What to Look for in Website Design Software

Look for website design software that fits the site you need to build, makes everyday updates manageable, and gives you control over your content. Before choosing, test its editing tools, mobile layouts, accessibility controls, search engine optimization settings, publishing workflow, costs, and options for moving your site later.

Start with your actual pages—not a template gallery. Ask each shortlisted tool to handle the same small project: a homepage, a service page, and a contact page. Then compare how easily you can build, review, publish, and revise them.

Marcelo offers website design, search engine optimization, content marketing, social media management, paid advertising, and marketing strategy. This guide focuses on choosing design software around the work your website needs to support, rather than choosing by appearance alone.

Write a short brief describing what you want visitors to understand and do. Use that brief as your evaluation checklist.

Answer these questions first:

Separate requirements into “essential,” “useful,” and “optional.” Avoid letting an appealing extra outweigh a missing essential.

Test it with a real task instead of relying on a demonstration.

Build a sample service page using your own headline, description, image, and contact information. Then try to:

Have the person responsible for future updates complete the test. Note where they need instructions, outside help, or repeated trial and error.

Also check how shared design changes work. Ask whether you can update a repeated element, such as a header or button style, without editing every page separately. Treat the answer as something to verify in the product—not something to assume from its marketing language.

Make mobile review part of the trial, not a final approval step.

Open your sample pages on the devices available to you. Check whether you can read the text, use the navigation, select buttons, and complete the intended next step comfortably.

Look closely at:

• Headings that wrap awkwardly.
• Text placed over images.
• Buttons positioned close together.
• Forms with several fields.
• Menus and expandable sections.
• Content that requires sideways scrolling.

Try changing the mobile layout. Can you adjust spacing, image placement, or text size without creating unwanted changes elsewhere? Ask the vendor to demonstrate any behavior you cannot test yourself.

Include search engine optimization controls in your comparison, but test the individual settings rather than accepting an “SEO-friendly” label as your evaluation.

Ask whether you can:

• Write a distinct page title and description.
• Choose descriptive page addresses.
• Organize headings intentionally.
• Add descriptive alternative text to images.
• Link between relevant pages.
• Set up redirects when changing page addresses.
• Control which pages are available for search indexing.
• Access sitemap settings or documentation.

For each requirement, establish whether it is included, requires an additional tool, needs technical assistance, or is unavailable in the plan you are considering.

Then test content work. Create a second service page, revise its text, add a relevant internal link, and preview it. If you expect to publish articles regularly, test an article too. Choose based on the editing work you expect to repeat—not just the first page you build.

Include accessibility in your selection criteria and page review process.

Ask the vendor to show how you would:

• Use a clear heading structure.
• Add image descriptions where appropriate.
• Label form fields.
• Review text and background contrast.
• Navigate menus and controls using a keyboard.
• Make links and buttons understandable in context.

Test the template you intend to use, along with the content you add to it. Do not treat an accessibility label or automated score as your entire review. If your project has specific accessibility requirements, include those requirements in the brief and arrange an appropriate review before committing.

Evaluate a representative page rather than an empty template.

Add the kinds of images, sections, forms, and other elements you intend to publish. Test that draft with a performance measurement tool, and record the test conditions so you can compare candidates consistently.

Ask practical questions:

• Can you resize or compress images within your workflow?
• Can you remove elements you do not need?
• Can you control optional animations or video?
• What can you change yourself if a page performs poorly?
• What support is available for issues you cannot resolve?

Use test results as evidence for your decision, not as a promise about every future page or visitor experience.

Test what happens between finishing an edit and making it public.

Check whether the software supports the process you want: drafting, previewing, reviewing, approving, and publishing. If several people will work on the site, ask which permissions each person can receive.

A useful trial task is to revise an existing page while keeping its current version live. Share the proposed version with a reviewer, collect changes, and investigate how you would recover from an incorrect publication.

Marcelo's confirmed website design work includes draft pages queued for review, with the current page shown beside the proposed version before publication. When comparing software, consider whether its review process gives you the clarity you want before changes go live.

Ask ownership questions before paying or publishing.

Establish who will control:

• The primary website account.
• Domain registration and access.
• Billing and renewal settings.
• Text, images, and other uploaded material.
• Connected accounts and integrations.
• Account recovery details.

Then request a clear explanation of what you could export if you moved away. Ask separately about page content, images, design files, page addresses, and any information collected through the site.

Do not interpret “export available” as an answer to every migration question. Ask for a demonstration or documentation covering the material you would need to keep.

Compare the plan required for your actual project, not just the lowest advertised price.

Request an itemized explanation of any applicable charges for the subscription, domain, additional users, integrations, forms, storage, support, and other requirements in your brief. Check renewal terms, cancellation conditions, and any introductory pricing separately.

For support, ask:

• Which contact channels are included?
• When is assistance available?
• Which issues are covered?
• Does the provider help with design questions, technical problems, or both?
• What happens if a connected third-party tool stops working?

Record the answers alongside your trial results. Keep confirmed inclusions separate from optional purchases and unresolved questions.

Use a simple scorecard with four columns: requirement, priority, test result, and evidence.

For example, record “service page editing” as essential, describe the task you completed, and note any help required. Repeat that process for mobile layout, content controls, review, ownership, cost, and support.

Eliminate options that fail an essential requirement unless you have a workable alternative. For the remaining options, weigh the trade-offs against your brief. Prefer a demonstrated fit over an impressive feature list you have not tested.

If you would like to discuss website design with Marcelo, email support@meetmarcelo.ai. Start with your planned pages, who will maintain them, and the requirements that matter most to you.