This post explains why Wix is the best online website builder. The short answer is – Wix is the easiest, has greatest number of designs, tools and features, secure. All at a price less than that of a burger or a litre of petrol!!
For the long answer, read on.
What is an Online Website Builder?
There are two types of website building tool – online and offline website builders. Offline tools or software require you to install the software like Dreamweaver on your computer. You then create the website and upload the files to your web hosting account. We will not be discussing this (offline) type of website builders.
Additional Reading: Read this post on evolution of website builders.
Online website builders are tools that allow the creation of websites without writing code or programming. It simply means you can visually design, develop, and deploy website using drag-and-drop functionality. These online website builders save you money, time and loads of efforts.
You have a range of online website building companies like Wix, Weebly and Squarespace and more. You do not need to install any software on your computer. You just open your web browser, go to say, Wix and sign up. Then using their templates, create your websites in a few hours or even minutes! You can easily drag-and-drop elements to your pages (as you would in MS Word or PowerPoint) and create your website. You can create anything from a basic personal website / blog to a full-fledged store selling your stuff online. Services like Wix assist you in creating your website through online help pages and how-to video tutorials as also technical support by email and phone.
They offer templates for a range of business and professions. You can select a template of your choice, say a restaurant or physician and just add your own text and images.
Why is Wix the best online website builder?
Here are just some of the reasons why Wix.com is the best online website builder:
Superb Templates
You have a choice of more than 500 beautiful templates crafted by designers. After you sign up, you can browse through all these templates or even view them as per the category that meets your requirement. Each template is like your “website package” – it will have common pages like Home, About, Services (or Products), FAQs, Testimonials, Contact, Portfolio and more. This is just to get you started and for you to see the possibilities. Once you get used to the system within minutes, you will be blown away by what you can create using simple drag-and-drop. Customize every page to your heart’s content.
Be careful about what template you choose. Why? Because, after you have created your website using one template and added the content (text, images etc.), you won’t be able to apply a different template to the site. (You can make as many changes to individual design elements, media, colors, fonts etc) The solution is that if you like another template, you can create a new site with the new template and copy-paste your content there. (Of course at no extra cost). As an aside, Wix has been asking its users if they want the ability to switch templates easily – so it is probable that Wix will come up with that feature as well.
Mobile Responsive Website
Wix website templates are mobile responsive i.e. the website will adapt automatically for desktop or laptops as also for iPhones, Android devices, iPads etc. Your website will look fabulous on any device. You don’t have to configure anything or worry about any technology and standards. 
But why so much concern about this mobile thing? W3C Counter (https://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php ) and also Statcounter (http://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile-tablet ) has listed that as of Jan 2019, over 53% of online traffic was through mobile devices. If you ignore mobile-device website visitors, you simply lose more than half of your potential customers. Moreover, since they browsed on their smartphones or iPads etc, perhaps they are valuable clients with more purchase power and better education.
Customize your Layout and Design with Simple Drag and Drop
Design like an architect on the Wix builder. Wix website creator is a true WYSIWYG (What you See is what you Get) tool where you can customize everything with drag-and-drop. Go all out an experiment with different images, buttons, other layout elements like columns and more.
Wix has tons of design and media elements. Unleash your creativity on the Wix canvas! Try out more than 100 fonts and their combinations. Want to add your own font – upload them easily. Add a wow factor using animation, video backgrounds and scroll effects. Do you want to show off your photos or videos? Simply add media galleries. Showcase your photos and videos in many beautiful gallery layouts. It is as simple as uploading your photos or videos and selecting the type of gallery layout you want.
In-built SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Your website is useless if it cannot be found on search engines like Google, Bing etc. Wix templates are coded in such a way that you can easily add and change elements for on-page SEO like the page title, description, title tags and more. (You still have to build your social media and other back links etc. – for that there are lots of tutorials on Wix websites and elsewhere)
Social Media
You have seen those social media icons on various websites asking you to click and share their content? You can do the same for your website. This way get more visitors on your website and also build your social media fan following. Wix allows you to add social media buttons, likes, shares, feeds and follower counts into your website.
Secure your Website
- SSL. Have you seen the lock on the address bar of your browser?
If yes, the site has a security feature called SSL wherein all transactions between the website and the visitor’s browser are encrypted. Wix adds that to your website by default. If you hosted your website on some other host, this itself will cost you hundreds of dollars to setup. BONUS : Boost your website’s SEO if site is SSL-enabled. That is one smart move ahead of your competitors. - Backups. One important feature my clients regularly face is backups. I have had client’s (not Wix) websites hacked or they accidentally deleted the pages (even the entire site in one case!). In most cases I have a backup of their website, which I had delivered to them. But it is of little use if there have been multiple revisions to the site content. Wix takes care of that headache by backing up multiple versions of your website. If you need to go back to the previous best version, just a few clicks will do the work for you. That is one huge anxiety removed!
Cheapest Pricing
The basic Wix plan is free. But Wix will display ads on your website, which is not good for projecting a professional image. Moreover, you cannot have your custom domain name (see next section). Worry not. Because Wix’s best premium features only cost Rs 70 per month! That is less than the cost of a burger or one liter of petrol! It is no doubt the cheapest option on the Internet today for they value you get in terms of features. Your visitors will think you’ve paid thousands for a custom-built website.
Still not convinced about pricing? Okay, allow me to explain. For a functional professional looking website, you need your own domain name (see next section), web hosting account (a service that has technology to host and serve websites to visitors), web designer / developer (cost based on complexity) and time. All of this will cost you thousands (of rupees, dollars, whatever). Why pay that much when you get all that and more at a fraction of the cost and no headaches??!!
Tools and Advanced Functionality
Custom Domain Name
Do you prefer www.how2freelance.com or www.myusername.wix.com/how2freelance ? www.how2freelance.com is my custom domain name which is easier for you to remember. 
Furthermore, it makes you look professional. On wix.com you can buy a custom domain name (e.g. www.yourbusinessname.com / www.smileclinic.in etc). If you have already purchase one from Godaddy or any other registrar, you can connect it with your website on wix.com in few simple steps.
Mailbox
Appear professional to customers and friends by having your own personalized email address. So, if your domain name is www.rajutravels.in, you can have contact@rajutravels.in rather than some Rediffmail or other.
Chat
Setup a live chat function on your website for customers to contact you through yet one more channel. The more communication channels you offer, the easier it is for your visitors to contact you.
Member’s Restricted Area
On your website, you can create password protected areas for which you can allow access to a few users only. For example, you are a tutor who wants only your students to access the notes. Create a restricted area easily and give each of your student username and password to access the area or download the content. Once done, revoke access easily.
Be a Wix Ninja!
Are you a coder with experience in web development? Then Wix is for you too. You can help your client with advanced functionality with JavaScript and their APIs. There’s no limit to what you can create with Wix.
Wix ADI
This is the second way to create your website on Wix. Wix ADI uses AI (artificial intelligene) to create the website of your dreams in minutes! Once you sign up on Wix and select Wix ADI, you will be asked (using online forms) to answer a few questions about you and your work or profession. The ADI engine will do its magic to weave a professional website. You can of course switch to the Wix Editor later if you want to customize any page or elements of your site.
Wix Tools
App Market
Once you have your website layout and design ready, you can choose from a range of web apps that extend the functionality of your website. Want to add a forum where members can discuss about the topics you add and control? Go right ahead! Manage your website and grow business with powerful web Apps. Similarly add events calendar, online booking, e-commerce, and much more. You can even earn ad revenue by adding Google Adsense to your blog.
More than 110 Million users can’t be wrong!
Wix was founded in 2006 by 3 technologists from Israel. Today, Wix is being used by 110+ million users in 190 countries. Everyday 45,000 users sign up for Wix websites. They have a 2500 strong team in 7 countries. There is also a growing community of Wix experts who provide services for a fee. All these numbers point to the fact that Wix is doing everything right i.e. putting you, the customer’s interest first. Why wouldn’t anyone love Wix!?
Who is Wix best suited for?
Website builders like Wix.com are the best choice for small businesses and professionals alike.
Some of the common use cases where you can use Wix to create websites for are:
- Business Website – This is where Wix really outshines everyone on the planet. You can build a website for florists, restaurants, travel agency, real estate, legal, HR, IT services, financial services etc
- Professionals – Just like business website, there are templates galore for doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants etc. You can add apps for online appointment booking, members restricted area, documents area, registration forms, events and much more.
- Photographers – Whether you are an amateur hobbyist or a portfolio photographer and more, use Wix to showcase your portfolio. Engage with your potential clients by a marketing campaign to get them to the website, see your online portfolio and contact you for photography services. You can even sell stock photos through the website.
- Online stores / eCommerce – If you want to sell products online you can select the template for online stores – your products can be physical products like clothes or digital products like your eBooks, music or videos. Wix takes care of the payment gateway. You just need to stock your products, drive a marketing campaign and check your inventory and other information the Wix e-store dashboard gives you. You can create promotional codes for increasing loyalty. Your e-store can be managed through a mobile app while on the move. If your e-store sales have begun giving you monthly profits in millions, then firstly congrats! Next, you will need a powerful e-commerce platform that is scalable – something like Shopify, Magento or BigCommerce. These are eCommerce service providers designed exclusively for building online stores.
- Students & salaried employees – Sending your CV to everyone as an attachment is history. Appear progressive and professional by having your CV / resume on the website. If you add your video resume and images of your achievements, awards etc, it will be a bonus. Of course, connect it to your LinkedIn profile and Github etc too.
- Blogging – Wix provides enough features for you to create and run a blog. Yeah, sure there are other (better) options for blogging like WordPress. But, if you are just starting to blog, why invest lots of money and time on it. Once you have good number of visitors to your blog (thousands), then go for WordPress. Till then, hone your skills using Wix. Like other blogging platforms, Wix allows you to create blog posts, separate them into categories and add a comments section. Housewives, retired folks and others who have some free time on their hands can blog about their passion, be it cooking, travelling, styling, professional information etc. You can earn from ads or by selling other products / services too.
Who is it not suitable for?
Creating large websites with massive databases and complex workflows is not the forte of such services. If you want to create the next big online business, you are better off hiring expert programmers. Also if you have thousands of blog visitors or e-store customers, then Wix is not suitable for you. It is better to go with WordPress for blogging and e-commerce solution like Shopify for your store.