There are lots of things to consider and think about when creating a website. For example, you may have a small budget that forces you to build a simple looking website using an online “drag and drop” tool or you may be able to hire a web developer to design a fully customized website using a tool like WordPress. There are so many options available for consumers that it can become overwhelming!

Building a website doesn’t have to be time consuming, expensive or difficult task. Thankfully there is a great variety of options available for consumers to build a great looking website.

What is a “Website Builder”?

In simple terms, a website builder is a program, or tool, or software that will help you build a basic website. Typically these tools allow the construction of websites without manual work of editing computer code. As a bonus, these tools normally have a variety of ready-made templates available for you to use.

When it comes to using a Website Builder software, Boom Host typically recommends two most common solutions available to our customers within our hosting environment:

• WordPress
• SitePad

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a free open source software tool that can be used to create a basic to most sophisticated website. It is currently one of the most popular tools available in the marketplace.
WordPress websites span a wide range of sizes, from personal blogs that will get a handful of visitors per week to a large multinational company that will have millions of visitors per week.

Should I Use WordPress?

Building a website using WordPress requires some technical skill to set it up for custom requirements. If you have a longer lead time to build your website and perhaps a budget to pay someone to help you with your set-up, WordPress is an excellent long-term investment.

Pros:

• WordPress is free to use. All you need is a domain name and web hosting platform to install it and make it available for public.
• A wide variety of themes and plugins are readily available to help you customize the website to meet your unique business needs.
• WordPress gives you the ability to easily adapt your website, choose the features that work for you and change them as your business grows.

Cons:

• WordPress can be difficult to use as a beginner. While there is no free and dedicated support for users, there is an official WordPress forum and other sites that offer some great user advice and helpful tips.
• You are responsible for looking after your website on regular basis. This means keeping up-to-date with installation updates and security patches as they become available. However, you can purchase something like Boom Host’s managed WordPress hosting plan to help you with the security maintenance aspect of your WordPress website.

What is SitePad?

SitePad (by Softaculous) is a third-party “drag and drop” website builder software installed on Boom Host cPanel servers.  SitePad Website Builder software can help to get your website up and running within minutes! It has hundreds of readily available themes available to choose and allows you to simply drag and drop elements such as text, images, and buttons onto the interface and you can publish your website with a single click.

When Should I Use SitePad Website Builder?

If you have a short timeline to build your website and a limited budget, using a tool like SitePad is something you should definitely consider.

Pros:

• You do not always need a website designer or developer to create an attractive website. Simply choose from one of the ready-made templates and tweak the font and color to fit your own taste and requirements.
• Using a website builder software, like SitePad, is the cheapest and most cost-effective method for setting up a website. You can always upgrade or enhance your website later.
• Using the “drag and drop” design you can quickly and easily switch your site’s design elements, no complex coding required!

Cons:

• You won’t have the ability to personalize your website. While the drag and drop template will make it easier for you to use, it does limit what you can do which can be annoying sometimes.
• Your site may end up looking “generic” because you are choosing from the same selection of templates as other people might have chose to use for their website. To overcome this issue, play around with different fonts, colors and imagery to really set your design apart from other websites.