What is the best website builder for a florist?

It looks like you desire to launch your website soon, right? That's why you're looking for the best website builder for a florist. But are you truly ready for that next step?

If you didn’t answer with a big yes to that question then I’d like to invite you to read this article to gauge if you’re at a stage where you need a website as a florist. Trust me, it’s important for you to know if it’s the right time to invest in a website or not. You want to know why?

Well I think it’s pretty obvious but sometimes it’s better to be reminded of it: owning and running a website can easily get expensive. From the yearly subscriptions to the domain name and the marketing campaigns, it’ll drain your wallet if you aren’t aware of the costs beforehand. But I’m not here to scare you because you’re here for a reason. 

You wanna know which website builder (or which website host as some people call it), you should choose for your flower business. 

And I just want to be honest with you from the go. I don’t want to waste your time.

There’s no such thing as the “best” website builder for you as a florist. Your business model will most likely dictate your choice. How do I know?

Let me start with a quick introduction. My name is Francia R and I’m a marketer and web designer working with florists to grow their online visibility. I’ve talked and served people in that industry for a couple of years now and I can promise you that it’s wiser to pick a website builder based on your specific needs. 

You don’t have to use the same platform as your florist best friend who went for Shopify. 

What really matter is the “category” of florist you fall into. I can see your face now, wondering: “what does she mean by category?”

Shall we start with the basics then? Don’t worry, it won’t take long. You’ll be able to determine the right site builder at the end of this article. Emphasis on the word “right.”

Table of contents

1. You're a freelance florist helping teams for weddings

2. You're a local florist selling custom arrangements for all occasions

3. You're a floral event designer or a wedding florist

4. You're a floral shop owner and you're ready to sell online

5. You're a florist and a floral educator

1/ You’re a freelance florist helping teams for weddings

At this point, your website will probably look like a portfolio of your achievements. If your goal is to showcase your talent and you hope to catch newly engaged couple’s attention then you can choose between WIX and Squarespace.

Those 2 builders are the easiest ones to use for beginners. Whether you plan on building your site yourself or not, it should be easy for you to update and run your flower site with either WIX or Squarespace. Have a look at my Florist Site Templates and see if you like any of them. 

2/ You’re a local florist selling custom arrangements for all occasions

Are you using social media to promote your bouquets and arrangements? If so then you’re probably the type of florist taking orders through DMs. I know many florists in your category and I absolutely love seeing your gorgeous floral designs on my Instagram feed. 

First of all, kudos to you for making the switch! Most florists solely operating on social media, rarely think of taking order through a website. 

Same as above, you can consider WIX or Squarespace to take orders. All you need is a great inquiry form and you’ll be good to go. 

3/ You’re a floral event designer or a wedding florist

The good news is I’m mainly working with people like you! If your primary objective is to make it easy for your clients to receive quotes and proposals then you can choose any site builder out there: Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress, Showit. 

Those 4 platforms are great to:

• display your past works with a great porfolio, 

• show off your personality in your About page,

• present and list your services,

• converting your visitor into a potential client with optimised inquiry forms

• and so much more.

I recently wrote an article to see if WIX could be the right platform for your flower business. Read that one next.

4/ You’re a floral shop owner and you’re ready to sell online

There’s only one option for you my friend: Shopify. Yes I’m aware of all the floral softwares and big companies offering monthly subscriptions all over the internet. But let me guess … I bet you’re slightly skeptical about their offer, right? Otherwise you wouldn’t be searching for “the best site builder” in your industry. 

Since I’m here to help you, let me give you some recommendations. In my opinion, the most well known and trustworthy ones are BloomNation, Teleflora, Florist Window and Hana Florist.

I don’t have any affiliate programs with them. Those are not sponsored links.

And if you’re 100% ready to go the other route then Shopify is the way. It’s the number 1 platform for online stores. Shopify is all about ecommerce. No matter how many collections, products or seasonal offers you plan on selling, you will most likely be satisfied with Shopify.

Don’t use Wix or Squarespace to sell your floral designs. Those 2 builders are great but they have limitations. Shopify is the best if you’re doing sympathy flowers, daily bouquets, flower boxes and gifts, wedding à la carte, rentals, etc. 

5/You’re a florist and a floral educator 

Just like the event floral designer and the wedding florist, you can choose one of these 4 builders: Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress and Showit. You shouldn’t worry about the differences between them because you can achieve the same results on each platform in terms of design and features.

The cost may vary depending on the subscriptions but overall, there’s no need to stress about which one is the best. If I were you, I’ll read reviews from small business owners before purchasing anything. Why reading instead of watching random Youtube videos?

The reason is because the Youtubers reviewing those platforms are bashing and praising for commercial purposes. e.g. Someone promoting their Squarespace affiliate link will praise Squarespace and somehow indirectly put down the other builders. It’s biased. 

The honest review of a business owner and their experience with the platform sounds more legit to me. Now do your homework and search for genuine and authentic reviews online. You can also just ask small business owners in your local community. 

Use the free trials to learn as much as you can about their dashboards, their interfaces, their blogging possibilities, their SEO tools, etc. 

And because I love you and I’m pretty sure you want to go big in the floral industry, I’ve released an article on how to make money selling flowers online. Learn all my marketing tips to improve your marketing strategy.

To conclude, to answer the original question about the best website builder for you as a florist.

1. There’s no “best” builder but a “right” builder and it depends on your business model, your services and your customers.

2. You have to choose Shopify if you want to launch an online store. 

3. Most florists either choose Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress or Showit. You have to test them before making a decision. Try them all. And of course, read reviews from small business owners because most youtube videos are sponsored. You shouldn’t really rely on their sayings. 

Once you’re set up with your website, read this post on how to promote flowers on social media. That’s the longest article I’ve published so far. Get your pen and paper ready. 

For my DIY people out there, follow the steps in one of my articles on how to create a flower website. You can’t mess it up if you’re eager to learn and apply along the way. You got this!

After reading this article, do you still believe that there's a best website builder out there? Let me know in the comments below and my apologies if I didn’t cover your situation. Message me on Instagram so that I can help you individually.

See you in my next post. Take care x