Best WYSIWYG – Drag And Drop Website Builders
- Khabri Mausi
- Aug 31, 2017
- 9 min read
Whether you’re interested in learning to create a website or want to start a blog without having to learn HTML or other coding languages, you may want to consider using a website builder that makes use of a WYSIWYG editor.
WYSIWYG stands for what you see is what you get. In other words, as you’re creating a website by dragging and dropping images or changing the way fonts look in an editor, that is how your finished product will look.
There are various benefits associated with using a WYSIWYG editor. You have control over what your website looks like, and you don’t have to pay a professional to handle the coding for you. There are also a number of web hosts that have their own built-in editors, meaning you can create your website and publish it to the web immediately.
You’ll generally find that web hosts that provide WYSIWYG editors allow you to access the editor for free or as a part of a web hosting subscription. However, many people find it much easier to take advantage of templates that are offered by a web host. This gives you a starting point, so you’re not having to begin with a blank screen, and you can adjust templates to personalize them for your site. You can generally change colors, images and even the general layout of templates.
It’s important to note that while you may have access to a WYSIWYG editor and free templates, many web hosts also offer paid templates. In general, paid templates tend to look more polished and professional. Templates can either be bought outright or you may end up paying a monthly subscription that’s added to your hosting fees.
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THE BEST WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) WEBSITE BUILDERS
One of the most popular web building platforms featuring a WYSIWYG editor, Wix is used by many businesses as well as individuals to create websites.
Along with allowing you access to their easy-to-use editor, they also offer users a number of templates. If you’re not sure what you want your site to look like or don’t want to start from scratch, templates can be a huge time saver. There are a number of social media and contact features that are built-in to their templates. You can also easily set up and manage comments, reviews and blogs on your site.
Pros: You’re allowed to start from scratch or modify existing templates. It’s easy to add a variety of elements, such as forms, social media buttons and media. You can add your own HTML code. Drag and drop website building functionality. There’s a lot of freedom on where you can place objects, such as text or images.
Cons: Not all templates are free, and some require monthly subscription fees. Sites aren’t entirely responsive, so they won’t necessarily fit all screens. Statistics about your site aren’t collected by Wix, but you can use Google Analytics and similar systems.
Features: Hundreds of template choices. There are free and paid options hosting options. You have the ability to design sites that work on both desktops and mobile devices. Built-in photo editing and enhancement tools are available.
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A very popular option for people looking for a site builder with their own WYSIWYG editor, Weebly caters to businesses. One of the things that makes Weebly so popular is that it’s a drag and drop system. You’re allotted unlimited storage space, but the number of pages that you have is based on how much you pay each month. There is a business account option that will give you unlimited product pages as well as automatically calculate shipping for you if you plan on selling things online.
Pros: Edits are auto-saved, so you don’t have to worry about losing changes. You can download your site code, so if you want to move servers, it’s not a big deal. Both free and paid options are available. You have a huge selection of apps available to you through the App Center.
Cons: There’s no undo option. You can only sell things from your site if you have a paid account. Even if you’ve uploaded an image, you have to upload it again every time you want to use it on your site in another location.
Features: The ability to create responsive websites that work on essentially all screens. Dozens of templates. You have the ability to add a range of elements to your page, including video, polls, forums and forms.
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Shopify
Designed as a solution for people who are interested in eCommerce platforms, Shopify offers a range of tools for online business owners. Although they have a WYSIWYG editor and a number of stellar templates for business owners, web design is just one part of what they offer. In addition to web building tools, the host also provides everything someone would need to set up an online shop, including the ability to accept payments, to set different payment methods and to even create and accept gift cards.
I’ve created a tutorial on how to build a Shopify store.
Pros: The system allows you to create templates for everything from shipping labels to business cards. You have an unlimited number of product pages no matter what level of hosting you have. They have an incredible selection of professional looking templates, and many are free.
Cons: A percentage of your sales are taken if you don’t use Shopify’s payment system. There is no unpaid option, but there are 14-day free trials. You don’t have access to an HTML editor with the basic plan.
Features: You can use your Shopify payment system to accept payments in brick and mortar stores. Staff member accounts can be created, so more than one person has a login and access to your site.
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Squarespace
With Squarespace, you have the ability to create a gorgeous site with their WYSIWYG editor, but you’re more restricted than you are with other site builders. What you lose out in editorial freedom, you gain back in the features that are available on sites made with Squarespace’s editor. As with many other similar hosts, you’ll need to pay more to get more than a few product pages. However, there’s a very affordable option that gives you unlimited pages, storage space and bandwidth.
Pros: You get a free SSL certificate. Works with Apple Pay and Stripe. More than one template can be used on your site. An Adobe Image Editor is built into the WYSIWYG editor. You can put in your own custom HTML code.
Cons: You’re fairly restricted when it comes to editing templates. Customization of mobile sites is also limited. There’s no free option. There’s a transaction fee of two or three percent depending on your package.
Features: The ability to create fully responsive sites that work on desktops and mobile devices. Digital downloads are available through sites designed with Squarespace. Data can be pulled from social media sites.
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SiteBuilder.com
SiteBuilder.com is another website building platform that features a WYSIWYG editor that allows you to drag and drop elements into your site. You’ve got access to an enormous number of templates, fonts and backgrounds, and you’re able to make sites work on just about any screen thanks to a responsive framework. There are a number of site widgets that can easily be incorporated into your design, including contact forms, click to call buttons that work on mobile phones and maps.
Pros: Developer mode allows you to edit your site’s HTML and CSS code. The WYSIWYG editor has a built-in image editor that allows you to make basic changes to your images. Works with a number of payment providers, including Stripe, PayPal and Authorize.net. Even free accounts are allowed to make online sales.
Cons: It’s basically impossible to move your site to another host. You’re not able to switch layouts after you’ve started working on your site. Instead of using HTML, the site uses its own proprietary markup language.
Features: The ability to design your own widgets for your site. Offers unlimited pages and bandwidth even for free accounts. You have access to a free stock photography collection. An eCommerce Store Control Panel allows you to easily manage a number of settings related to sales.
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Like many other web hosts that offer WYSIWYG editors to create business sites, BigCommerce offers a range of templates that are designed to work for specific industries and stores. They also offer a number of features that make it easy for you to sell online, including one-page checkout, extensive analytic tracking and the ability to integrate a number of apps from their app store.
Pros: Unlimited space and pages no matter which hosting plan you chose. There are no transaction fees. Websites created through BigCommerce are responsive, so they’ll work on most or all screens. The system works with Apple Pay.
Cons: Refunds aren’t available. There are a number of free themes available, but many look basic, so you may end up having to spend a significant amount of money for one that looks professional. If you use a lot of apps, your monthly bill can get pretty expensive even with a low-level plan.
Features: You have the ability to easily cross post your product pages to major sales websites like eBay and Amazon. Gift cards and discounts can be set up through your site. An abandoned cart saver feature attempts to get people to return to your site to complete a purchase.
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If you’re interested in a web hosting with a WYSIWYG builder that’s very easy to use, uCOZ might be a good solution. The downside of the host is that, while it’s quick and easy to get started with, you’re fairly limited in how you can change templates and where you can stick elements. That said, there are a number of built-in options that you can set up for your site, including forums, photo albums and a blog.
Pros: They offer a free version of the site with 400 megabytes of storage space. Https connections are available with all paid plans. Along with numerous templates, there are a variety of paid apps and add-ons that you can implement on your site. Videos can be added to your site, but you have to link to YouTube videos.
Cons: To be able to use mobile templates or PHP, you need to pay for at least a second-tier hosting plan. Backups are available, but they may occur on a regular basis instead of as soon as changes are made to your site depending on your hosting plan. Data tracking isn’t available.
Features: A variety of free and paid business specific themes. You can create an account in seconds by logging in through a social media site like Facebook or Twitter.
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Strikingly is a web host that makes it very easy for you to design and build a website, but you’re also fairly limited in what you can do with your site. One of the reasons that it’s so quick and easy to set up a site on Strikingly is that you’re not able to create multiple product pages. Instead, you create sites that have multiple parts to them that you can see as you scroll down the page. This makes things simpler, but you lose a lot of control over how your site looks with this type of layout.
Pros:
With the right hosting plan, you can add your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript code to your account. The site works with PayPal. Once you upload an image, you can use it in multiple parts of your site without having to upload it repeatedly.
Cons: You’re limited in what you can do without a pro account, even if you have a lower-level paid account. Unless you opt for a top-level hosting plan, you’re still going to have Strikingly branding on your site. Using the template editor and switching between sections of a page can be cumbersome.
Features: 24/7 support is available. There are a number of popular apps that you can easily integrate into your site, including Facebook Comment, TypeForm messaging and Pinterest.
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Like many other WYSIWYG editors from web hosts, IM Creator uses drag and drop to make it fairly simple to create an eCommerce website. The way that IM Creator works is a little bit different than standard web design. Instead of having individual pages for products, information about your company and the like, the idea is to create one long page with a menu on the left that people can use to navigate to parts of the page that are relevant to them. This streamlines page creation, but it can take a bit of getting used to if you’re not used to it.
Pros: Offers a free version of their services. Sites built on IM Creator are responsive. It’s easy to incorporate SEO into your site’s design. Premium accounts are available, and the host offers free premium accounts to students and non-profits.
Cons: The Lego Block system of building sections on top of each other in a long web page can be annoying to some individuals who are more used to standard web design or layouts. Elements in a page can be edited, but you’re not able to move them or change their order.
Features: Their free version comes with unlimited hosting and bandwidth. They have their own sales system, ShopRocket, which means that it’s easy to set up in-store sales. A new XPRS system allows you to manage your websites from a mobile device.
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