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Website Builder Guides & Tutorials

Learn how to effectively use the most popular website builders to build & grow an amazing website.

11+ Weebly Website Examples for Inspiration

Nate Shivar Updated June 5, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Weebly Website Examples (1)

So you’re considering using Weebly as your website builder, and you’re looking for Weebly website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

[Read more…] about 11+ Weebly Website Examples for Inspiration

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Guides, Explainers & Examples

When Should Someone Not Use WordPress?

Nate Shivar Updated March 30, 2020 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

When Should Someone Not Use WordPress_

You’re probably here because you’ve heard the buzz about WordPress (Alignable’s SMB Index says WordPress is the most trusted software for small business), but are wondering if there are situations in which someone should not use WordPress for their business website.

WordPress is an incredibly versatile website platform — I won’t hide my enthusiasm for it. But there is no such thing as a “best website platform”. There’s only the best choice based on your goals, resources and preferences.

Most website platforms promote with features and price. But like buying a house – price and features don’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell you if this platform is a good choice for your website.

When evaluating whether or not to use WordPress, you need to think about your needs for a website. Do you need flexibility? Support? A mixture of both?

Here’s how to figure out if/when someone should not use WordPress for their business website.

[Read more…] about When Should Someone Not Use WordPress?

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Review FAQs & Explainers, Website Builder Guides

11+ Wix Website Examples for Inspiration

Nate Shivar Updated March 11, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Wix Website Examples

So you’re considering using Wix as your website builder, and you’re looking for Wix website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Wix is one of the biggest names in the website builder product space. It’s a drag-and-drop website builder, which means users can “drag” different elements around and “drop” them where they want…all to create a site that looks the way they want.

It makes nice designs incredibly accessible for DIY-ers while leaving the heavy-lifting (AKA hosting, functionality, coding) to someone else.

See Wix’s Complete Selection of Templates

But before we dive into examples of what Wix websites look like in the wild, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a website platform: it’s not just about how the websites look. The functionality matters too.

Think of it like buying a car. You have a make / model in mind, and you’re probably looking to see them drive by on the road to see how they actually look. However, you also care about how they operate. Does it accelerate well? Does it have the hauling capabilities you need? How is the gas mileage?

Looking at a website platform should be done in the same way. We collected the following Wix examples not just to show you how they look, but how Wix websites can function so you can be sure you have a website that fits both the style you want and the functionality you need.

[Read more…] about 11+ Wix Website Examples for Inspiration

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Guides, Explainers & Examples

12+ Great Squarespace Website Examples for Inspiration

Nate Shivar Updated March 8, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

12+ Great Squarespace Website Examples for Inspiration

So you’re considering using Squarespace as your website builder, and you’re looking for Squarespace website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Squarespace is one of the most well-known brands in the website builder industry.

Find The Right Website Builder for Your Project

In terms of different types of website builders, Squarespace lives on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website. It makes a nicely designed website incredibly accessible for DIY-ers while leaving the heavy-lifting (AKA hosting, functionality, coding) to someone else. It contrasts with solutions where you buy, install, and manage all the “pieces” of your website separately.

Using Squarespace is sort of like leasing and customizing an apartment. You’re in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner. You have some flexibility, but you also give up some control for convenience.

Ecommerce Real Estate Tradeoffs

But before we dive into examples of what Squarespace websites look like in the Internet wild, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a website platform: it’s not just about how the websites look. The functionality matters too. I’ve written a full Squarespace review in addition to comparisons like Squarespace vs Wix vs Weebly, Squarespace vs WordPress and Squarespace vs Shopify.

But in short – think of it like buying a car. You have a make / model in mind, and you’re probably looking to see them drive by on the road to see how they actually look. However, you also care about how they operate. Does it accelerate well? Does it have the hauling capabilities you need? How is the gas mileage?

Looking at a website platform should be done in the same way. We collected the following Squarespace examples not just to show you how they look, but how Squarespace websites can function so you can be sure you have a website that fits both the style you want and the functionality you need.

[Read more…] about 12+ Great Squarespace Website Examples for Inspiration

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Explainers & Examples, Website Builder Guides

8+ Google Sites Examples for Inspiration

Nate Shivar Updated March 2, 2020 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Google Sites Examples

So you’re considering Google Sites as your website builder, and you’re looking for Google Sites website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Google Sites is Google’s free website builder software that it offers as part of the G Suite of Drive, Email, Hangouts, etc. It’s a template-based website builder, which means you have a set of templates that you can customize to a certain extent.

It makes nice designs incredibly accessible for DIY-ers while leaving the heavy-lifting (AKA website hosting, functionality, coding) to someone else.

I wrote a full review of Google Sites here. It’s free, even for everyday users. If you are logged into your Google Account, you can start a Google Site here.

But before we dive into examples of what Google Sites look like in the wild, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a website platform: it’s not just about how the websites look. The functionality matters too.

Think of it like buying a car. You have a make / model in mind, and you’re probably looking to see them drive by on the road to see how they actually look. However, you also care about how they operate. Does it accelerate well? Does it have the hauling capabilities you need? How is the gas mileage?

Find the Best Website Builder for Your Site

Looking at a website platform should be done in the same way. We collected the following Google Sites examples not just to show you how they look, but how they can function so you can be sure you have a website that fits both the style you want and the functionality you need.

[Read more…] about 8+ Google Sites Examples for Inspiration

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Explainers & Examples, Website Builder Guides

11+ GoDaddy Website Builder Examples for Inspiration

Nate Shivar Updated January 31, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

11+ GoDaddy Website Builder Examples for Inspiration

So you’re considering using GoDaddy as your website builder, and you’re looking for GoDaddy website builder examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice of site builder.

See GoDaddy’s Current Plans & Pricing

GoDaddy is the big brand in the website services industry. From their Super Bowl ads to TV ads to online advertising, they are by far the most well-known choice for GoDaddy domains, GoDaddy hosting, GoDaddy website builder, online stores, and productivity products for small businesses.

[Read more…] about 11+ GoDaddy Website Builder Examples for Inspiration

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Guides, Explainers & Examples

14+ WordPress Website Examples for Inspiration

Nate Shivar Updated January 8, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

WordPress Website Examples

So you’re using WordPress as your website software, and you’re looking for WordPress website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

WordPress powers more than 30% of the Internet. It’s famous for its versatility and ease of use (yes, there is a learning curve. No, it’s not insurmountable). In short, it’s an incredibly popular choice for your website software.

But before we dive into WordPress website examples in the wild, let’s talk about a few common misconceptions about WordPress.

WordPress is a content management system — web jargon for a place where you can log in to your website to create, edit, and manage your content.

It’s also “open-source”, which means a community maintains it. The software and open-source community live and function at WordPress.org. It’s where anyone can grab a free copy of the software. It’s also know was self-hosted WordPress, because you have to provide the server for the software to live on.

WordPress.org is like buying a house. You can make all the customizations you want, but you’re also in charge of the plumbing and electricity.

Learn how to set up a self-hosted WordPress site from scratch here.

And then there’s WordPress.com. This is a for-profit company and service that offers websites powered by their install of WordPress (the software). They bundle hosting, support, services, and software into a single subscription. WordPress.com is like renting an apartment. You can pay for upgrades, but really everything is up to your landlord… including maintenance.

View WordPress.com’s Plans & Features here.

So what does this have to do with WordPress website examples?

Think of looking for a website builder like looking for a car. You have a make / model in mind, and you’re probably looking to see them drive by on the road to see how they actually look. However, you also care about how they operate. Does it accelerate well? Does it have the hauling capabilities you need? How is the gas mileage?

Looking at a website platform should be done in the same way. A website’s design is simply some HTML and CSS. It can be created anywhere. However, the functionality are more dependent on things like hosting, integrations, features, plugins, etc.

We collected the following WordPress examples not just to show you how they look, but how WordPress websites can function so you can be sure you have a website that fits both the style you want and the functionality you need.

[Read more…] about 14+ WordPress Website Examples for Inspiration

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Explainers & Examples, Website Builder Guides

Website Builders Explained

Nate Shivar Updated January 10, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Website Builders Explained

Website builders are a type of software that turns visual design elements into HTML / CSS files that browsers can show as a website. Modern website builders are usually bundled in some form with hosting to provide storage & server abilities for those files.

As an analogy, imagine a website is like a physical home. Website builders are a bit like pre-built houses or condominiums with infrastructure & services provided. Usually the land (hosting), address (domain) and services are bundled with the home. There are usually costs & limitations, but also much more convenience compared to building a home from scratch.

[Read more…] about Website Builders Explained

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Review FAQs & Explainers, Website Builder Guides

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which Should You Use?

Nate Shivar Updated March 10, 2018 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

WordPress-com vs WordPress-org Which Should You Use

So you’re exploring starting a website. And you’ve chosen WordPress as your software of choice. It powers more than 25% of the Internet. It’s famous for its versatility and ease of use.

But for anyone unfamiliar with the WordPress world – there’s a point of confusion. WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org – which should you use? What’s the difference? What’s the best fit for your website?

Here’s a concise overview of what you should think about before getting started. [Read more…] about WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which Should You Use?

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Review FAQs & Explainers, Website Builder Guides

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