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Ultimately, the best self-hosted website builder is Elementor on a WordPress CMS platform. As mentioned in a prior post, it is best to get comfortable with hosting WordPress without Elementor. Then when you are comfortable with the basic functionality of the WordPress back office add the Elementor plugin.
The Best Self-Hosted Website Builder
With approximately 40% of the websites currently online in the business industry, it is hard to think of a reason why the WordPress CMS platform would not be one’s first choice unless one either works for another company or has tremendous coding abilities and can build a website without any difficulty.
You only have to go to BuiltWith.com to see that WordPress is the E-commerce winner when it comes to active websites in the online retail industry.
Some massive websites like Amazon, Walmart, or Home Depot may be better tailored to the e-Commerce community using a different coded website; however, even for a website such as Amazon, the majority of Amazon associate websites refer to the main Amazon website are largely hosted on the WordPress CMS platform.
It is interesting to note that Amazon has approximately 900,000 affiliates worldwide. Not all are using websites, as some use social media and other publishing platforms.
It is important to reiterate that platforms like Shopify, Volusion, BigCommerce. etc. all do serve a purpose and work very well.
They are not e-commerce sites I would choose as the website is a product you pay for monthly or annually and if you were to stop paying you no longer have access to your website.
To me, that is not owning your website. That is not to say they are not good selling platforms. In addition to monthly fees, there are apps to pay for, and those who dropship can connect with companies that can integrate with the site for an additional fee.
So, back to WordPress as a self-hosted website builder. One of the best self-hosted website builders is the Elementor Plugin installed on the WordPress platform.
I want to stress that you want to be comfortable switching from the classic editor to the Gutenberg editor before using Elementor. If you want more information, you can check out this article about Elementor:
When To Use The Elementor Plugin
Self-hosting your website is really the key to all of this. Hosting your own website is what gives you complete control over your business and what you may want to do with your business down the line.
There is no need to consult with the mothership as to whether you can perform a certain functionality (allowed by the company).
Granted, even WordPress will have guidelines; however, being an open-source Website platform, any limitations or guidelines will likely be in the interest of the WordPress developer or designer as the end product (a WordPress website) is not limited to possible corporate guidelines that must be adhered to.
So…What is the best self-hosted website builder?
Though this question has been answered, most who are familiar with the WordPress CMS Platform are aware there are more WordPress website builder plugins than just Elementor.
While our choice is Elementor, the following. is a list of a few other WordPress Plugin website builders that are popular among the WordPress community:
- Divi
- SeedProd
- Beaver Builder
- Visual Composer
- Oxygen
*There are many other website builder plugins. Basically, which one to use will often come down to the plugin that works best with your WordPress theme. Some are specifically designed for themes created by the same developer.
Related article:
Why Is WordPress The Best CMS Platform?
With the number of plugins available for WordPress (in the 10s of thousands), the sky is really the limit in terms of what you can do with your website.
This is yet one more reason it is the best self-hosted website builder platform!
If reading this might suggest this is simply my opinion, as I have alluded to, you can simply search and find that this is the case among the millions of developers who have their choice of what platform they prefer.
Better yet, think about this as you surf around the internet. You will see countless advertisements for WIX, Weebly, etc. while WordPress doesn’t even need to advertise.
So… what is the best website builder software currently available that you can host on your own server? Hands down, WordPress with the Elementor plugin.
You will have a website that you will love and still have access to virtually unlimited and constantly developing plugins to address whatever coding requirements you may require (without needing to know code).
If you are looking to create an actual piece of real estate on the internet, it is hard to think of any other option to consider than to build your website with WordPress. Org. (not WordPress.com)
The following is a great article about WordPress .com versus WordPress. org:
What’s the Difference Between
WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
Hopefully, this information is helpful when it comes to demonstrating why WordPress is the best self-hosted website builder.
Frequently asked questions:
1. What is the best self-hosted website builder for artists?
As you might have figured, in our opinion it is a combination of three software:
- Hosted WordPress CMS platform
- Elementor Plugin
- Astra Theme
There are a number of reasons for this, here are just a few:
1. Technically, you’ll have endless options on how to display your artwork. You will be in complete control of your WordPress website with the Elementor plugin and will have limitless themes to best display your work.
2. Because WordPress has the best SEO, you will be able to target high-quality customers that are interested in your art and are far more likely to convert. If you need a reasonably priced long-tail keyword tool you can check out Long Tail Pro. This tool will help you find long-tail keywords and tell you how difficult it would be to rank for the keyword.
Long Tail Pro Keyword Tool
No tire kickers! Even using Google Ads with targeted keywords will not produce the quality traffic you will get when compared to user intent on search engines.
So … for the best self-hosted website builder … use the combination of WordPress CMS platform, Elementor plugin, and Astra WordPress theme.
3. Since art can use a lot of data (images in the megabytes) you will be in control if and when you want to change your hosting plan or company to optimize your website performance.
4. Lastly, as this website demonstrates repeatedly based on hard data, you will be hosting your website on the most popular CMS platform online.
***You will not have nearly as many perks using a website builder such as WIX, Squarespace, Weebly, etc.
Granted, you will find these sites are far simpler platforms to launch your website, you will relinquish a lot of control over your website, your SEO will not be as much under your control, and worst of all your asset (website) will always be tied into a company that could change overnight.
It is not often that this is the case, but also, you will be spending a lot more for what will be a less valued product as your website grows and ranks.
The monthly charges for hosted website builders are costly, not to mention the apps you might want to purchase, etc.
There is no question WordPress is the absolute best self-hosted website platform for business! Having your CMS platform completely under your control makes all the difference.
The learning curve might be a little steeper but it is well worth it once you start ranking on Google!
Even better, after you have mastered the back office add the Elementor plugin. You will then have the best platform and the best website builder software available online.
To take it a step further, use the Astra theme (when possible install the Astra Pro plugin) and you will have the best self-hosted website builder combination to grow your business.
Note: Though there are free website builders to choose from online. None are recommended for a business website. The functionality is limited and advertising is usually required by the host to pay for the service.
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