Website builders have emerged as one of the most popular tools for small businesses and individuals to create a website.
By eliminating the need for coding knowledge or design experience, website builders make the process of creating a website accessible to anyone.
But how does a website builder work? In short, website builders provide users with a platform to create and manage their websites using pre-built templates and drag-and-drop tools.
This makes it convenient for anyone to create a professional-looking website without any prior experience or design knowledge.
Read on to learn more about what website builders are, how they work, and the features they offer.
Also Read: How Does A Website Builder Work?
What Is A Website Builder?
You must fully understand what a website builder is in order to understand how it works.
A website builder is a platform or tool that allows you to design and build websites without requiring you to change any code.
With a website builder, you don’t need to hire a designer or developer because you can handle everything on your own.
You can easily select from a wide variety of templates and modify them in accordance with your brand using the specifically created drag-and-drop functionality.
There are two types of website builders:
- Online Website Builder
Online website builders are tools that allow you to create a website without having to install any software on your computer.
All you need is a stable connection, and you can access your website builder from anywhere in the world.
An online website builder is hosted on the company’s cloud servers, which means that the provider manages all the server-side operations.
- Offline Website Builder
An offline or desktop website builder requires users to download software and host the files on their device locally.
Offline website builders take a bit more technical know-how and experience, as you will need to upload the files onto a web hosting platform once the buildout is finished.
Therefore, if you’re not comfortable working with code or don’t have any experience doing so, we recommend using an online website builder.
How Does A Website Builder Work?
A website builder essentially provides users with drag-and-drop tools to help them create a website.
This is done by providing a platform on which the user can choose from various templates, customize them to their liking, and then publish their website with one click.
Let’s take a look at the specifics of how an online website builder works:
- Sign Up For An Account
The first thing you’ll need to do is to sign up for an account with an online website builder. This will give you access to the platform and all of the tools that come with it.
To sign up, you will generally be asked to provide some basic information, such as your name, email address, and website domain.
Next, you will be prompted to select a subscription plan. Most website builders offer a free plan so that you can try out the platform and see if it’s right for you.
- Select A Template
After signing up for an account, you will be able to select from a range of templates. A collection of website templates is included with every online website builder.
These templates are pre-designed and can be easily customized to match your brand.
Choosing a responsive template is important. You’ll want it to automatically adjust to look great on any device, be it a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
- Customize Your Template
Once you’ve selected a template, it’s time to start customizing it to match your brand.
With an online website builder, you can easily drag and drop elements to different areas of your website. This makes it easy to create a unique website without coding knowledge.
- Publish Your Website
Once you’re happy with how your website looks, it’s time to hit the publish button! With an online website builder, this is usually just a matter of clicking a single button.
Your website will then be live and accessible to anyone in the world with an internet connection.
- Start Generating Traffic!
The final step is to start generating traffic to your website. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and email marketing.
Some website builders offer tools to help you with this, such as built-in SEO recommendations and social media integration.
Features Of A Website Builder
Many of the challenging aspects of operating a website are made easy and understandable by website builders.
Here are some of the most common features of website builders:
- Drag-and-Drop Interface
The best website builders have a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy to customize your website without any coding knowledge.
Look for a platform with a variety of templates that can be easily customized to match your brand.
- Image and Video Storage
Uploading images and videos is simple with website builders. Most website builders give users access to a library of media that can be easily inserted into your website with a few clicks.
This way, users don’t need to worry about hosting their own media files. Depending on the website builder plan you choose, you may also be able to store an unlimited number of files.
- Domain and Hosting
Without a domain and hosting, your website will not be accessible to the public. Most website builders include domain and hosting as part of their plans.
This means you don’t need to worry about setting up your own domain and hosting account.
- E-Commerce Functionality
If you plan on selling certain services or products on your website, look for a website builder that offers e-commerce functionality.
This will give you access to helpful e-commerce features such as shopping carts, payment gateway integration, and more.
- Business Email
Most website builders allow you to set up email addresses using your domain as the extension.
Make sure to choose the right website builder plan so you can have enough email addresses for your business. Some website builders offer free email accounts, while others charge a monthly fee.
Wrapping Up
So, how does a website builder work? To sum it up, a website builder is a platform that allows you to create a website without any coding knowledge.
It’s as simple as selecting a template, customizing it to match your brand, and hitting the publish button.
Now that you know how a website builder works, you can start creating your own website today!
Amit Gupta is the founder of Website-Builder.Guide.
Amit has spent over half a decade learning about website design and using multiple website builders. He has previously worked on designing websites for multiple clients and loves helping people with their website needs.