By: Michael Benninger

Are you stumped by trying to find the best tool you can use to create a business website? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. With so many companies on the Web promising to help you build a site with ease, researching them all can be an exhausting experience for any business owner. This article aims to make that task bit easier by weighing the pros and cons between two of the most popular options.

Network Solutions and GoDaddy are two companies that offer a variety of solutions for current and would-be website owners. Although these companies primarily specialize in domain registration and hosting services, they both offer website creation services, as well. And while you can hire either of these companies to design a site for you, this comparison focuses on Network Solutions’ vs. GoDaddy’s do-it-yourself website options.

Here’s an overview of these companies’ strengths and weaknesses to help you determine if Network Solutions or GoDaddy is a good fit for your business.

Get to Know Network Solutions

Founded in 1979, Network Solutions has been brokering Internet real estate since long before the World Wide Web even existed. In 2011, then-competitor Web.com acquired Network Solutions, though the company continues to operate under its own brand with its own products. Network Solutions derives a majority of its revenue from its domain registration and hosting plans, which it offers alongside Web design, email marketing, and other supplementary services.

Here’s a few of the top pros and cons of Network Solutions website builder:

Pros

• The drag-and-drop, template-based site builder is straightforward and easy to use

• It’s easy to add photo galleries, user forums, maps, and more multimedia elements

• Automatic site backups ensure you’ll never experience a total loss

• Servers can handle a lot of traffic and allow you to view and track stats

• Access thousands of royalty-free stock images to use on your site

Cons

• Website builder is not the most modern tool on the market

• Templates are not mobile responsive; webmasters need to maintain separate mobile site

• No free trial option means there’s no way to test out the builder before using it

• Lots of upselling on standard services might leave you feeling “nickeled and dimed”

• Lack of customer service via chat or Twitter makes for less-than-ideal support

Get to Know GoDaddy

Based in Arizona and in existence since 1997, GoDaddy is the most widely used domain registrar on the planet. The business generates the bulk of its earnings from domain name management, but rounds out their offerings with a suite of accompanying Web services for individuals and small businesses.

Here’s a closer look at some pros and cons from GoDaddy’s website builder:

Pros

• Businesses can choose from more than 300 different themes and templates for their sites

• Storage and bandwidth plans are among the best-priced on the market

• A gradual learning curve and helpful software wizards make website building a breeze

• Full-featured photo editing tools surpass offerings from most other available builders

• Customer support is among the best in the industry

Cons

• GoDaddy doesn’t offer free trials of its website builder, so there’s no way to test it out

• The website builder lacks some of the bells and whistles of more full-featured platforms

• It’s not possible to change your website theme without starting over from scratch

• E-commerce capabilities aren’t included with most GoDaddy plans

• GoDaddy is infamous for trying to upsell customers at every possible opportunity

In the Battle of GoDaddy vs. Network Solutions, Who Wins?

The playing field is pretty level when it comes to comparing Network Solutions versus GoDaddy, at least as far as their website builders are concerned. Both companies offer builders that are very functional, but still far from perfect. You’ll find affordably priced plans with both GoDaddy and Network Solutions, and you can count on each of them to try to sell you additional services that you don’t need. One area where GoDaddy really stands out, though, is with their exceptional support. If having someone to speak to is a priority for you, GoDaddy is the clear winner in this case. But if you don’t require as much hand-holding, you can always give the competition a shot, and transfer a domain from Network Solutions to GoDaddy if need be.

GoDaddy and Network Solutions are among the most affordable and reliable website builders on the market. Find a plan that’s right for you and sign up for an account today.

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