According to a study by Workfolio, 56% of hiring managers say they are more impressed by a candidate’s personal website than anything else. Which makes sense, as a personal website is a powerful and personal display of everything you’re proud of, and allows the candidate a chance to show off their personality. Interestingly, however, only 7% of job candidates actually have a website.
Since a website makes such a powerful, personal statement about you, it’s important that whatever you create looks good. The last thing you want is a website that reflects poorly on you.
So, before you go rushing out to make yourself a website, here are 5 tools that will let you build a beautiful personal website. Most offer a free option, and all are happy to take some of your money for expanded website building options. None of the options listed below will require you to hire a coder.
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What it is: Wix is an Israeli company that allows you to build a website utilizing HTML5 with a drag and drop interface. The platform is incredibly user friendly and over 66 million people have made a website using Wix.
Where it shines: For a website creator that allows you to simply drag and drop elements, Wix creates really attractive websites.
Where it wilts: As a completely free service, your options are pretty limited. You can make a website, but they do a pretty good job of incentivizing you to pay up.
What it costs: Unless you’re willing to pony up $9.25 a month, your personal website is going to have some impersonal adds on it. The good news is that for that price you’ll also get your very own URL.
Hours to set up a simple site: 1 to 2.
Bottom line: Use Wix if you want apersonal website and are willing to pay about $120 a year for the pleasure.
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What it is: Like Wix, Weebly utilizes a drag and drop interface and it's incredibly easy to create a quality website here. Also like Wix, the company has been around for awhile and probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Where it shines: It’s among the easiest options for creating a personal website. The service allows you to host a blog page inside your personal website – which is pretty sweet. Their completely free model does not put ads on your site.
Where it wilts: Because you add elements to your site on Weebly in squares, the end result can look a bit blocky.
What it costs: To get rid of Weebly branding (which is minimal anyway) and use your own URL, it will cost you $4 a month. To unlock multimedia features and use passwords it will cost you $8 a month.
Hours to set up a simple site: 1 to 2.
Bottom line: Use Weebly if you just want a simple and free site, without a lot of hassle – or if you want to include a blog. It’s easy to use and an attractive builder if you don’t want things to get too fancy.
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What it is: SquareSpace is pretty much drag and drop and just about anybody can create a website using the service without too much trouble. With some time and money, it creates the most professional-looking sites for the least amount of trouble of all the offerings.
Where it shines: SquareSpace gives you access to 40 million stock photos, a customizable email address, a logo builder and has an app that allows you to stay up on your site on the go.
Where it wilts: There is no free option, and things get pricey quickly.
What it costs: A basic site limited to 20 pages (probably plenty for a personal website) will run you $8 a month. To get unlimited pages and a professional email will cost you $16 a month.
Hours to set up a simple site: 2 to 4.
Bottom line: Use SquareSpace if you’re okay with spending a bit of money and want a super-awesome website.
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What it is: WordPress is an open-source and free content management system that about 20% of the websites you visit are built with.
Where it shines: WordPress has been around forever and since it’s open-source there are tons of themes and plugins available. Your website can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be and you can be sure WordPress can handle it.
Where it wilts: Creating a website with WordPress is a huge pain if you don’t know what you’re doing. Because it is not drag and drop you are forced to figure out how to make things work through its notoriously difficult to work with CMS.
What it costs: To build a basic site is absolutely free, but to have a custom URL or a number of other cool features you will probably want, it’ll cost you $99 a year.
Hours to set up a simple site: 3 hours to eternity.
Bottom line: WordPress is a great option if you’re a techie. If you want something simple and easy to manage, look elsewhere.
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(Bonus) The Grid
What it is: For those of you interested in something a little different, The Grid promises it's not just another do-it-yourself website builder. They say they harness the power of artificial intelligence to make your content unique. While it has yet to launch, it is being developed by Brian Axe, the ex-Google AdSense Director of Products and Leigh Taylor, the designer of Medium.
Where it shines: If The Grid does what it says it will be able to do, all you’ll have to do is upload content and it will do the rest.
Where it wilts: Forget about free (early adopters can get locked in at $8 a month), and since this service hasn’t even launched yet we don’t know how well it will actually work.
What it costs: Rumors are the service will cost about $25 a month, but early adopters get their first year for $8 a month.
Hours to set up a simple site: Yet to be seen.
Bottom Line: Use The Grid if you’re curious, wealthy and don’t mind waiting to get started.
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