If you want to maximize the amount of online leads and bookings you get, a website is a must. A Facebook page is great to start, but as your business grows you may find it lacking in some areas. For example, it doesn’t allow you to automate inquiries or showcase your inventory.
Not only does a website make it easy for potential clients to learn about your offerings, but it’s also a place for them to visualize their dream event and submit online inquiries. In other words, it’s a prime way to boost your bookings.
But for most of us, creating a website ourselves isn’t in the cards. It can require technical know-how and take up a big chunk of valuable time. And many of us don’t have the funds to pay a professional developer for their skills. So where does that leave us?
Luckily, there are several excellent rental website builders, even for people who aren’t tech wizards. These website builders offer drag-and-drop capabilities and, with just a little learning, you can create a beautiful, professional looking website without breaking the bank.
To help you pick, we’ve assembled a handful of our favorite rental website builders that have proven their worth with our users.
Key Takeaways:
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Professional websites drive business growth.
Move beyond Facebook pages to showcase inventory and automate inquiries effectively.
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Three platforms dominate the market.
Squarespace and Wix offers the most user-friendly experience, while WordPress provides maximum flexibility.
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Integration capability determines success.
Connect your website directly to inventory management for real-time availability and seamless inquiry submissions.
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Budget planning varies significantly.
Monthly costs range from $14-25 for DIY options, while custom development costs $3,000-15,000+.
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Developer versus DIY decisions impact control.
Consider whether you want hands-on management or prefer professional customization and ongoing support.
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Feature requirements guide platform choice.
Ensure your platform supports integrations, blogging, and inventory connection before committing.
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Mobile optimization drives conversions.
Most clients browse on mobile devices, making responsive design essential for success.
The 3 Best Rental Website Builders
What’s the best rental website builder for your event business?
Below are a few of our favorites. While there are plenty of options out there, these have the best stability, flexibility, and user-friendliness of all the platforms we’ve worked with.
They also all work with Goodshuffle Pro’s Website Integration, which means you can connect them with your inventory, services, and packages, turning your site into a virtual showroom for clients.
Learn more about how it works in the video below:
1. Squarespace
If you’re a fan of podcasts or YouTube videos, you’ve probably heard advertisements for Squarespace at least once before. Squarespace has become such a popular website builder because of its user-friendliness, customization, templates, analytics, and mobile capabilities.
You can create any type of site using Squarespace, from blogs to company pages to e-commerce sites. It’s super easy to use, so this is a great option for people who don’t consider themselves to be “tech-y,” but it also has enough flexibility to keep web designers happy.
Plus, Squarespace’s Business Plan starts at $23 per month and is an affordable option for most event businesses.
Learn how to connect Squarespace with Goodshuffle Pro.
2. WordPress
WordPress is one of the most well-known website builders around. It does take more set-up and know-how than Squarespace, so it isn’t our first recommendation for people new to the world of web design.
That being said, it is an excellent website platform and a great choice for event pros if you’re up for a steeper learning curve. It boasts a huge selection of themes, plugins, and SEO tools. There are also thousands of WordPress tutorials on YouTube (like this WordPress tutorial for beginners) that can show you the ropes, plus hundreds of free website templates and themes in the platform to get you started.
WordPress also has a free to start option. After that, we recommend using at least the Creator Plan, which is $25 per month.
Learn how to connect WordPress with Goodshuffle Pro.
3. Wix
Wix is an intuitive, drag-and-drop website builder that lets you create beautiful, functional websites without writing any code. You can choose from hundreds of templates or start from scratch, customizing your site’s layout, colors, fonts, and features to match your brand. Its visual editor makes it easy to design pages, add images and videos, and even incorporate animations — no technical skills required.
Because Wix is designed for simplicity, it’s a great choice for DIY website projects. However, it has limitations when it comes to third-party integrations, as it only supports tools available in its app marketplace. This can be a drawback for event pros who need more advanced connectivity.
Wix offers a free plan, with paid plans starting at around $17 per month (billed annually) for their Light plan. The free plan lets you explore the platform, but you’ll need a paid plan to connect a custom domain, remove Wix ads, and access advanced features.
Learn how to connect Wix with Goodshuffle Pro.
5 Considerations When Choosing a Rental Website Builder
These three website platforms are hands down our favorites on the market. They strike a good balance between user-friendliness and customization, so one of them is sure to meet your needs. As an added bonus for Goodshuffle Pro users, these also work seamlessly with our Website Integration.
Before you start creating and managing a website you and your clients will love, we recommend getting free trials of all three rental website builders to test them out. That will help you weigh the pros and cons of each option.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind.
1) Is it easy to use by yourself?
If you’re not a developer or experienced website builder, ease-of-use is important to consider. Are the platform’s drag-and-drop features and templates a breeze to use? Is customer support just a chat away, or will you have to wait hours for a response?
Your team won’t work directly in your website builder every day, the way they do with rental management softwares like Goodshuffle Pro. But it’s similarly important that they can operate it easily and comfortably. If you decide to build your website solo, make sure your website builder of choice allows you to operate with self sufficiency.
2) Do you want to work with a developer?
Developers can be a great option for hands-off, deeply customized website builds, but there’s an important con to consider: You often can’t make even minor changes to your own website by yourself. We’ve even had users tell us they were billed for an entire hour of work to change one date.
If you can’t find a developer you trust, building your own website with a tool like Squarespace is probably your best option.
If you prefer to work with a developer but don’t know how to find a trustworthy one, check out our Development & Integration Partners. They are reputable agencies who have helped many event rental companies build websites (and connect them to Goodshuffle Pro!)
3) Does it have the features you need?
The last thing you want is to build a beautiful site you love, only to outgrow the platform. Before you start building, think about your must-have features, whether that’s a great blogging platform, a way to accept online quotes, online booking capabilities, or connection to key integrations.
For example, we’d love to love Wix, but they only allow integrations that are sold through their store — meaning no third-party apps, widgets, or integrations whatsoever. This is extremely limiting for their clients long-term, so we don’t recommend their website platform to event professionals.
4) Does it fit your budget?
Every rental website builder weighs in at a different price point and billing structure. Make sure to take features into consideration when comparing prices. For example, some website builders charge more for integration access.
Also think about if your current plan will scale alongside your business, or if you might need to upgrade in the near future.
5) Can you connect your inventory?
All of the options on the list are capable of creating beautiful websites. But not all of them allow you off the bat to add inventory, create packages, and let your clients create lookbooks for their perfect day — at least, not without a lot of manual data entry.
To connect your website directly to your inventory, you’ll need to use a tool like Goodshuffle Pro’s Website Integration. It allows you to accept quote submissions, edit them, and update your inventory in real time.
The integration made our website look incredible — and reduced the time we spend on website updates by 95%.
Cam Petty
Render Events
Get Your Event Rental Business Online Today
Now that you have some event website builders to explore, what are you waiting for?
Get started with a few free trials, and before you know it you’ll be creating the website of your dreams. If you’d like some event website inspiration to get you started, check out our article on 15 Amazing Event Rental Websites.
To learn more about Goodshuffle Pro and our Website Integration — which integrates with Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, and more — don’t hesitate to speak with our team of experts.
FAQs
Squarespace and WordPress are best for beginners because they’re more user friendly, while WordPress offers the most flexibility.
Yes, tools like Goodshuffle Pro’s Website Integration allow real-time inventory connection, letting clients browse items, create wishlists, and submit quote requests directly from your website.
DIY platforms like Squarespace work well if you want control and lower costs. Hire a developer if you need complex customization but remember you may need them for future updates too.
Essential features include inventory browsing, quote request forms, photo galleries, mobile optimization, and preferably integration with your rental management software.
DIY builders cost $14-50/month plus your time. Professional developers range from $3,000-15,000+ depending on complexity (you can find a list of our website partners here). Factor in ongoing maintenance costs either way.
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