Website Builders Rating Criteria

Website Builders Rating Criteria

Modern website builders have a lot in common. They tend to be web-based, SaaS platforms, and they nearly always include hosting, domain registrar, and code-free website editing services. However, they can vary greatly in the quality of the website editing features they provide, their pricing structure, customer service, and other factors.

Website builders are rated on the following eight sections: Pricing, Ease Of Use, Features, Web Design & Editing, Integrations & Add-Ons, Payment Processing, Customer Service & Technical Support, and User Reviews.

Each section is assigned a rating of Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor based on the outlined criteria. The overall score out of 5 stars is then based on the following general guidelines:

For more detailed information on scoring, as well as how we make recommendations based on these scores, see our Rating And Scoring System.

The following characteristics warrant an Excellent rating:

Pricing

• The price accurately reflects the value of the software at each pricing level.
• Price is competitive and affordable relative to the intended customer base
• All fees and expenses are made explicitly clear prior to purchase
• Industry-standard features (blogging, ecommerce, contact forms) are included within the main pricing plans
• No pressure to sign up for a long-term contract
• Discounts available (e.g., annual or multi-year subscription, education, non-profit)
• Provides a free trial to test the software (or a free plan with minimal features)

Ease Of Use

• Signup and on-boarding is simple and well-guided
• Interface design is logical, intuitive, and easy to navigate
• Individual features are easy to use with self-explanatory input fields
• Balances customization capability (particularly for the web design and editing tools) with an accessible learning curve for beginners
• Requires no coding knowledge to use
• Provides a free trial option to test ease of use
• Offers quality and easily-searchable learning resources (e.g., demo, tutorials, in-software guidance, etc.) to assist new users
• Runs smoothly with no major bugs or glitches affecting basic features

Features

• Provides a well-rounded set of built-in features that serve the intended audience
• Feature set offers good value for the price
• Features include: A blogging tool, an ecommerce tools, and a form builder or customizable contact form
• Advanced features are available at fair and competitive price points
• The majority of individual features are flexible and robust
• Feature set accommodates business growth in many areas (e.g., user seats, number of product listings, revenue, bandwidth, storage, customer support needs, etc.)

Web Design & Editing

• Provides a varied selection of modern, elegant, and functional templates
• Templates serve a wide variety of industries
• Templates are fully mobile-responsive
• Includes free templates and/or premium templates at a competitive price
• Provides flexible, no-coding-required template customization tools
• Allows some degree of drag-and-drop layout adjustments

Integrations & Add-Ons

• Offers a large number of integrations
• Provides a well-organized app marketplace that is easily searchable
• Offers numerous feature add-ons that complement the core feature set
• Provides a well-rounded set of widely-used third-party software integrations (e.g., accounting, ecommerce, POS, loyalty, marketing, etc.)
• Provides additional advanced or niche integrations
• App store includes user reviews of integrations

Payment Processing

• Offers multiple payment processor options for a wide variety of situations (e.g., countries, business types and sizes, monthly processing volumes, average ticket sizes, risk levels, etc.)
• Offers flexibility in choosing a payment processor

Customer Service & Technical Support

• Provides multiple avenues for personalized support (e.g., phone, email/web tickets, live chat, active social media accounts)
• A live representative can be reached 24/7 via phone, live chat, or email/web ticket
• Company responds to support requests in a timely manner (e.g., emails within 24 hours, phone holds and live chats within minutes)
• Support representatives are knowledgeable, courteous, and able to resolve issues
• Support department has a reputation for good service, even if some complaints exist
• Provides an extensive collection of quality online self-help resources (e.g., FAQ, knowledgebase, tutorial videos, community forums, blog, etc.)
• Provides current and potential customers with status updates when necessary (e.g., schedule service interruptions, feature removal, etc.)

User Reviews

• The number of complaints is reasonable in proportion to company size and user base
• Complaints reference isolated, specific circumstances rather than systemic problems the company has failed to address
• Complaints are addressed publicly in a reasonable and respectful manner
• Complaints have a high rate of resolution and may include documented refunds when appropriate
• Customer feedback is taken into consideration when updating the software, which frequently renders older complaints obsolete
• Positive reviews outnumber complaints
• A substantive number of credible positive reviews are available online from verifiable customers
• Receives mostly positive reviews/scores on trusted third-party review sites (and/or app marketplaces)
• Positive reviews include significant detail regarding reasons for the high rating

Note: Website builders with very few user reviews receive a rating of Fair until more data becomes available.