Best Website Builder Platforms for Small Businesses in 2024: A Complete Guide to Choosing the Right Platform

Introducing businesses to the modern webscape can feel like renovating an old home. Some rooms just need new paint and floors to feel fresh. Others need serious structural changes to meet evolving needs. It takes empathy, insight and skilled craftsmanship to honor a business' foundation while guiding wise improvements.

Start with the framing

Before picking paint colors or flooring, you've got to check that the walls, roof, and foundation are solid. For a website, this means choosing the right platform and tools for building, not just for today but for years to come.

Here are leading options for 2024:

• Webflow - The leading no-code platform for custom sites with CMS built-in. Intuitive visual interface but still allows advanced customization.
• WordPress - The content management system powering over 40% of sites. Massive ecosystem of themes and plugins.
• Squarespace - Beautiful templates and easy ecommerce. Ideal for portfolios and online stores.
• Wix - Drag and drop editor with AI design features. Best for very simple sites.

Choosing the right foundation sets you up for success. Like renovating an old home, changes get exponentially harder once the walls are painted.

Design a floorplan for growth

Once framing is solid, it's time to map out rooms and circulation. For a website, this means planning a flexible information architecture - how content and functionality will be organized and accessed.

A few tips on planning IA:

• Group related content into clear sections
• Only show most important info up front
• Use consistent, descriptive navigation and menus
• Leave room to add and evolve over time

Like a home renovation, you want to design a floorplan optimized for how the spaces will actually be used day-to-day and as needs change.
Rather than cramming in everything upfront, thoughtfully curate what delivers the most value.

Select aesthetics that express the brand

With framing and layout decided, it’s time for the fun part - choosing finishes and decor to create the look and feel. For a website, this means:

• Colors - Limit to 2-3 colors that align to brand
• Fonts - Maximum 2 complementary fonts
• Photos - Lifestyle imagery and real stories
• Icons - Use sparingly to highlight actions
• Motion - Subtle animations guide the eye

Nail this branding and visual design, and your website will instantly feel familiar yet fresh - kind of like walking into a newly renovated room in your favorite comfy sweater.

Craft a valuable experience for visitors

You've built a solid structure, designed a smart floorplan, and decorated to delight. Now it's time to focus on the human experience when visiting your new site. Every page should answer:

• Who is the intended audience?
• What goal or need brings them here?
• How can we immediately show value and guide next steps?

Follow three key principles for crafting value on each page:

1. Directly address the visitor with useful headlines and copy
2. Highlight most relevant content up front
3. Include clear calls-to-action to guide the visitor journey

Crafting a valuable experience takes empathy, insight and care - much like renovating a home for how real humans will live and feel as they move through each thoughtfully designed space.

Keep making improvements

Even after the finishing touches are done, maintenance and renovations continue. A website needs ongoing updates as the business evolves. Expect to:

• Tune and refine pages over time
• Add new functionality as needed
• Improve speed and performance
• Enhance design and content

Like a home, a website is never really "done". The platforms and tools will keep advancing over time. Continuously listen to your audience and stay on top of technical best practices. Routinely make measured improvements to keep things fresh and valuable.

The takeaway

Bringing an existing business online shares much in common with renovating an old home. Careful planning, sturdy foundations and emphasizing human value will transform outdated spaces into welcoming environments designed for modern life. Just don't go too trendy – the most timeless websites, like homes, embrace classic style with thoughtful modern upgrades.