Have you ever dreamed of running your own short-term rental business but don’t know where to start with creating a website?e recently received this message from Brent and Cindy from McKinney, Texas, who asked for our help in doing just that.
Hey Kurt, I love your quick tips on everything. My question is my wife and I are starting up an STR, short-term rental property/business. We want to create a website that has the capability of managing our business. It would include a booking service and taking people’s personal information, booking, and holding fee information.
Are there trusted sites that you might recommend for me to trust making and setting up a webpage for our business? Who can you trust that my information, client information, etc won’t be automatically sent to a cyber thief from the get-go? Thanks in advance and look forward to hearing back. Take care and God Bless!Brent & Cindy
A big congratulations to Brent and Cindy for starting up their new business. When creating a website, especially when it’s for a business that will serve others, you want to make sure that it is not only easy to navigate but also safe and secure so that no private information gets jeopardized. Here are some of my top picks for the best resources out there for building safe and secure web pages.
5 best website builders
1. Wix
It also has a dedicated security team, compliance and certifications, physical access controls, and business continuity plans to protect its platforms and users. Some of these measures include 2-step verification systems, anti-fraud and payment security, powerful data encryption, and more. You can create a basic, free website with a Wix-branded domain and ads. If you want to remove the ads, connect your own domain name, or access more features, you will need to upgrade to one of their premium plans which start as low as $17 a month. (at the time of publishing)
Join over 700,000 stores worldwide. Start selling online with your own website.
2. Squarespace
Another great website creator that is easy to navigate is Squarespace. This one has tons of security measures in place as well, including password protection, spam filters, encrypted data storage, and more. It has great modern web designs and excellent portfolio tools to make your website look exactly the way you want it to. Plus, it uses generative AI to create copy for you. Payment plans on Squarespace start at as low as $16 per month and go as high as around $49 per month based on annual billing, so you can choose your plan depending on what your needs are for your website. If you choose to pay monthly, the prices will be higher, ranging from $23 to $65 a month. (at the time of publishing) It’s important to note that these prices do not include additional costs such as domain registration, email hosting, or third-party integrations.
Plus, Squarespace is one of the better resources if you’re creating a rental website, as it offers features like linking third-party rental channels like Airbnb or Booking.com or using advanced image options like focal point cropping or image metadata importing. However, Squarespace may not have all the features or functionality that you need to manage your rental business, such as booking calendars, payment processing, or guest communication. You may need to use other platforms or services to complement your Squarespace website, such as Lodgify or Floorspace.
3. GoDaddy Airo
4. Weebly
Weebly probably has one of the better free plan options as it offers some great features such as SSL security and adding a 3rd party embed code. There are also 3 other paid plans you can choose from (Personal, Professional, and Performance) that start as low as $6 per month if you pay annually or $10 per month if you pay monthly. The professional plan costs $12 per month with annual billing or $16 per month with monthly billing. The Performance plan is $26 a month billed annually or $29 a month billed month to month. (at the time of publishing) *These prices may vary depending on your location and currency.
When it comes to security, Weebly offers features like password protection on the Professional plan and 2-factor authentication on the Performance plan. Plus, there are tons of designs you can choose from, whether you’re making a website for a business, a portfolio, a blog, or whatever your plan is.
5. Shopify
My final resource for creating a website easily is Shopify. This is a super user-friendly site that has tons of great e-commerce tools you can use. It has tons of great security measures for both its merchants and their customers, including its very own security team, 256-bit SSL encryption with all data transfer, data encryption tools, protection of Shopify payment transfers, virus prevention on the servers, risk analysis tools, and much more. You can try Shopify for free for 3 days, with no credit card required.
Its lowest plan begins at $29 per month, billed once yearly, and you can upgrade from there if you feel you need more tools. (At the time of publishing, this price does not include additional costs such as domain registration, email hosting, transaction feeds, or third-party integrations.)
Kurt’s key takeaways
Building a website is a huge undertaking that requires patience, dedication, and passion for what you’re creating. You’ll want the process to be as seamless as possible, and these 5 websites can help you achieve the vision you’ve always dreamed about. Get creative with your choices and use the tools provided to make the best product you can.
What website are you thinking about starting? We’d love to know your thoughts, so comment below.
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