Running a successful business is almost impossible if you don’t have a good website.
But you’re a mortgage broker, not a web designer or developer - so what do you do?
Thankfully, there are many fantastic services available that can help you bring your site to life, even if you lack specialist or previous knowledge of creating websites.
We’ve compared some of the very best website builders available to help you decide which is the best path for you…
Wix is a highly rated drag-and-drop website builder that is great for creating professional sites. It is flexible and easy to use with a wide range of pricing tiers. With over 500 templates, you can have a unique website that looks well-designed.
However, once live, the template cannot be changed. There is also not very much storage that comes with a Wix site, so if you tend to use your website to host a lot of documents, you may find Wix lacking.
If you are looking for an affordable website that acts primarily as a brochure site, Wix is a great go-to option. With the flexible templates, you can create a website that feels bespoke without needing a lot of technical know-how. However, if you are hosting documents or looking for a dynamic site, this may not be your best choice.
Squarespace is a website builder for design-forward brands who want to look stylish and cutting edge.
By taking the business plan subscription, you not only get a beautiful website, but also in-built SEO (search engine optimisation) tools. Squarespace takes design seriously and optimises each template for different devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets.
The business subscription also comes with easy ways to add downloadable content to your site for lead generation and a free SSL certificate to allow secure connections.
Unfortunately, Squarespace does present some difficulty for new users. The site features are more complex than those of many other website builders, but that complexity means that making changes is more difficult.
Squarespace offers less control over the look of your site and is less intuitive than some web builders. But if you are looking for an eye-catching website with the features of a more robust site and don’t feel that you will be needing to make changes often, this can be a great place to get started.
GoDaddy is a simple, affordable website builder that has been around for many years.
This website builder is very easy to use with its drag-and-drop editor and plenty of features. It also includes SEO tools, speedy load times and some marketing functionality. Priced at the lower end of the spectrum, this can be a perfect solution for businesses that want to get moving quickly.
On the other hand, the templates don’t allow for as much flexibility as many other builders and it can be hit or miss with any customer support.
Overall, GoDaddy is the way to go if you are after a quick launch that is easy to design yourself. It may not have the functionality that some other options have, but it will get the job done with speed.
Read more: The Complete Tech Checklist for Brokers
Weebly is an easy-to-use website builder with exceptional integration options.
Weebly has some of the most affordable subscription plans on the market, which means you will have a greater chance of getting the most out of your plan. The Weebly App Center enables you to add integrations to enhance the functionality of your new website with ease.
Many of these apps are free, but not all of them. This will need to be a consideration in your decision-making process.
The use of apps and integrations does mean that the templates that Weebly has available tend to be more basic than other builders. Additionally, some of the useful features aren’t available at the lower price tiers.
Weebly is a website builder that perfectly blends ease of use and performance. It may not be as innovative or stylish as some other builders, but it works to create a smooth and simple website.
WordPress is an incredibly customisable website builder that uses the WordPress software with which most people are at least passingly familiar.
This website builder is likely the most flexible of all of the available choices. As of 2023, more than 43% of the internet is built on a WordPress site, which means that they are dedicated to ensuring reliability. WordPress also automatically backs up your site and updates software without the need for you to do anything.
However, using WordPress can come with some teething issues. Although easy to use once you are familiar with the software, it is not the most intuitive option out there. WordPress also contains an almost overwhelming number of options for customisation. This can make both a quick launch of a site and future management of it more difficult.
If you have the time to understand and learn about all of your options, WordPress is a flexible, reliable website builder that can give you a unique and tailored website experience.
**It is important to note that there is a difference between WordPress.com (the website builder) and Wordpress.org (a content management system on which a bespoke website can be built). Be careful not to sign up for the wrong product.
Read more: The 9 Things Every Mortgage Broker Needs On Their Website
If none of these options sound quite right for you, or if you’d prefer to have a fully bespoke website, it may be best to go to a marketing agency to have a new site designed and developed just for your business.
This means you can be sure of creating a website that looks how you want it to appear and includes the functionality that your company needs to succeed. This option will most likely be built on a content management system (CMS) like Wordpress.org or HubSpot.
While this may be the best way to get a website tailored to your needs, it does come with a higher price tag. After all, you’ll be paying for both the design and development capabilities of the website, and the expertise of professionals with a strong track record of success.
There are a lot of great options out there for building a new website.
If you’re looking for an affordable option, the website builders we’ve discussed are a fantastic place to start, but if you have more resources available and want more flexibility when it comes to designing your website, it could be well worth turning to an experienced professional.
Read more: Website Briefing Document