Wix is a website creation platform we often recommend to small business owners. It checks many of the boxes our clients are usually looking for:
Its easy-to-use, what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor enables you to make basic updates yourself.
It's highly customizable. You can create many types of sites, from a blog to a portfolio to an e-commerce store.
Wix is mobile-friendly and its features meet WCAG 2.0 guidelines for accessibility. This lowers barriers to potential customers.
You can create a basic site for free (with Wix ads), and business/ ecommerce plans start at $23 a month.
One of the things we like most about Wix is that the business basic plan grants you access to many features and add-ons that you have to pay extra for with other popular web development tools. Some of our clients, before they came to us, were paying hundreds of dollars a month for features that are free with basic Wix plans.
Here are are our favorite Wix features that are included in their business basic plan:
Basic search engine optimization (SEO). More than ever, customers choose products and businesses through web searches. Traditional advertising (aka "interruption marketing") is dying. So, it's important for your website to show up on the first page of Google results when a potential customer conducts a relevant search. Luckily, features to boost your position in search results (your SEO) are included in your Wix plan.
Built-in site security. If you use a popular free tool like WordPress, you or someone you pay will have to do security updates. This is covered with Wix.
Password protection. Other popular ecommerce platforms, like Shopify, charge for add-ons like password protected pages (an important feature if you have a wholesale shop!). This feature is included in your Wix business plan.
Built-in invoicing. Wix offers a number of automations for client communications through their Ascend marketing tool. The basic plan is free. We use it to streamline client billing, and we love it.
Royalty-free images. While there are other sources of free stock photos on the web, it's an added bonus to have Wix's own library of media available for use right within the platform. Everything you need, from professional photos to videos to icons, is right there.The entire Unsplash library is built in, too.