About Web Building

Editorial policy

The short answer

Our writers follow fixed rules: facts come only from official sources, every price is dated, we never claim tests we didn't run, and every platform gets fair coverage. Affiliate money never changes what we say, and when we get something wrong we fix it and note the date.

Who we write for

Web Building is written for people in the US who are building or rebuilding a website: small business owners, creators, freelancers and anyone choosing a platform for the first time. Prices are in US dollars.

We write simply, put the verdict first and explain technical terms the first time they appear.

Where facts come from

  • Every price, fee, limit and date comes from the vendor’s official pricing page, help center, docs or announcements.
  • We copy numbers exactly and don’t round them in ways that mislead.
  • When a vendor doesn’t publish a number, we say so instead of estimating it.
  • Third-party sources are used only when the vendor publishes nothing, and are labeled.
  • We never invent quotes, testimonials, user counts or statistics.

The full process, including how often we re-check, is on how we research.

No fake testing claims

We do not hold test accounts on every builder, so we never claim to have tested a platform we haven’t used, and we don’t use star ratings or scores out of 5. We tell you where a fact comes from, such as a pricing page or help article.

Self-hosted WordPress is the one platform we describe from first-hand use, because we build on it every week.

How we show prices

We give the price billed yearly first, then the price billed monthly. For hosting sold on long prepaid terms, we give the intro price, the term it requires and the renewal price. We always show the renewal price.

We also count costs that headline prices leave out: domain renewals, email, paid apps and transaction fees.

Fair to every platform

Every review says who the platform is right for and who should skip it. A hosted builder, a CMS and an AI app builder each suit different people, and we write with that in mind rather than picking a side.

Exit scores follow a published rubric, so any reader can check how a score was reached. See the exit score table.

Money and independence

We may earn affiliate commissions from some platforms. Commissions never change a score, a verdict or the order of a list. No platform pays to be listed, and we don’t sell placements or reviews. Read the affiliate disclosure.

Our owner also runs a web agency. When a guide compares building it yourself with hiring help, as in builder vs WordPress vs agency, we lay out the real costs of each path so you can decide.

Pages that touch on law, such as website laws in the US, are general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, talk to a lawyer.

Updates and corrections

We re-check facts every three months. If you find an error, email connect@webbuilding.net or use the contact page. We fix it and note the date of the correction on the page.

Questions people ask

Do you accept payment to review or rank a platform?

No. No platform pays to be listed, and affiliate commissions never change scores, verdicts or the order of our lists.

Why don't you use star ratings?

Star ratings suggest first-hand testing we don't do on every builder. We use facts from official sources and a published exit score rubric instead.

How do you handle mistakes?

Email us with the page and the problem. We fix the error and note the date of the correction on the page.