Websites are great for driving traffic to your business and increasing sales. But before you can enjoy these benefits, you must ensure that your website is functional, beautiful, and snappy.
Slow and clunky websites can turn away potential customers.
If you’re launching a new site, working with an agency, or you want to manage your site on your own, you should familiarize yourself with some of the top tools available for website design. We take a look at some of the most common and best tools available.
What To Look For in a Web Design Tool
Before we dive into the best web design tools for your business, there are some things you need to remember when choosing one. Keep these things in mind as you read explore each web design platform in the sections below.
Ease of File-Sharing
Creating wireframes and mockups of a website can be difficult, especially for new web designers. That’s why it’s crucial to choose a design tool that allows you to export individual icons and other design elements for faster development.
Collaboration Options
Working remotely is now a reality. If your team doesn’t have an office, you definitely need a web design tool with collaborative features. If available, these tools are great for instant feedback and will assist in a faster workflow.
Robustness in UI and Features
User interface (UI) should be the make-or-break feature for those new to web design. Your platform’s user interface should be easy to use without sacrificing the robustness of its features. When choosing a web design tool, you should also look for one with an extensive library of ready-to-use templates. These features will help create web mockups and wireframes faster and easier.
Top 5 Web Design Tools for Your Business
Here are our top picks for web design tools based on the criteria above:
Webflow (Free/Paid)
Webflow is a web design tool created specifically for beginners since you don't need to learn to code just to take advantage of its powerful features. This web design tool can use different programming languages, such as:
- JavaScript
- HTML
- CSS
More experienced coders can also use this website design tool since it supports custom code for features they don’t fully support yet.
Pros
- It’s accessible even to complete beginners
- Supports multiple programming languages
- Has ready-made templates you can use right away
- Has a free version
Cons
- Has a steeper learning curve compared to mainstream website builders like Wix and GoDaddy
- The paid version is quite pricey
- There are limitations to the custom code you can use
Figma (Free/Paid)
Figma is a fairly new website design tool. However, its powerful features make it an excellent option for businesses.
Unlike most web design tools, Figma is a collaborative design platform where people from different places can contribute to building a website. Team members can design a file simultaneously, while owners can leave comments in real-time.
Pros
- It’s a collaborative platform for team members to brainstorm and work simultaneously
- Can design websites on a variety of platforms like WordPress
- File-sharing is straightforward
- Files can be saved in the cloud
Cons
- It can be pretty demanding to your RAM and graphics card
- It requires a constant Internet connection since its files are on the cloud
- There are no global colors, which makes it challenging to customize your files
Sketch
Sketch is another cloud-based and teamwork-centric web design tool. Like Figma, all your files will be saved on the cloud, where you and your teammates can collaborate to make the design.
It also has Sketch Assistants, which gives intelligent recommendations. This feature is fully customizable with JavaScript. However, Sketch is only available to use for MacOS.
Pros
- Its UI is intuitive and aesthetic
- Sketch has a library of over 1,000 plugins
- It also has an extensive library of pre-made designs from Apple
Cons
- Sketch is not the best web design tool for prototyping and wireframes
- You need to constantly upload files in the cloud to update your Sketch design
- The platform is not available for use outside MacOS
WordPress (Free/Paid)
As the most popular web builder, it should be no surprise that WordPress makes the list. In fact, one-third of the Internet runs on WordPress! It has a free platform on WordPress.com and a paid self-hosted platform through WordPress.org.
Pros
- Lots of free plugins
- WordPress is an open-source software which means that there are tons of templates to choose from for your website
- Its content management system (CMS) is one of the best in the web design space because of its origins as a blogging website
Cons
- The fact that WordPress is the most used website creation platform makes it a prime target for cyberattacks
- While WordPress has powerful features in its free version, most of its enhanced features like SEO plugins can only be accessed with a paid subscription. Paid WordPress websites can be costly.
Weebly (Paid)
The last on this list, Weebly is another beginner-friendly web design tool. If you have no experience with coding or website development, then you should seriously consider Weebly to design your website. Its drag-and-drop feature is a breeze to use for newbie website builders.
Pros
- There are plenty of themes to choose from
- It has a mobile app where you can directly build your website even while on the go
- Its drag-and-drop editor is straightforward to use
Cons
- Its blogging tool is quite limited compared to others in this list
- You have to pay more for better support on your Weebly website
- Weebly is built with e-commerce stores, so other features may be limited to different niches.
Let Connection Model Design Your Website
Why not let Connection Model make the web design process easier? Our team has worked with businesses and created high-performing websites that look great and work seamlessly on multiple platforms. We’d be happy to build, refresh or maintain your site to help it become a top search result and drive customers to your business.
Check out our work and schedule a discussion today. We’ll help you get started!
Written By: David Carpenter
