content organization, image editing, document creation, website and graphic design, and more.
You drag and drop when you're rearranging files in between folders on your desktop, reordering songs in your summer playlist, or creating a presentation for work.
Because of its simplicity and ease of use, the concept has become highly popular. It eliminates the need to have technical knowledge in order to indulge in various creative industries.
How do drag and drop website builders work?
Drag and drop website building software are powerful tools that enable online business owners to build a website without the need of writing a single line of code. The premise of page builders is that you can design and customize your website by dragging and dropping pre-built elements onto the canvas.
One of the most powerful features of site builders, in general, is the ability to see changes in real time. When you make any change, even so slightly in your design, you see it immediately. You don't have to visualize the effects as programmers and website developers do. The website builder's software handles the coding and technical aspects, translating your actions into the necessary HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. The drag and drop functionality makes it even easier.
Usually, you can start your project by picking the template or you start from scratch, from a blank canvas. Then you take advantage of the design elements such as images, text boxes, buttons, videos, and more, from the software's library. Those elements are nicely categorized so that it's easy for you to find want you want and make a website you'd like to create.
To add elements, you just click and hold on to an element you want to add, drag it onto the canvas, and release it in the desired location. The website builder typically provides guidelines and alignment tools to assist with proper positioning and layout. You can also resize, rotate, and customize each element by accessing editing options. Many website builders also offer special effects like animations that you can add to your elements and as a result easily create an attractive website.
Understanding drag and drop website builders' landscape
The market of drag and drop page builders is constantly evolving with new solutions emerging every month. However, there are some patterns in the way some tools work. Those patterns make it possible to divide them into two main categories. Let me walk you through them.
Drag and drop but with more creative freedom
Website design software from this category will be more suitable for those who are looking to build a website that is unique and who want to have more creative control over their design. Unlike simple website editors from the previous category, these tools offer a freehand canvas inspired by graphic design programs. It means that you can start your website from scratch and create your website by placing elements anywhere you want on the canvas. Thanks to this feature, even if you decide to use a template, you can still have a fully customizable website, not just change the content.
Website builder software like this is WebWave and Framer. For some people who have no experience in using graphic design tools, there might be some learning curve. But it's undeniable that these drag and drop website builders often allow you to take your site to the next level.
Simple drag and drop website builders
The first category is simple drag and drop website builders like Wix or Squarespace. They are extremely easy to use and allow you to have a ready-to-publish website in literal minutes. It's possible thanks to their box-based canvas and template-focused approach. With those website builders, you can make a website from a template only. They offer rich collections of website templates suitable for various types of websites, that you can then customize and make your website your own.
Because you can only build a website by editing the template, the canvas is box-based. It means that you can place elements into a predefined box/container. You can't change the layout of your page and your customization in practice means adding your content, images, and colors. These limitations make it easy to have a functional website up and running. It's a compromise between design features and ease of use.
Benefits of using a drag and drop website builder
Now that you have a brief understanding of what drag and drop builders are, let's dissect the benefit of using them to create websites.
Ease of use and user-friendly interface
Designing a website with a drag-and-drop website builder is very straightforward and effortless. Their intuitive interfaces allow you to easily navigate through the process of building an entire website. With just one click you can add, rearrange and customize elements. it empowers you to create professional and great-looking websites with ease.
No coding or technical skills required
One of the most significant benefits of drag and drop web building tools is that they eliminate the need for coding knowledge. You can create your business website without having to learn complex programming languages or hire professional developers. The drag and drop functionality allows you to build and customize your websites visually, selecting and placing elements without any coding involved.
Time and cost efficiency
Using a website builder significantly reduces the time and cost associated with website development. Since these builders provide pre-designed website themes and ready-to-use elements, you can quickly create a website by simply customizing and arranging the elements according to your needs. This saves time compared to starting from scratch or hiring a web designer. Additionally, the cost of using a drag and drop editor is generally more affordable compared to hiring professionals for website development.
Flexibility and customization options
Despite their user-friendly nature, drag and drop builders offer a high level of flexibility and customization. You have access to a wide variety of design elements, templates, and themes that you can easily incorporate into their websites. You can customize these elements to match your branding, choose color schemes, select fonts, and arrange layouts to create a personalized and unique website.
Responsive web design
Responsive web design means that your website will display correctly on mobile devices. Nowadays, it's crucial. You can check out our ranking of best responsive website builders and what to pay attention to when picking such a tool. Drag and drop editors often include responsive design features that ensure websites automatically adjust to different screen sizes and devices. As you might remember, website builders fall under two categories depending on how much creative freedom they offer. And depending on which tool you choose, you will get to control how many types of devices your website will display properly on. With simple editors, you can only adjust a mobile viewport, but with more advanced ones, you can also take care of tablet and mobile horizontal viewports.
Top 5 best drag and drop website builders
Now let's take a closer look at the top 5 best free drag and drop website builders on the market in 2024. From this many builders out there to choose from, it might be hard to find the one that will help you build the best website possible.
WebWave
A WebWave website builder is a tool inspired by graphic design software like user-friendly Canva. With its freehand canvas, it allows you to build beautiful websites with modern animations and special effects. WebWave also offers ecommerce features for building custom online stores. With its in-build SEO tool - SEO analyzer - you can optimize your website for search engines to promote your business online.
WebWave free plan allows you to build and publish your website under WebWave's domain. You get a custom domain for a year for free if you upgrade your website to one of WebWave's Premium Plans. Depending on which plan you choose, you will unlock many opportunities for your site, such as blogs or professional mailboxes. WebWave is your best bet if you have a creative small business and want to create a professional website that will reflect your brand. You can start for free and give WebWave's features a try.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a popular website builder recognized for its modern designs and powerful ecommerce options. With Squarespace, you can only create a website using one of their templates. They offer a broad collection of visually and aesthetically pleasing templates that you can customize to reflect your business or personal brand. They put a strong emphasis on branding with their logo maker tool. Their designs are focused on images and eye-catching fonts, making the best out of not-so-flexible grid layouts.
Squarespace doesn't allow you to publish your website for free under a free domain. You have to pick one of their paid plans to show your website to the world. With one of their plan, you also get ecommerce and blog features.
Wix
Wix is currently the most popular site editor worldwide. It's known for its extensive collection of templates suited for every type of website. From small business sites with online stores to personal pages. Wix template collection seems to have it all. Their focus on templates as well as simple editor proves that it's a great choice for beginners who want to build a website but don't know how to code and are not equipped with design skills whatsoever.
Of course, they offer a SEO and ecommerce features, providing all the necessary tools you need as a small business owner. You can build a free website but their paid plans are on the expensive side. Wix also doesn't offer an export option, so if you decide to switch your software, you won't be able to transfer your project easily.
Framer
Framer is a drag and drop editor that carters the most advanced users from the bunch. Its interface resembles the one you might know from Figma, which makes it a perfect environment for professional designers who want to create websites but don't know how to code. This software is definitely designed to surprise website visitors with stunning special effects and modern animations.
They don't offer many business features like SEO tools or ecommerce. However, if you're a designer transitioning to be a web designer, it's a great tool for you.
Site123
As the final website builder on our list, Site123 is once again a very simple builder created with beginners in mind. It allows you to create a website in minutes. You don't even need to spend time browsing for the perfect template to customize, as they pick the one the best for you based on a few questions about your goals. If you're looking to create a website quickly and don't care that much about aesthetics, then you should consider Site123.
It's a solid option for small business owners who need a new website with online store functionality.
Is a drag and drop website builder a good option for small businesses in 2024?
Considering all of the benefits of drag and drop solutions, such website builders are an excellent option for small businesses in 2024. You don't need to be tech or design-savvy to have a functional and often very good-looking website. You can skip the expensive process of hiring a professional web developer and take the matter into your own hands because drag and drop editors are so easy to use.
Because of the rich landscape of website builders, you also don't have to worry that your website will look like any other. You can take an easy route and build a website from a template or unleash your creativity and start from scratch. With drag and drop software it's possible.
And what's probably the most important from a business perspective, website builders like this give your website a chance to grow and evolve with your business. They offer scalability by providing options to add new features, expand content, and integrate additional functionalities like e-commerce or booking systems. This scalability allows small business owners to adapt their websites to meet the demands of their growing customer base.
How to build a website with no coding skills? Tips for using drag and drop editor
While the drag and drop editor will make it easy for you, there are still some tips and rules that you should follow when creating a website in a website builder.
1. Choose the Right Drag and Drop Editor
Research and compare different drag and drop editors available in the market and pick the one that will be the best for you in terms of features.
2. Start with a Template
Templates provide a foundation and make it easier to get started by providing pre-designed structures that you can fully customize. From the layout to design elements, rearrange whatever you want.
3. Personalize with Branding Elements
Upload your logo, select fonts that align with your brand identity, and customize color schemes to create a cohesive and consistent visual experience.
4. Utilize Pre-Built Design Components
Drag and drop editors often include pre-built design components or modules that can enhance the functionality and aesthetics of your website. These blocks can range from testimonials and portfolios to contact forms and social media integration.
5. Optimize for Mobile
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly by utilizing responsive design features offered by drag and drop editors. Preview your website on different screen sizes to ensure proper alignment and readability.
6. Preview and Test
Before publishing your website, preview it in different browsers and devices to ensure it looks and functions as intended. Test links, forms, and other interactive elements to ensure everything is working smoothly.
FAQ.
What is a drag and drop HTML website builder?
A drag and drop HTML website builder is a web development tool that allows users to create websites using a visual interface and the drag and drop method. Unlike traditional HTML coding, where developers manually write the code to create webpages, a drag and drop HTML website builder provides a more accessible approach for individuals with limited coding knowledge or technical skills.
Why should I choose a drag and drop website builder?
Drag and drop website builders are ideal for individuals and businesses who want to create a website quickly and easily. They eliminate the need for coding and technical skills, allowing anyone to build a professional-looking website. With drag and drop functionality, you can simply drag elements on your page and drop them where you want them to appear, making the website building process intuitive and user-friendly.
Are there any free drag and drop website builders?
Yes, most drag and drop website builders are free - for example, WebWave, Wix, or Framer. It means that you can create and even publish your website for free. You would have to pay for a custom domain and some advanced features. Free drag and drop website builders are a great opportunity for small business owners who want to make their first website at no risk.
Can I design a responsive website with a drag and drop website builder?
Yes, you can design a responsive website with a drag and drop website builder. The best drag and drop website builders offer responsive templates that automatically adjust the layout and design of your website to fit different screen sizes and devices. This ensures that your website looks great and functions properly on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Are the templates provided by the drag and drop website builder customizable?
Yes, the templates provided by the drag and drop website builder are customizable. You can modify the layout, colors, fonts, and other design elements to create a unique website that matches your brand or personal style. However, each website builder offers a different level of customization options.
Do I need to know how to code to use a drag and drop website builder?
No, you do not need to know how to code to use a drag and drop website builder. The builder takes care of the technical aspects and generates the necessary code for you. You can focus on the visual design and content creation without worrying about coding.
Is WordPress a drag and drop website builder?
By default, WordPress is not a drag and drop website builder. However, it does offer drag and drop functionality through the use of plugins and page builders. These tools extend the capabilities of WordPress, allowing users to create and design websites using a visual, drag and drop interface.
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