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<a href="https://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix</a>, one of the industry's leading website builders, announced its first-ever developer conference, <a href="https://www.wixdevcon.com/" target="_blank">Wix DevCon 2022</a> – which will take place September 7 - 8 in New York City.
Wix DevCon will present a unique opportunity for the broad developer community to learn about the company's growth as a cutting-edge developer platform and ecosystem. The two-day event will consist of talks from a range of Wix experts and leadership, including CEO Avishai Abrahami.
Attendees will also hear from Yoav Abrahami, Head of Code and Chief Architect for Velo – Wix's full-stack development platform that empowers users to build, manage, and deploy professional web apps rapidly.
According to Wix, DevCon will enable attendees to learn and exchange ideas, elevating and extending their development skills by exploring the newest Wix developer-centric products, tools, and technologies. 
And the icing on the cake: event attendees will also be the first to hear about new Wix product announcements.
“Wix DevCon 2022 will bring our community of developers together for a unique insight into how Wix tools were created, how to get the most out of them, and offer the community a chance to interact and learn from one another,” said Abrahami. “An immersive, differentiated, and exclusive experience, attendees will have unparalleled access to the heart of development at Wix, enabling them to confidently create the business capabilities they need. Furthermore, at the event, we’ll unveil an exciting new product innovation that will change the future of web development at Wix.”
<h2>Offering both a no-code website builder and a full-stack development platform</h2>
Wix – which is best known for its incredibly popular drag-and-drop website builder – has become a go-to platform for artists, freelancers, and small business owners looking to establish brands online without the hassle of coding and complexity. 
While it competes with well-known brands like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/squarespace-a-diy-website-builder-1/">Squarespace</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/duda-snaps-up-snipcart-to-boost-e-commerce-capabilities-qa-with-ceo-itai-sadan/">Duda</a>, and <a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a>, Wix has carved out a competitive advantage with its array of rich templates, its progressive <a href="https://www.wix.com/blog/2016/06/wix-artificial-design-intelligence/" target="_blank">Wix ADI</a> (Artificial Design Intelligence), and solid user support. 
Two years ago, Wix introduced <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/wix-introduces-editor-x-offers-designers-advanced-tools-for-building-custom-websites/">Editor X</a>, its new drag-and-drop web builder for web designers and digital agencies that are seeking to push the aesthetic limits without the hassle of coding from scratch. From there, the company continued to enrich its customization features. 
With the introduction of DevCon, Wix seems poised to transform its customer base by attracting more developers to the flock. By providing a more expansive platform that offers both a no-code website builder and a full-stack development platform, Wix is also upping the ante on how "custom" a website or app can be when built with its technology. This means users are no longer limited, regardless of their goals as a small business, agency designer, or advanced developer. 
<h2>How to Attend Wix DevCon 2022</h2>
As mentioned, Wix DevCon bites into the Big Apple in early September. The sessions will include groundbreaking product reveals, live tours through the Wix developer ecosystem, engineering talks, programming workshops, fireside chats from the industry experts, and community showcases of the best websites built on Wix.
Wix DevCon 2022 will be held from September 7 - 8 at <a href="https://lavan541.com/" target="_blank">Lavan541</a> in New York City. Sessions begin at 8:00 AM and last through 4:00 PM (EST). 
Wix DevCon is completely free. However, space is limited, so the company recommends registering early to ensure your spot. If you can't make it to NYC, no worries – you can see the entire program virtually via the event website.
For tickets, session schedules, speaker lineups, and more, visit Wix's beautiful DevCon website at <a href="https://www.wixdevcon.com/" target="_blank">www.wixdevcon.com</a>
<h2>About Wix</h2>
Wix is a leading platform to create, manage and grow a digital presence. What began as a website builder in 2006 is now a complete platform providing users with enterprise-grade performance, security and a reliable infrastructure. Offering a wide range of commerce and business solutions, advanced SEO and marketing tools, Wix enables users to have full ownership of their brand, their data and their relationships with their customers. With a focus on continuous innovation and delivery of new features and products, anyone can build a powerful digital presence to fulfill their dreams on Wix.

Wix to Host First-Ever Developers Conference, Wix DevCon 2022

paris-tuzun

Well, 2021 is almost at an end. The holidays are upon us, and merrymaking is in full swing (at least as far as Omicron will let us swing). Before we wrap things up and officially start the festivities, there's one last piece of business to attend to...
NOMINATIONS!
That's right: it's time to kick off our annual CMS Critic Awards – and it all starts with our 2021 People's Choice Nominations! Starting today, you can submit your favorite platform in a variety of categories such as Best DXP, Best Headless CMS, and more. Based on your input, we choose the top three contenders in each category – and let you vote for the best of the best. 
The 2021 People's Choice Nominations will be open until January 15th, 2022. Once we've tallied your submissions, we'll open voting on the top three platforms in each category.
Here's some exciting news: this year, we've added Best Composable System and Best Headless Commerce Platform to the nomination list. We covered the rise of both categories throughout the year – now you can tell us which platforms are doing it best!
To learn more about the CMS Critic Awards, keep reading. Ready to submit your nominations? <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/2021-cms-critic-awards-nominations/">Click here!</a>
<h2>What are the CMS Critic Awards?</h2>
OK... so maybe our program is a little less visible than the Oscars, but it fills an important gap in our industry by celebrating the contributions of CMS, DXP, and the related ecosystem of vendors.
Since 2012, the CMS Critic Awards have been something of an institution. Not only do they give our panel of thought leaders an opportunity to "chime in" on the general direction of the industry, but they also give individuals a chance to vote for their favorite platform. It's a fun way to engage with our communities and create more visibility around the importance of this technology sector.
To provide a fair shot to all vendors, we offer two unique programs:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/12/criticschoice_logo-1024x173.jpg" alt="CMS Critic's Choice Awards Logo" />
Critic's Choice Awards
Hand-selected by our CMS Critic editorial staff, vendors receive the coveted Critic's Choice Award for each category based on our internal research and criteria.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/12/peoplechoice_logo-1024x173.jpg" alt="CMS People's Choice Awards Logo" />
People’s Choice Awards 
As previously mentioned, these community-based awards are designed to engage with readers through an open forum. The top three vendors with the most nominations will be featured on our website for voting, and the platform with the most votes in each category is declared the winner. The rules are simple, and focus on fairness and integrity: participants may nominate or vote only once, and companies that offer incentives of any kind will be disqualified.
<h2>2021 People's Choice categories for nominations</h2>
This year's categories include:
<ul>
<li>Best Enterprise CMS</li>
<li>Best DXP</li>
<li>Best Free CMS</li>
<li>Best Flat File CMS</li>
<li>Best Open Source CMS</li>
<li>Best ECM (Enterprise Content Management)</li>
<li>Best E-Commerce Solution</li>
<li>Best Headless CMS</li>
<li>Best Headless Commerce Platform</li>
<li>Best Website Builder</li>
<li>Best Static Site Generator</li>
<li>Best Composable System</li>
</ul>
Both the Critic's Choice and People's Choice Award results will be announced at the same time in mid to late February of 2022.
<h2>Submit your nominations!</h2>
Go on... tell us what platforms you love! Fill out the form below and submit your nominations. You can only vote once and a valid email address is required with each entry. Companies that offer incentives of any kind will be disqualified.
We can't wait to see your nominations. Cheers – and happy holidays!

Submit Your Nominations for the CMS Critic 2021 People's Choice Awards

cms-critic-staff

CMS Critic 2021 People's Choice Award logo

In the ever-expanding realm of CMS and DXP platforms, the category of “website builder” has long been an enigma. It’s not uncommon to have our readers ask us: how do I actually "create" a website using this tool?
And that’s the rub: content management systems have traditionally been designed to "manage content," while DXPs have evolved the stack by expanding the layers of data and optimization. But building an actual website? That’s another story. Or stories, to be more accurate.
Let’s provide a quick backdrop: with traditional CMS platforms, creating a website has often been a labor of technical love. In most cases, it requires the implementation of responsive HTML templates into a system by a trained developer or system integrator. While this model has given designers and coders greater control over the experience layer – and enabled content creators to preview rendered pages – it also comes with a much steeper learning curve and cost.
The rise of headless CMS has also changed the calculus. In this new omnichannel world, websites have become another endpoint in the experience landscape. This has shifted the thinking for marketers as they embrace new ways of distributing content and engaging with audiences via <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/" target="_blank">JAMstack</a> libraries, custom apps, and other form factors.
Still, for many SMBs, a website is the center of their digital strategy. And with more demand at a do-it-yourself level, website building platforms have grown in popularity, giving way to more effective low-code/no-code tools with a myriad of drag-and-drop features. This includes purpose-built platforms like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/squarespace-a-diy-website-builder-1/" target="_blank">Squarespace</a> but has now grown to include hosting ecosystems like <a href="https://www.godaddy.com/websites/website-builder" target="_blank">GoDaddy</a> and marketing automation services like <a href="https://mailchimp.com/features/website-builder/" target="_blank">MailChimp</a>.
But if you’re a designer or an agency that’s focused on delivering a high-caliber customer experience – particularly in the bursting e-commerce sector – many do-it-yourself builder tools conjure a single word: compromise.
That’s where <a href="https://www.duda.co/" target="_blank">Duda</a> has been expanding their niche as a best-of-breed professional web building platform. Their unique solution continues to gain ground with digital agencies and SaaS companies as the demand for digital commerce solutions grows exponentially.
Recently, the company announced that it has acquired <a href="https://snipcart.com/" target="_blank">Snipcart</a>, an e-commerce solution that lets businesses add a shopping cart to any website. The acquisition news comes hot on the heels of a successful round of $50M in Series D Funding, bringing Duda’s total funding to $100M thus far.
<h2>What is Duda? </h2>
Let's start with the basics: Duda is a platform that allows designers and agencies to rapidly create websites at scale with tools that automate the entire site-building process.
One of Duda’s key attributes is that it enables web professionals to achieve pixel-perfect designs without touching code. This has long been a challenge for nearly every website builder, but Duda seems to have to married simplicity with flexibility – allowing designers granular control to customize around their unique brand requirements. This reduces the headaches that many open source platforms like <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gutenberg-2-years-later-is-wordpress-better-off/" target="_blank">WordPress</a> or enterprise CMSes create for web designers that want to focus on the experience and not the code.
Duda also provides a robust set of pre-built themes and templates that are free of charge, as well as a drag-and-drop builder that accelerates the design process. They also feature a library of widgets, as well as a nifty <a href="https://www.duda.co/developers/widget-builder?_ga=2.61014890.730348107.1631540715-a422507c-3bf0-4b7b-ad7f-09f0a73ade15" target="_blank">widget builder</a> for coding your own functionality.
Duda claims to outperform other industry-leading tools by ensuring every site built on its platform ranks high on critical SEO factors. They also suggest that their platform can reduce the average website build time by 50% to 75% – which can be a huge advantage to businesses that need to pivot quickly.
<h2>Leveraging Snipcart’s e-Commerce capabilities for digital transformation</h2>
It’s impossible to ignore the<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-covid-19-has-pushed-companies-over-the-technology-tipping-point-and-transformed-business-forever" target="_blank"> impact of the Covid-19 pandemic</a> on consumer habits. As people turned to digital and contactless solutions over the last 18 months, e-commerce has exploded – and the market is <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/379046/worldwide-retail-e-commerce-sales/" target="_blank">forecast</a> to grow by 50% to an estimated $6.3 trillion by 2024.
According to Duda, the company has already seen a whopping 265% year-over-year increase in e-commerce sites built on its platform. This was the impetus for the Snipcart acquisition, which will enable the company to further accelerate its growth by providing customers with a flexible e-commerce solution that can make any data or inventory they have shoppable.
Snipcart’s dynamic team of experienced developers, marketers, and managers has built a state-of-the-art e-commerce platform used by thousands of customers worldwide. Their focus on flexibility and modern e-commerce store design is very much aligned with Duda’s product vision of providing its customers with beautiful and modular e-commerce solutions.
<h2>Q&amp;A with Itai Sadan, Duda CEO and Co-Founder</h2>
CMS Critic had a chance to connect with Duda’s CEO and co-founder, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/itaisadan/" target="_blank">Itai Sadan</a>. We discussed the Snipcart acquisition, how e-Commerce is changing the landscape, and what Duda is planning next.
<hr />
CMS Critic (CC): It’s clear that digital agencies are a key focus for Duda. What other partner channels or vertical industries are emerging as opportunities? Is the enterprise becoming more of a target?
Itai Sadan (IS): Aside from digital agencies that have always been our focus, Duda has also been focused in the last two years on vertical SaaS platforms. These are typically SaaS solutions that serve a very specific industry (e.g. healthcare, professional services, real-estate) and want to expand into offering websites to their customers.
Duda has a very unique offering for this category as our website builder can be seamlessly embedded into their platform allowing them to automatically generate websites with their customers’ pre-populated data, giving their customers an amazing head start on their site builds and ensuring data is always in sync.
CC: What do Duda’s ideal SaaS customers look like? What in particular attracts them to Duda?
IS: Duda’s typical SaaS customer is a back-office platform that SMBs use to manage their business. Many times it could be a CRM, ERP, or a marketing platform for a certain industry vertical.
The moment these SaaS platforms want to help their customers acquire more clients, they need to provide some form of web presence to capture leads. Often these SaaS platforms have widgets that live on a website – such as a bookings engine or a form. Through integration with Duda they can have these widgets pre-installed on the websites, providing their customers with a hassle-free experience.
The great thing about Duda is that it is simple enough to be used by a business person via our simple drag and drop interface, and it is also a very powerful tool for developers who can make use of our API and add CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to our sites.
Our customers also know that Duda has their back in terms of ensuring our websites are highly converting and have great SEO. Duda handles all of the ongoing Google Core Web Vitals, AMP, and PageSpeed optimizations so that their clients will have a revenue-generating website that will perform well.
Lastly, I think what our partners really like is that Duda makes it very clear that we’re not in competition with them. Our go-to-market is always through channels; we are completely white-label and will never reach out directly to their customers. There is a certain trust and confidence that comes with that where these SaaS platforms know that they are our customers and we are 100% dedicated to seeing them succeed. Our Support and Account Management teams have received <a href="https://blog.duda.co/duda-honored-as-gold-stevie-winner-in-the-15th-annual-stevie-awards-for-sales-customer-service" target="_blank">multiple awards</a> and have been heralded as one of the key reasons customers choose us.
CC: There’s no question that eCommerce is exploding, particularly with the pandemic driving more digital adoption and transformation. What has been the most important feature or capability in Duda’s current e-commerce toolbox that has given it an edge? 
IS: One of Duda’s current e-commerce solution strengths is that users can set up their store once to easily sync and sell across their website, social media (Instagram, Facebook) and  marketplaces (eBay, Amazon).
The existing e-commerce solution has a strong and loyal following, used by many of Duda’s customers to add website buying experiences and will stay in place for customers that prefer to keep using it. In addition, Duda will continue to support it and expand on its capabilities.”
CC: How quickly will Snipcart’s capabilities be woven into Duda’s offerings? 
IS: The Snipcart and Duda team are deeply focused on the integration. We believe the first phase of the integration will be released in early 2022. Initially, it will be offered to customers building new e-commerce sites.
CC: Compliance and governance are becoming pinnacle concerns for digital businesses – particularly those transacting with e-commerce. How is Duda approaching issues like data privacy, ransomware, etc.?
IS: As a SaaS provider with hundreds of thousands of customers and users from around the world, Duda cares deeply about the privacy and security of the data owned by its customers and users, and takes it very seriously. Regarding privacy - Duda has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) and developed and maintains a set of internal policies, guidelines, and procedures to make sure personal data is being stored and processed in accordance with data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA.
We also have an Information Security Program which was developed by the Head of Cybersecurity security at Duda. The program aims to manage and reduce the risks to Duda’s data assets via an interactive process of business assessment, asset mapping, identification of vulnerabilities, potential threats, and the implantation of mitigating measures (i.e controls).
The controls we implement include information security awareness, developing required policies and processes, and the usage of technical measures. In an external audit that was handled in May 2021, we received very high scores both in Information Security and Business Continuity. Duda believes that Information Security is a fundamental requirement for business growth, and makes significant investments to improve the overall security posture each year.
Ransomware has become quite a popular threat recently, this is only one of the cyber threats Duda is dealing with on a daily basis. We use a large set of security controls to mitigate such risks, which include but are not limited to, security awareness among employees, email filtering and protection, identity management and access control, network segmentation, WAF and Firewalls, backups, as well as many others.”
CC: Some competitive platforms in your space are offering native app builders or API integrations to expand their omnichannel capabilities. How is Duda positioning against these offerings – and what’s on the horizon that we can share with our readers?
IS: We don’t have any plans to develop a native app offering. We think that most SMBs will do well with a website as the main way consumers are finding them is through a Google search or social media platforms that drive visitors to a website. We think the barrier to get an app installed is prohibitive for most SMBs and they will not see the ROI of building an app (for more detail see my <a href="https://blog.duda.co/how-the-web-was-won-apps-websites-the-birth-of-pwas" target="_blank">blog post</a> about this topic).
[On the horizon] we are investing in other areas that can help agencies. First, we always invest in our core platform. Web design is constantly evolving and we want to make sure our website builder always stays at the forefront of technology. We recently released <a href="https://flex.duda.co/" target="_blank">DudaFlex</a>, a way to build pixel-perfect sites in a very flexible way without needing to code. We are releasing a new membership feature that is in high demand and coming out in Q4 with a client billing solution that would allow agencies to seamlessly invoice and collect payments from their clients.
<h2>What’s next for Duda and Snipcart</h2>
Duda and Snipcart have already started working on their integration, which, as noted, is expected to be released in early 2022.
Along with Snipcart, Duda will continue to offer its existing e-commerce solution, which has a strong and loyal following amongst current users. They plan to support and expand these existing capabilities as well.
Duda also plans to invest heavily in growing the Snipcart team and adding more features to the core Snipcart platform. Additionally, Snipcart will continue to offer its product independently to customers, allowing Duda to grow their investment on multiple fronts.

Duda Snaps Up Snipcart to Boost e-Commerce Capabilities: Q&A with CEO Itai Sadan

Duda and Snipcart logos with image of CEO Isai Sadan

Unless you're living under a pop culture rock, you've probably heard the phrase "there's an app for that."
Statements like this can often be hyperbolic. But in this case, it's on the money: <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/276623/number-of-apps-available-in-leading-app-stores/" target="_blank">according to Statista</a>, there are 2.2 million apps available in the Apple App Store – and 3.57 Million in the Google Play store. That's a whole lotta apps.
The app revolution makes sense when you consider that most great ideas are born out of necessity. What's amazing is how the marketplace has enabled ordinary people with no tech or development background to access apps as a solution to their problems – like knowing which wine to pair with your salmon. Ask Vivino: they now have <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vivino-buy-the-right-wine/id414461255" target="_blank">over 50 million users worldwide.</a>
OK, so maybe wine isn't your thing. But let's say you're at your favorite craft beer pub and inspiration strikes. You grab a cocktail napkin and start mapping out a new app and how it will change your business. But now what? If you don't have the technical skills, outsourcing an app can be an expensive and risky endeavor. According to Utility, more advanced, multi-function and gaming apps <a href="https://utilitynyc.com/blog/app-development-cost#:~:text=Basic%20database%20apps%20cost%20between,based%20on%20quality%20and%20detail." target="_blank">can cost between $150,000 - $250,000</a> or more based on quality and detail.
It's easy to get overwhelmed by these numbers. And if you're going big, it's always best to think about how an app can be sustained or even monetized. It's for this reason that <a href="https://www.fyresite.com/how-many-apps-fail/" target="_blank">many people believe that 99% of apps fail</a> - but that doesn't reflect branded apps that reinforce your core business. 
So what if you just need a branded app? Not necessarily a suped-up AR-powered megalith, but a customized experience that allows you to enrich your users through a mobile channel with hundreds of different business solutions?
Well, it looks like <a href="https://www.wix.com/app-builder" target="_blank">Wix</a> might have cracked that code – with no code at all. The popular website building platform recently announced a new product for business owners called <a href="https://www.wix.com/app-builder" target="_blank">Branded App by Wix</a>, which allows users to create native apps for the iOS and Android stores without any complex development.
Wix – which is best known for its slick drag-and-drop website builder and CMS – has become a go-to platform for artists, freelancers, and small business owners looking to establish brands online without the hassle of coding and complexity. Now, the platform is expanding its user-friendly approach by making it possible for anyone to get into the app game without learning any code or relying on expensive, third-party development sources. 
Branded App by Wix will offer users a simple experience for customizing their apps, starting with their logo – which will appear in the major app stores alongside other leading apps. This alone can provide a significant branding boost to any business.
The app builder also allows what Wix describes as "total creative freedom" to design an app icon and customize the layout and general look and feel of the app UI, and enhance it with access to hundreds of features including eCommerce storefronts and forums.
One of the most challenging (and overlooked) costs of an app is management and maintenance, particularly when dealing with the native app stores themselves. Wix alleviates this by enabling automatic updates, ensuring that your app is constantly working with the latest versions of the iOS and Android stores – and that your data is always being synced.
"Building my own app with Branded App by Wix has been a total gamechanger for my business," said Wix user Benji Beasts, Founder and Fitness Trainer at Core Attack Fitness Club. "I had to have an app that I could customize to achieve the exact look, feel and service my members experience when they walk through my doors. Members use the app every day—whether it's to book sessions, buy merchandise or even stream sessions on demand. The most amazing thing about this app, especially for the time we are living in, is the place it provides for customers to connect with me and other members, creating a community experience that keeps them motivated and coming back for more. No need for a background in coding, just my passion and my brand."
While it's a far cry from a complex app like Vivino, don't cry over any spilled wine: Branded App by Wix is another signal that the app marketplace is becoming more accessible and cost-effective to a wider range of businesses – particularly in the do-it-yourself range. Right out of the gate, the experience is offering some fairly decent design capabilities, and Wix plans to push new features that offer extended customization and navigation in the coming months.
"This release is another step in our native mobile app strategy making sure users can create custom iOS and Android apps as easily as they create custom websites," said Ronny Elkayam, SVP of Mobile, App Market &amp; Strategic Products at Wix. "The Branded App is a major addition to the Wix offering, enabling business owners to have another medium to activate their brand. We are happy to equip any type of business owner or service provider with the native mobile experience they need to enhance their customers' experience, grow their businesses, and ultimately compete with today's biggest brands."
The Branded App unlimited is currently being offered at <a href="https://www.wix.com/app-builder" target="_blank">50% off</a> its original price – making it just $100 a month (paid annually). Note that the current plan doesn't include the registration fee for Apple's App Store (from $99 a year) and Google Play ($25 one-time fee), or any additional fees that Google or Apple may apply.
Even so, at this price point, you might want to pop a cork and start toasting to your new branded app.
<h2>About Wix</h2>
<a href="https://www.wix.com/" target="_blank">Wix</a> is leading the way with a cloud-based website development platform for over 200 million registered users worldwide today. The Wix website builder was founded on the belief that the Internet should be accessible to everyone to develop, create and contribute. Through free and premium subscriptions, Wix empowers millions of businesses, organizations, artists, and individuals to take their businesses, brands and workflow online. The Wix Editor, Wix ADI, Editor X, a curated App Market, Ascend by Wix and Velo by Wix enable users to build and manage a fully integrated and dynamic digital presence. Wix's headquarters are in Tel Aviv with offices in Austin, Be'er Sheva, Berlin, Cedar Rapids, Denver, Dnipro, Dublin, Kyiv, Kraków, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, São Paulo, Tokyo and Vilnius.

Wix Launches New Branded App Builder for Creating Code-Free Native Mobile Apps

<a href="https://elementor.com/?ref=7501" target="_blank">Elementor</a> today announced that over three million sites have been built using its platform. The platform reduces the need for web creators to code with its cutting-edge platform on WordPress. Elementor serves a rapidly growing customer base of web professionals including builders, designers, and marketers in 147 markets, and boasts a new website created every 10 seconds on its platform.
Elementor's open-source platform offers both a feature-rich free version for aspiring web creators and a premium version for web professionals – combined, they currently support over 1 million users. Elementor is the fastest growing platform on WordPress, which now powers over 30% of all websites worldwide. As both WordPress and Elementor continue to grow, those numbers are rapidly increasing.
Founded by Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein, Elementor aims to radically simplify web building on WordPress, enabling web professionals and agencies to unleash their creative and business potential. Elementor's 50,000 strong, vibrant community and educational programs have been its primary growth engines. The platform currently ranks 9th on WordPress.org's most popular plugins, rating highest among website editor platforms.
Recognizing its central role in the WordPress community and its exponential growth, Elementor will become for the first time a Platinum sponsor in US WordCamp, the world’s biggest WordPress conference to be held in St. Louis, Missouri on November 1st.
“Web professionals want to build flexible, customizable websites that convert and look amazing,” said Yoni Luksenberg, Elementor's Co-Founder and CEO, “I’m proud we facilitated the creation of over three million sites in just three years. As a designer at heart, I'm extremely excited by the engagement level of pros all over the world that use us as their number one platform of choice. We will continue to empower our growing global community of web creators by developing more innovative tools and solutions that will help them unleash their business potential.”
For more information visit <a href="https://elementor.com/?ref=7501" target="_blank">elementor.com</a>

Elementor Hits 3 Million Sites, Becomes Fastest-Growing Web Building Platform

mike-johnston

Photography websites are all about the pictures. If you are creating a website for your photography business, you need a CMS or Website Builder that lets you make huge galleries and amp up your graphics potential. Your CMS should make it incredibly easy to upload photos and prominently display them. We've done a roundup of the best photography website builders and listed them for you. If you're a hobby photographer or know a photographer who is wanting to break into the business, a killer website is the way to start so read on.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/website-builders-for-photography-websites_vxog7q.jpg" alt="website builders for photography websites" />
<h2>Website Builders for Photography Websites</h2>
<h2><a href="https://format.grsm.io/mike-17" target="_blank">Format</a></h2>
Every photographer needs a portfolio. Format is focused on delivering high-quality photography portfolios. These are portfolios that go way beyond the average, allowing for endless customization and more options than you could possibly exhaust in a lifetime of photography. Many of the themes are dynamic, and all of them feature vivid photo prominence. The editor side of Format is a blissfully easy drag-and-drop experience. For its pro-level service, the prices aren't too bad, either ($6.99 – 24.99/mo).
Note: You can get 10% off your annual subscription by using the code CMSCRITIC
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot_2015-07-08_at_12_11_54_pm620x0-is.png" />
<h2><a href="https://www.pixpa.com/" target="_blank">Pixpa</a></h2>
Our top choice for photographers is Pixpa –  an online platform that lets you easily create and manage your professional portfolio website, client galleries, e-commerce store and blog – all in one place. Pixpa's all-in-one platform requires no coding knowledge and saves time and money for photographers by enabling them to manage their complete online presence through one platform.
Whether it’s a portfolio website, an e-commerce store or a blog, it's easy to build a professional website on Pixpa using its beautiful, customizable themes that help you get off to a fast start. Pixpa includes all the features you need to showcase, share and sell online with ease and style. You can get started for free and then choose from their affordable pricing plans that start at just $5/month.
<h2><a href="https://en.zenfolio.com/" target="_blank">Zenfolio</a></h2>
Your complete portfolio and online client proofing website is ready as soon as you open an account. There is no coding necessary to create a beautiful website with plenty of design options and customizations in just a few clicks. Impress your friends and clients with your gorgeous, professional website. The homepage is the first page your viewers see, so make it unforgettable with professionally designed layouts. Include a navigation menu, welcome message, your logo, photo thumbnails or music to make your website personal. Everything is customizable, so you can create a website just as unique as your photography.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/preset02-lg620x0-is.jpg" />
<h2><a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a></h2>
<a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> is a great option if you are looking for a way to showcase your work. Check out our if you want to learn more about it. Not only does it let you design beautiful sites with no code required, it's easy to use and elegant. We think it's a great option and highly recommend you check it out. Here is an example of a beautiful photography website built on <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a>:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/4926520_orig620x0.png" alt="top 8 cms for photographers - weebly" />
<h2><a href="http://wordpress.org/" target="_blank">WordPress</a></h2>
WordPress, the world's most widely-used CMS, is also a top choice for photographers. It's easy to build an <a href="http://www.ashlynmae.com/">impressive photography site</a> that requires just a bit of web savvy. Right out of the box, it's easy to add galleries into a WordPress site, but it works best when paired with plugins and the right template. As far as photo plugins go, you might have a hard time paring down the list of thousands to one that works for you.
If you choose to go with WordPress or something similar and need a great web host, I recommend GoDaddy whom I've personally used for projects such as this. They offer great support at an affordable price. <a href="/godaddy">Click here to sign up</a>
We suggest that you check out the following plugins and/or themes:
<ul>
<li>Envato sells hundreds of beautiful photography themes for WordPress: <a href="https://envato.com/">Check them out.</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/nextgen-gallery/" target="_blank">NextGEN Gallery</a> (plugin)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.photocrati.com/651.html">Photocrati</a> (theme)</li>
<li>Enigma (theme)</li>
</ul>
 
<h2><a href="http://mbsy.co/photoshelter/cmscritic" target="_blank">PhotoShelter</a></h2>
Another photo-specific CMS is PhotoShelter, a wildly popular website creator. It has a cult following of photographers, with good reason. There are ten templates with layout options for each template. Each template delivers a stunning photo-centric appearance. Some of the icing on the PhotoShelter cake is unique features like automatic fulfillment from printers (only two printers available) and their powerful ecommerce tools. If you're looking for a site with strong conversion funnel for photo sales, PhotoShelter is the way to go. (Ducati not included.)
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/top_8_cms_for_photographers620x0-is.jpg" />
<h2><a href="http://koken.me/">Koken</a></h2>
Koken is cool. Part of what makes a photo-CMS helpful is online image management. There's no shortage of online storage platforms, but a storage site + CMS designed for photographers is especially handy. Koken's desktop-like interface makes it easy to upload and manage both images and videos. The CMS also allows you to add content from Flickr, Instagram, Vimeo, SoundCloud, and Twitter. Koken also has a publish services plugin for Lightroom. Koken works best for the serious photographer who isn't afraid of technology. You can even customize your own CSS. As it is by itself, Koken is a strong contender for gaining the loyal clientele of the most demanding photographers, designers, and other creatives.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/koken-620x361.png" alt="CMS for Photographers" />
The ultimate qualification for a top-notch photographer is the photography itself, not the website. Still, in today's world, you've got to have a quality website. These photography CMSs are the way to get you the website you need.
<h2><a href="https://clickbooq.com/" target="_blank">Clickbooq</a></h2>
clickbooq was created by an award-winning interactive design firm, whose founding partners have gained invaluable experience working with some of the largest and best known advertising and interactive agencies in the world. It features an easy to use editor, tons of features, beautiful themes and a reasonable price tag ($8 – 24 / month).
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/designs.jpg" />
Don't forget that when you go to set up your website, you'll need a reliable web hosting company. We recommend GoDaddy. They are currently offering great discounts to our readers, so be sure to take advantage of the offer before it expires. <a href="https://www.godaddy.com/">Click here to get cheap, reliable hosting from GoDaddy</a>.

Top 8 Website Builders for Photography Websites

Webflow - Build with the power of code

Build with the power of code – without coding

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As religious organisations and churches have grown and evolved, the processes involved in running them have become even more complex. Managing a church now requires a much more comprehensive approach than simply relying upon a church leader to run everything. And this is where <a target="_blank" href="https://sites.faithlife.com/?utm_source=superbwebsitebuilders&amp;utm_medium=partner&amp;utm_content=partner&amp;utm_campaign=sitesreviews">Faithlife Sites</a> comes in. Faithlife Sites wants to take all of the work involved in running a church and make it easier. Let's see how they do it with a Faithlife Sites Review.Using a church CMS, users can create and customize their church websites using a variety of automated tools designed to take the background work out of running a church so that ministers can focus on their community priorities.Let’s look at how and if Faithlife Sites CMS has accomplished this goal.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Many website builders and content management systems make the initial integration part of their service quite difficult to get on board with, but with Faithlife Sites the initial pathway is pretty straightforward. Upon signing up (for free) you’re asked for the usual basic details of name, email and phone number before continuing on to the main dashboard.  <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-05-09-at-15.png" />It’s from the dashboard that the real power of Faithlife Sites as a hub for any and all church needs is revealed. It’s seriously impressive. After you claim your church group, you’re taken to My Faithlife, which is where you can manage all aspects of a church community in one place. The transition from signup to dashboard, to actually getting started with the site design, is intuitive and well laid out.<h2>Design</h2>The website design is clean and easy to navigate. Nothing important is hidden away and there is a clear demarcation between My Faithlife, which is more of an end user part of the site, and the website/community manager sections.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-05-09-at-15-1691093724549.png" />The themes available for the site CMS are limited and there are only six in total, but they are perfectly suited for the needs of this target audience. There is also a selection of stock images that are free to use in the website builder itself.<h2>Usability and Support</h2>The support on Faithlife Sites is outstanding. They have an extensive help section which covers almost every part of the site and they are contactable via phone, email, and web chat via their help portal. There are also dozens of informative videos to talk through almost any query you could have.The usability of the site is a key part of the appeal of this CMS and you can tell that they’ve invested a lot of time researching their target demographic. Nothing in the site – from the initial sign-up and community management section, to the website builder – seems out of reach to even the most technophobic end user. The design of the site helps enormously, as it is clean, well-labelled and intuitive to the point of basic. This is a good thing, though, and I found myself getting up to speed with their system very quickly.<h2>Key Features</h2>The excellent website builder is the key selling point here. Some content management systems make website building and structuring seem like a labyrinthian process, but Faithlife Sites makes it incredibly easy. All of the pages are laid out on the side of the window in simple layers. Want to edit the home page? Just click on the home tab. Want to edit sermons or your about page? Just click on that page and then click on the piece you want to edit.The process of building a site using this CMS is incredibly simple and could be quickly picked up by almost anyone, in my opinion. The design aspects of the pages are limited but easily customisable in an intuitive way. You can also view your prospective site as it appears on a desktop screen, mobile, and pad. This is a small thing but it adds a lot of value.The community management software in Faithlife Sites is also incredibly powerful. With a minimal amount of work, you can start building an online church community that has a forum, combined calendar, group chat, and bulletin boards in easy reach that are easily controlled by a team of admins.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bulletins_gofy9g.png" />There is also an excellent structure in place for taking and processing online donations that will be extremely useful to any church group. This is easily navigated and seems reliable.<h2>Pricing</h2>Faithlife Sites pricing is scaled depending on the size of your congregation. You can set up a basic site free of charge and premium packages start from $16.67 a month (when paid annually).All packages allow users to collaborate online with unlimited team accounts, run different presentations in multiple rooms concurrently, build presentations from any computer, anywhere, get over 5,000 free church graphics, and interact with the congregation by sending alerts directly to their phones, among other features.Higher value packages include free stock imagery, pro Media library, over 16,000 motions, stills, and mini-movies from Graceway, Church Motion Graphics, Dan Stevers, FreeBridge, Igniter, and Playback.This is a competitive pricing structure that incentivizes users to get a custom domain for their church rather than sticking with the basic free package that uses a subdomain structure.<h2>Pros</h2><ul><li>Incredibly easy to use</li><li>Vast support system to help almost anyone to complete their website</li><li>Free multimedia for a professional look</li><li>Competitively priced</li><li>Powerful community management dashboard that’s easy to navigate</li></ul><h2>Cons</h2><ul><li>Getting access to the initial page can be a little confusing as you have to find your church group on a map or via search.</li></ul><h2>Final Verdict 4/5</h2>Faithlife Sites is an excellent CMS that is incredibly easy to use and I highly recommend it for any church group that wants to go online. It’s such a powerful and simple CMS that there may even be a market for it outside of the church sphere, if they ever choose to go in that direction.

Faithlife Sites Review

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If someone told you that a nonprofit website is the same as a for-profit website, you know they’d be flat-out wrong. How many regular sites try to convince their visitors to donate, volunteer to a cause, or join to become a member?The fact is that <a href="https://digigiv.org/nonprofit-websites/">nonprofit websites</a> are fundamentally different from for-profit websites. As such, when it comes to building a successful non-profit site that can attract, convert, and retain supports, a different approach is necessary.Enter the world of nonprofit website builders.With regular website builders, you can’t expect the web development process to be a breeze. The typical website builder is more geared towards building a blog, hosting or running an online store, and adding attractive pictures, which are all great, but nonprofits tend to need some more specialized attention and features.Keep in mind that even with a regular website builder that features nonprofit add-ons, taking a closer look will reveal that it will cost you more money and time to set it up. Fortunately, there are a number of website builders specifically designed for nonprofits.With these web builders, you can express your creativity and build a professional nonprofit website that provides an exceptional experience to all of your visitors. Ultimately, the best website builders provide you with everything that your nonprofit website needs to reach a much wider audience and receive more donations and memberships. Whether you’re looking to recruit volunteers, raise awareness, or even fundraise for your non-profit, web builders for nonprofits make the process easy and enjoyable.If you’re in the market for a nonprofit web builder, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’re going to take a closer look at Digigiv – a drag-and-drop website builder.<h3>Digigiv Overview</h3><a href="https://digigiv.org/">Digigiv</a> is a market leader when it comes to helping nonprofit organizations and churches to increase their donations and funding. While they are not a donor management solution, they do have a whole portfolio or tools that places them right in the donor-focused category. They provide organizations with a comprehensive software solution to help them build user-friendly software and experience and also provide education, training, and resources to help skyrocket funding.At first glance, we could tell that Digigiv comes with a tone of different features, including digital marketing tools, payment features, privacy tools, etc. With their website builder, Digigiv promises to let you create a comprehensive nonprofit website easily, all by yourself, regardless of your level of skills in coding and design.Based on our initial look, it seems that users have a lot to gain with the tool. And we are totally confident it's the best solution available. It comes with all compelling features that you can expect from this kind of software solution and many ways to help keep your donor or members engaged with your content.<h3>Who Digigiv is For?</h3>Digigiv is best suited for nonprofits looking to build or increase their web presence. The web builder also serves as a hub for creating web content, blogs, and donation forms and will. It also takes care of the digital materials that you need to promote your cause.We can clearly see it as being useful for nonprofits who want to keep a regular blog and those who intend to use social media to promote their campaigns and events. With that in mind, it’s worth mentioning that Digigiv is not only web solutions but also a complete donor management solution.  There are also a number of reporting tools included in the package, users won’t be able to find detailed information about their constituents, apart from perhaps the browser they are using.<h3>Benefits and Features</h3>The main role of Digigiv is to automate your web design process for your nonprofit and save you money and time so that you can spend it on growing your nonprofit and providing your supporters more value. Here is what you get with Digigiv web editor:<h3>Drag-and-Drop Editor</h3>Digigiv drag &amp; drop editor is specifically built for people with little or no technical know-how, but still, want to build a professional nonprofit website that has a superior user experience. With their editor, you can keep your website up to date and make it look great in just a few clicks.The editor lets you add text, images, video, forms, and social media feeds, by ideally dragging and dropping each element as necessary. Their in-house technology will do its magic behind the scenes to automatically align the forms, content, and images so that everything will look crisp be the time you’re through. The editor also resizes images to ensure better optimization, so that your site is not crippled by slow load times.<h3>In-depth Customizations</h3>All the website designs provided in the app are 100% customizable. As such, you can customize your designs with little effort to meet your design and organization requirements, usually in a matter of minutes. You can also update the fonts, titles, etc. at the click of a button. The app also lets you customize your videos and images with no coding or design skills.<h3>Fully Responsive Designs</h3>Every website you design using the Digigiv platform is 100% responsive, meaning that they will look amazing regardless of the device. Keep in mind that in today’s marketplace, mobile-friendly web design is a requirement, not a luxury. Over 60% of web traffic today comes from a mobile device, and the number is only set to increase in the coming year. Digigiv is aware of this and goes out of their way to ensure their clients build a mobile-friendly website by default.<h3>SEO Ready sites</h3>Along with mobile-friendliness, websites created with the Digigiv software integrate the latest SEO best practices. As such, your new website will be ready to rank high in the search engines by default. You can also use their built-in search engine optimization panel in the editor to customize your title tags, ALT tags, page titles, and so much more.<h3>No Need for Server Configuration</h3>To make the design process as easy as possible for the new users, Digigiv manages all things related to the server side. This means that even the person with the least coding skills can build their site and have it running in no time. You don’t have to worry about the common backend problems and frustrations that newbie designers often face, or have to spend hours on support calls trying to get things up and running.<h3>Free Templates</h3>It’s generally rather intuitive to get started with Digigiv, and once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself making use of even more features, modules, elements, and widgets within their editor that actually make the customization process a breeze.And even if you prefer to do minimal work, you’ll be happy to know that they also provide awesome ready-made nonprofit website templates &amp; design, and all you have to do is pick your favorite template and just customize it to your liking… or they'll do it for you. These templates are designed for churches, community groups, international nonprofits, associations, and environmental organizations.From there, you can customize the logo, color scheme, typeface, along with other identifiers in order to make the design your own. And as you drag and drop modules, widgets, and elements onto the page to achieve your desired functionality, you’ll be able to see the changes you’ve made in real time. With this, you don’t have to make page updates blindly on the back end before you see how they appear in real life.<h3>Premium Functionality</h3>Digigiv really stands out from the crowd in that they strike a good balance between ease of use and premium functionality. Considering that your nonprofit website has a lot of things to do including sharing events, processing donations, sharing your vision and mission, etc. Digigiv lets you build a site that checks all of your boxes without sacrificing on user-friendliness.With all these features and benefits, Digigiv hs made sure that you don’t have to hire a web developer or a web designer to manage the site for you. Just about anyone can build and customize a Digigiv website, with no specialized training required.But how much do you pay?<h3>Digigiv Pricing</h3>While Digigiv indeed isn’t free, their $57 package if quite affordable for an up-and-coming nonprofit. And as your organization grows (or if it’s within your budget), you have the option of paying their $100 per page for content migration, formation, &amp; optimization if you went the to handle the heavy lifting for you.<h3>Final Verdict</h3>From the moment we first visited Digigiv’s site, we liked what we saw. And while there are quite few customer reviews about the platform on the web, we think that what their offer is quite compelling and competitive.The monthly pricing is also relatively affordable, and we liked the fact that they give you the option of paying a one-off fee. Additionally, the flexibility of the $100 per page for content migration is fantastic for organizations of any size, with any budget.This price gives you access you an easy-to-use, well-designed web builder, which can help any nonprofit come up with a professional looking website in very little time. Nonetheless, although we do like what they bring to the table, we can’t recommend it as a donor management system.However, if you’re looking for some help building your nonprofit website, then Digigiv is undoubtedly worth the money. The incredible support, easy to use tools, and feature-rich services are impressive.

Digigiv Review

<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cc-sitejet">Sitejet</a> is a comprehensive website builder that combines web design, content management, and project management into one complete platform. The brains behind the operation are a group of friends from Germany who initially developed the product as an in-house tool to support their own web design agency before deciding to launch it to the public in 2018.In this review, we will give you an overview of how Sitejet actually works so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.<h2>Getting Started</h2>Setting up your Sitejet account is a simple process of filling in a few fields with your name, email, and company details. It’s as easy as that. You’ll start off with a 14 day free trial which gives you full access to “try before you buy”.<h2>Usability</h2>As soon as you log into Sitejet you’ll notice that it appears much more advanced than the standard website builder. This indicative of its primary market of designers and agencies.There are an extensive range of customization options available which could be overwhelming for newbies and the WYSIWYG editor uses some technical terms that may initially confuse the less experienced user. However this shouldn’t be an issue for the professional market that Sitejet is targeting.For the web design pros who aren’t interested in the drag-and-drop feature, manual coding is also available with HTML, CSS, or Javascript coding options.It’s also worth noting that new users are presented with a checklist guide to help navigate the website creation process step-by-step, so the learning curve is manageable regardless of your level of experience.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2019-02-11-at-12.png" />Editing the website is pretty intuitive once you get started and everything is very cleanly laid out. When you’ve chosen your template (see next section below), its added to a list in your dashboard where you select the “edit” button to view your site. At this point you can add/replace images and/or text blocks, move elements, change backgrounds, and more, in just one click.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen-shot-2019-02-11-at-13.png" />I did notice one particular issue with usability which was the menu font size. The font is very small and might be difficult to read for some users.<h2>Templates</h2>To begin building your site, you can select a template out of the selection available or choose a blank template to work from. I’ve heard people say that the range of templates isn’t great, but I thought there was a good selection of high quality options. Personally, I’d rather be given the option of 70+ top-notch templates than have to navigate through 1000s of often dubious options on WordPress.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitejet-review---5.png" />If you’re not happy with the selection available or need help with building your own custom site, you can work with one of the Sitejet design team by contacting them directly.<h2>Dashboard</h2>The Sitejet dashboard will take you from start to finish on each of your website design projects. This is an impressive system that facilitates collaboration, project management, and site maintenance all in the same place.You can work with multiple websites at once, manage the status of each project, create a to-do list that checks off each stage of development, and monitor the progress of each project you’re working on.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitejet-review---3.png" /><h2>Collaboration Features</h2>Sitejet makes client management a breeze for web designers. There are three collaboration options available depending on your requirements:Collaborate With Colleagues: This function is allows design teams to work together on projects by leaving notes for each other, etc. without the need for individual logins.Collaborate With Customers: With this function, customers can follow your workflow through each stage and leave project feedback as needed during construction.Customer Self-Service Portal: Using the self-service portal, designers can hand the website off to the client whilst retaining control of the account and limiting any potential damage by restricting the access the client has to site elements.<h2>Customer Support</h2>The customer support available to users is better than I’ve seen in many other website builders. The Sitejet support system includes a wide range of tutorials (including video), a comprehensive FAQ section, and a step-by-step onboarding system. The support team is also on hand 24/7 on live chat.<h2>Pricing</h2>There are three plans to choose from after your 14 day free trial has ended: Professional, Team, and Agency.Professional: Manage 1 website with free hosting and an automatic website generator. $5 p/mTeam: White label tools, all professional features, and multi-user permissions for up to 3 users. $19 p/mAgency: White label tools, all professional features, multi-user permissions for up to 10 users, and an additional website export option. $89 p/mThe Professional plan is a good starting point but you’ll need to upgrade to the Team or Agency plan if you want to avail of the collaborative features available.<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitejet-review---4.png" /><h2>The Final Verdict</h2>Score: 4/5<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cc-sitejet">Sitejet</a> is a refreshing alternative to WordPress and an excellent tool for any designer or agency to have in their kit. The interface is clearly designed with its target market in mind and offers powerful customization tools that really set it apart from the rest. The high quality templates also demonstrate that this product was developed by designers for designers.Sure, there’s a bit of a learning curve in comparison to less comprehensive website builders on the market. But this is more than just a website builder. It’s a CMS, website builder, and project management system combined. So the extra bit of time it takes to get used to navigating the platform is definitely worth it.I highly recommend <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cc-sitejet">checking out Sitejet</a> if you’re in the web design game. Have you tried it out yet? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sitejet Review - A Website Builder for Designers

Design agencies are in high demand, as just about everyone needs to maximize their digital footprints these days. But not everyone possesses the technical skills or composition know-how to create a visually stunning, intuitive, and search-visible site. This is where agencies come into play.
Fortunately for agencies and their clients, there are several web design platforms that make the task straightforward, efficient, and even (gasp) a good time.
The right site builder must also give agencies the flexibility to build and scale over time as well. So that limits the playing field.
WordPress is often the first tool that comes to mind. However, this platform can be unnecessarily complex, buggy and expensive. 
What most agencies need is a feature-rich, easy-to-use, powerful yet intuitive platform to work with. Choose one with too few features, and you’ll soon hit growth limitations; too many, and you’ll get dragged down by undue chaos and confusion. So let’s stick to the middle of the road.
To help you separate wheat from chaff, we are going to analyze three of today’s best website creation platforms. Hopefully, this will help you identify the one best suited for your growing agency’s needs.
<h2>Duda</h2>
Like many site creation suites, <a href="https://www.duda.co/">Duda</a> is a platform for creating fully optimized multi-screen websites. <a href="/duda-website-builder">Duda</a> is well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses, as this is their primary audience.
<a href="/duda-website-builder">Duda</a> offers a myriad of beautifully-designed templates, a drag-and-drop interface, eCommerce options, and a plethora of elements for design agencies to work with for budding brands. And using Duda helps streamline site development. As the site puts it, “digital publishers on Duda average more than a 50% drop in website build times.”
This is a bold claim for agencies looking to optimize production and site turnaround times. And Duda has a lot to offer in this realm.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/286281912?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Firstly, Duda’s white label options enable agencies to create a fully immersive, customized experience that screams of professionalism. This includes compelling options for custom login screens, custom color and logo implementation features, and other branding options. Duda also offers user migration and “content injection” options to help migrate existing sites over to its platform. It also features one-of-a-kind templates that can be automatically pre-populated with clients’ business information.
On the communications front, Duda’s white label features provide automatic email generation components that present clients with site stats, analytics, and onboarding instructions for their accounts. Additionally, the content collection form makes it easy to send clients data sheets that include instructions on how they can send exactly what is required to build a stunning website.
What helps makes Duda a premier option for agencies is its rich team collaboration and client management options. Through this builder, users can generate unique dashboards for clients, enabling varying roles and permission levels based on their technical prowess; this includes potential access to publishing and editing permissions, eCommerce enablement, developer access, and more.
<a name="_GoBack"></a> What is particularly outstanding is that Duda supplies agencies with a custom widget builder. This enables brands to not only integrate third-party services, but to build unique, native widgets for clients. This feature can help agencies provide massive customization value to client builds.
And of course, Duda has developer capabilities for HTML/CSS/JavaScript integration, automatic SSL certification (for white label dashboards), and gives a remarkable amount freedom of freedom for SEO optimization.
<h2>Squarespace</h2>
<a href="https://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace</a> is one of the more popular website builders on the market today, and with good reason.
Like Duda, Squarespace features stunning, mobile-responsive templates that are eye-catching and polished. 
This platform gives users various styling options to help customize websites and give them a more branded look. Like the previous platform, Squarespace enables users to tailor their site’s appearance without having to dive into coding languages; this greatly simplifies the processes for designers. Though, if a client requires it, coding can be applied for a more customized destination.
When compared to Duda, however, Squarespace is less intuitive; this can slow things down and cause frustration. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/07/squarespace_zlovtc.png" />
Squarespace is lacking in scalability, and SEO is minimal too. Furthermore, integration features for Google Analytics and Search Console, Facebook retargeting, and other necessary marketing elements are hidden within the platform’s Advanced Settings and need to be added using the Code Injector tool. This isn’t exactly client or novice coder-friendly, but at least these features do exist.
When a brand expands their offerings, clients are likely to request the implementation a variety of third-party apps or extensions to enhance functionality. This is where the platform falls epically short of the mark as new features must be rolled out by Squarespace.
Another drawback for Squarespace is its responsiveness. While the site claims to tout fully responsive designs, the site’s contents can often shift when viewed on mobile devices. This means that users are likely to not have complete control over their sites’ appearance, which can certainly be problematic for agencies, as clients demand certain levels of uniformity and professionalism.
But Squarespace has a solid audience for many legitimate reasons. Functional, beautiful sites can be built in a small fraction of time, and updates, articles, images, videos and blogs are a synch to create and publish. 
The tool makes integration with other platforms like MailChimp, Gmail, Facebook, and oodles more marketing and social interfaces a snap – they know how to play well with others. It’s a very, very good option if ease and speed are your agency’s priorities.
<h2>Wix</h2>
<a href="https://www.wix.com/">Wix</a> is another popular option, but it has its own set of pros and cons too.
This platform boasts over 500 templates done by professional designers, making custom designs a breeze. These come pre-populated with content, meaning that designers merely need to replace the existing assets with their own materials. 
The platform’s drag-and-drop builder makes site assembly a snap. Wix also features a new AI-based system that will automatically create the first draft of a site for its users. 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wix-1024x610.png" />
On the downside, Wix makes switching site designs a significant effort. If you opt for another design later down the road, you will need to re-insert your content all over again. It’s essential to feel certain about a template before diving in. This can be quite problematic for agencies seeking to optimize their efficiency as clients may want to apply a different template later in the process, ultimately creating a massive slow-down in production.
This also doesn’t lend to simplicity when a brand scales and needs to re-format a customer’s offerings. 
Wix is also not all that SEO friendly. This is the single most prevalent issue brought up by Wix users; there are many observations that SEO is not a strong suit, so it requires you have your own SEO expertise to ensure you are not forgotten by Google’s algorithms. Again, this can create significant problems for less technically-inclined clients. 
If you have your own SEO expertise, however, Wix can be a stellar option for newly-minted businesses and those who need a stunning site with intuitive versatility. 
The Verdict
You know what your agency really needs to get a sophisticated and impressive site up and running. Narrow your focus to these three excellent offerings and find the one that fulfills most of your business’s needs. 
Choose the one that will enable your company to turn professional websites around the fastest, and that will allow you to scale with minimal issues.

How to Choose the Best Website Building Platform for Your Agency

If you’re a church leader, you might be familiar with the classic, hair-pulling madness of trying to get a well functioning website working for your church.
There are so many factors to consider! How is it going to look? How will it be laid out?
What information should you even put up there once you have a site? Upcoming events? Audio of your sermons? Videos of your sermons? A live stream of your Sunday service? The possibilities are endless …but so is that headache, right?
If you feel like you just need a hand getting everything done so you can get back to your sermon prep, you’re not alone. There are literally thousands of pastors and church leaders out there looking for a quick and easy way to streamline the online part of their church …while still keeping it relevant.
After all, we practically live online these days, don’t we? After all you probably hopped onto Google and typed in a few search terms to find this post in the first place, right?
And if any potential future congregants are ever going to find your church, chances are higher than ever that they’re going to do so in a very similar way.
Fortunately, there are quite a few church website builders out there that are specifically devoted to supporting church websites with their specific needs.
<h3>Finding a good church website builder</h3>
When searching for a Faith-based CMS provider (that’s basically the shorthand for a website builder) for your church, you’re going to want to look for more than just the tools they offer.
For example, you’re also going to want a provider that can cater to the specific needs of your church with of course the most important need being easily-available support for non technical users.
With that in mind, we’ve gone ahead and organized a list of our top CMS providers that have met three criteria:
<ol>
<li>They’re popular <a href="https://ministrywebsitedesigns.com/">church website builders</a></li>
<li>They provide good service</li>
<li>They’ve demonstrated an understanding of the needs of the church</li>
</ol>
Here is the list, ranked in order of companies considered to provide the best <a href="https://ministrywebsitedesigns.com/">church websites</a>.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There’s one more bit of additional information that we want to include that can be helpful in the decision-making process. Currently, in the church technology space, the market of individual, stand-alone companies are being rapidly consolidated by a “big fish,” so to speak. We’ve gone ahead and included a handful of the companies that have been purchased by this larger “big fish” company in the list after the two independent ones at the top because some of these subsidiary companies still provide their own, unique website builders. However, be aware that often quick acquisitions and employee consolidation of companies with decent products can lead to a lack of technical support, (which is one of our three major criteria!).
Alright, on to the website builders!
<a href="https://ministrywebsitedesigns.com/" target="_blank">Ministry Designs</a>:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/best-church-website-builders-1_iipqzm.png" alt="Ministry Designs " />
The number one solution, head and shoulders above the rest, is Ministry Designs. Ministry Designs not only has the most intuitive and comprehensive <a href="https://ministrywebsitedesigns.com/" target="_blank">church website builder</a> (CMS) but they also have all of the features you need to make sure that your website stays up to date. One of the amazing things that they do, that is really outside of the norm for this industry, is roll out monthly updates. They do this to ensure that you’ll never have to buy another website. Additionally, when working with the folks at Ministry Designs, they assign you a customer success representative who will share their screen with you and teach you how to use their tools. When shopping for your new website for your church, you would be making a mistake not considering Ministry Designs first.
FaithConnector:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/best-church-website-builders-2_tshm3u.png" alt="Faith Connector" />
Our second choice is FaithConnector. Along with Ministry Designs, this is one of the few remaining website builders that is still standing on its own, and for that, we give them both a round of applause.
FaithConnector is another solid company with excellent support and another slew of features that usually means they can get you the site that you’re looking for. Their website builder is good, though their editor is a bit out of date, which is why they land second on our list.
With good support, a solid product, and a host of features, FaithConnector remains one of the few viable options if you’re looking for an independent company that provides good, focused support.
Nucleus:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/best-church-website-builders-3_nchkjn.png" alt="Nucleus" />
Nucleus is a relative newcomer to the conversation but has gained some popularity, in large part to some excellent marketing. After reviewing the website editor, I’ve found it bit limited next someone of the other companies on the list. Nucleus has positioned and priced itself as a church “hub,” but the facts are after reviewing it, it's missing some critical flexibility and options that the featured companies on this list offer. Plus, at $99 a month it’s pretty expensive.
Note: The remainder of the list is made up of companies that have been bought out in recent years. While they are now subsidiaries of a larger organization, these candidates have managed to retain at least a portion of their website building capabilities, though long-term technical support has become a concern.
Sharefaith:
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/best-church-website-builders-4_e99uhx.png" alt="Sharefaith" />
toward helping churches build their websites. But — and this is a big but — they’ve built their tools to be an overlay of WordPress. 
While this might not be an issue for a tech-savvy website builder, if you’re from a church that lacks those “technical gurus,” this can present a whole bunch of problems. A system built on top of another system is always a bit nerve-racking, and with the potential to lose good customer support in the future, the ShareFaith website builder has become a bit suspect at this point.
Clover Site: 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/best-church-website-builders-5_rnhe09.png" alt="Clover Site" />
You’ve got to give credit where credit is due, and in this case, it’s honoring an industry pioneer.
Clover was at one point was the leader in the church-specific CMS industry.
Unfortunately, though, that day of prominence has come and gone. At this point, Clover lacks the flexibility needed to really personalize and customize your website. That, in addition to the whole selling out to a larger company bit, has landed them further down the list.
Ekklesia360: 
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/06/best-church-website-builders-6_oyj7bk.png" alt="Ekklesia360" />
company’s willingness to make changes to their CMS, literally customizing the features they offered on a case by case basis for their customers.
This might sound good on the surface, but before you start jumping for joy, the problem in connection to this adaptability that we found quickly presents itself is affordability. Changes on the kind of scale we’re talking about aren’t minor, and that extra cost puts them out of reach for most church’s budgets.
In addition, we found that their website editor is sadly out of date, a bit clunky, and difficult to work with.
Thrive CMS:
If you're wondering what Thrive CMS is, you're not alone.
Thrive is the website editor solution that the a larger consolidation company created as their own website builder. It has been pushing most of its brands to use this new CMS, and Bridge Element, Site Organic, and Ezekiel are now all selling the Thrive CMS solution.
One question that we couldn’t manage to answer was why it was priced differently across those brands.
Pricing aside, from what we could tell, the solution is limited and a bit hard to work with; however, it does seem to be a bit better than what these established brands had before.
A final note:
Although this list of the best church website companies isn’t comprehensive, we felt like the options listed above were the best in the market that target churches.
While <a href="https://ministrywebsitedesigns.com/">Ministry Designs</a> clearly topped the list with their high-end website builder, impressive features, and excellent customer service, the truth is there really are still quite a few choices out there, so take your time and look into each option to find the one that works best for you.
Whatever you do end up choosing to go with, we always recommend not just researching, but actually demoing any of these CMS solutions before signing up in order to see which one meets the specific needs of your church the best.

The Best Church Website Builders

The cornerstones of any successful CMS are innovation, artistry, and versatility. Wix.com is one of the most popular content marketing platforms in the market right now thanks to its ability to adapt the best attributes of its competitors and improve upon them. Let's take a look at this website builder in my Wix Review.
The online app uses smart <a href="http://www.dictionary.com/browse/algorithm">algorithms</a> to help you find the ideal look for your website, customizing it for your marketing, blogging, and retailing needs, or simply to add exposure to your company.
With Wix, small businesses, online stores, restaurants and artists of all website-design levels are able to create a site with a logical and intuitive user interface that will attract the attention of consumers, while also keeping SEO considerations in mind. The look of a site is essential to its success and Wix realizes this, offering a variety of layers, backgrounds, fonts and colors to help suit your needs.
Plus, it’s affordable and easy to use, requiring no HTML or Java knowledge as the CMS walks you through the process of creating your site. Here’s how you can get the ball rolling with Wix.
<h2>Getting Started with our Wix Review 
</h2>
The first thing the CMS asks you is whether you want to create a website for yourself or someone else, followed by the type of business you’re running. A number of website options are offered to you such as a blog, an online store, music, a portfolio and CV, an events page, a photography site, a restaurants and food locale and more.
Wix then asks for your level of expertise in four categories such as “I’ve built sites professionally, created many websites, built a few websites or never done this before.” For beginners, Wix lets you create your business’ site with custom text and images in minutes by answering a few questions. More advanced website designers can choose Wix Editor to meticulously bring their ideas to life.
There are also six pricing tiers for you to choose from, one of which is free but will include ads on your site and it will not include your domain name. The $5-per-month Connect Domain option connects the site with your domain name, while the $10 option removes ads and has plenty of storage.
The fourth plan is Unlimited, which is a $14 choice for businesses that need up to 10GB of space, while the $17 eCommerce plan is ideal for online retailers. The VIP choice will set you back $25 a month and it includes customer support, ideal for larger stores.
<h3>Customization</h3>
Once you’ve settled on a plan, Wix will ask you a series of questions to determine what functionalities you’d like your site to be equipped with. These include whether you’re looking to add a storefront, take bookings and appointments or get subscribers. You will also have to share the name and address of your business.
You are then introduced to <a href="/how-to-create-a-blog-with-wix-adi-artificial-design-intelligence/">Wix ADI</a>, an AI feature that helps you combine text, images, video and more to create your ideal site. The bot works like a recommendation engine, asking you stylistic and practical questions to determine the look of your site. In under 20 minutes, you can have your website up and running with a variety of sections and a relevant stock photo to beef up your brand.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/wix-review-5_bfn2pv.png" alt="wix review-5" />
However, most of the text and visuals on your site will be generic and written ahead of time for all sites that fit your criteria. Wix ADI walks you through the various sections of your home page, allowing you to fill in the description and subheadings of these.
For example, a thought-leader blog will display a series of links to blog posts for generic websites with these types of articles. You can edit these without a hassle and link them to your own blogs, or write your own from scratch and add them to the site.
At the bottom, a “Contact Us” is also available that allows people to call your business or contact you via email. You can also preview what your site will look like for mobile users as Wix has great capabilities to ensure your platform looks just as good on smart devices.
<h3>Other Features</h3>
Much like other content developers, Wix includes a FAQ section to help you overcome any roadblocks you face during the creation process. The CMS is also available in 16 different languages to satisfy people all around the world, and you can also design multilingual websites.
The platform also includes a number of widgets you can use to your advantage in the Wix App Market. You can add or remove these on your site to improve it as the company has developed more than 80 top-tier apps instead of relying on third-party sites to develop these for them.
The apps include an appointment scheduling feature, an event management tool in Wix Events, a newsletter tool, a Photo Gallery, Video, Wix Music and Wix Restaurants for food vendors. These are all found in the <a href="https://www.websitetooltester.com/out/wix-appmarket">Wix App Market</a>.
With the more advanced plans, you can choose the domain name of your website, as well as whether it ends on a .com, .org, .info., .net or .co.uk. Wix sites are always equipped with SSL encryption to protect your site from breaches.
It is also possible to monetize your ad by adding certain tools such as Google AdSense through the Wix App Market. You can also include banner ads and affiliate links to bulk up your site. Integrating Google Analytics is easy as well, offering you a variety of metrics on your site such as the number of unique visitors, total visitors, SEO prowess and more.
Overall, Wix has a lot to offer SEO-wise, such as the ability to edit page titles, alt tags on images and meta descriptions. More advanced tools are also available such as metrics that monitor how visible your various sites, text and images will be based on keyword density, readability and whether or not you need to add visuals to a page. The site has an <a href="https://www.websitetooltester.com/out/wix-seo-optimization">SEO tutorial page</a> that is ideal for those looking to learn more about the subject.
The app also includes pages where you can add the option of subscribers adding passwords through its membership website. This option allows you to choose whether or not users get added immediately to your site (which is ideal for newsletters or blogs), or whether they have to wait to receive approval.
Wix’s e-commerce pages are very well designed if you buy the $17 plan, offering you tracking details on physical goods that are sold, while also letting you sell digital goods. You can also see how many items you have in stock with the tool.
The Wix mobile app allows you to publish blogs and newsletters on the blog. Plus, the app includes a forum that lets visitors leave comments and like your posts.
Pros
Wix has a lot going for it–it’s evolved quite a bit since the days of being a flash-based site with limited options to a full-fledged CMS that can be tailored to professionals in a wide array of industries.
Perhaps the most attractive element of Wix is how visual stunning its templates are. The company has done extensive research on what sells in the restaurant world, as well as what layout an e-commerce retailer would need or what a content marketing blog needs to look like. And they are all a step above the competition. You can even add a touch of artistry with GIFs or animated text.
The aforementioned AI bot Wix ADI has quite a bit to offer, although it’s not perfect. The app can help you with a number of projects such as artist portfolio, creating a payment system for e-commerce, create a contact form, connect your social media and a few more things. Wix ADI is still a work in process but the company is off to a good start in its incorporation of AI into smart website design.
Wix also excels in backing up your saved data at any given point to make sure that you don’t lose any progress made in case your Internet goes down, your computer dies or you accidentally leave the CMS. The app includes a tool called Site History that also allows you to return to any previous version of your site.
Cons
Some of the negatives of Wix include the fact that, while the CMS has plenty of SEO tools, it’s still not as the level of the likes of WordPress. The company has made great strides in getting to this point, marking a considerable improvement from where it used to be, but it’s not quite there.
Also, the Wix membership feature is very effective for a number of its sites, but it has yet to be integrated with the company’s e-commerce page, which is something Wix is likely to roll out in the near future.
The app also lacks a chatbot support system on your website’s support page, despite the fact that it has a FAQ, email, and telephone information on the “Contact Us” page. Other CMS developers have started working on chatbots, so Wix has a long way to go on this arena still.
Another negative of Wix is the fact that its cheapest domain-name plan is $10, which is $2.50 more than the cheapest Jimdo plan. Also, it’s hard to change your template once you’ve picked it and designed part of your website.

Wix Review - Create Beautiful Websites Quickly & Easily

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<a href="https://www.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Weebly</a>, the website builder, has released some features that befit a marketing automation system.
The website builder recently ran into trouble with some hackers who reportedly <a href="/weebly-hacked-43m-customer-records-stolen/" target="_blank">stole 43 million Weebly customer credentials</a>. Weebly acknowledged the breach and urged their customers to change their passwords.
But that fiasco hasn't stopped them from working on new features in the meantime. Here's what's new with Weebly.
<address>
<h2>Automated Emails</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/emails_orig653x0-is.png" />
First up, Weebly users can now schedule and automate emails that get sent when a user interacts with your website in a specific way.
Here are some examples of how that can help:
<ul>
<li>Send a thank you when someone buys something from your store.</li>
<li>Send a happy birthday message (and discount) on a user's birthday.</li>
<li>Say hello to a customer who hasn't visited your store in a while.</li>
<li>Welcome new customers who sign up for your email list.</li>
<li>Send a survey to ask shoppers about their online experience.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Pop-up Lead Capture Forms</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/lead-capture_orig.jpg" />
Next, Weebly have rolled out lead capture forms to help you collect emails and contact information from your website's visitors. Once again, we're very much in marketing automation territory here.
According to Weebly, this new feature syncs with the platform's ‘Promote' list to capture emails and make it easy for visitors to join your mailng list. You can control the design, layout and timing of the promotion that pops up over pages or from the bottom corner when new users visit your website.
<h2>Abandoned Shopping Cart Tracking</h2>
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/cart_orig598x0-is.jpg" />
Weebly also unveiled a feature that lets you track the number of abandoned shopping carts on your website. That means every time a visitor leaves your site during the checkout process – but before handing over their cash – you'll know about it.
Also, this new Abandoned Cart feature saves the cart for every registered user and creates a link for you to email them a reminder to complete their purchase. Plus, the email can be automatically sent (thanks, automated emails!).
In fact, after a customer has made it to your checkout flow and entered an email, you can configure the amount of time that elapses before sending the customer an abandoned cart email.
<h2>Weebly: Blurred Lines?</h2>
Just a year ago, I would have been quite shocked to find a website builder like Weebly – which prides itself on simplicity – releasing features like the ones detailed above. .
Lead capture forms and abandoned shopping cart tracking? Those are relatively advanced webmaster tools that are typically reserved for enterprise-grade platforms. Or at least, they used to be.
Perhaps now we're looking at the new face of website building, where marketing automation comes as part of even the most basic package.
For me, it's exciting, but I'm not sure how well this all suits the newbie who just wants to make a simple website for a new business. It feels like the lines are getting blurred over at Weebly.
What's your take on the situation? Let me know in the comments below.
</address>

Weebly Unveils Marketing Automation Features

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