In today’s digital space, static websites don’t cut it. 

Website visitors expect more than plain text and images. They want interaction, movement, and to be kept engaged. Research tells us that users typically spend less than 15 seconds on a web page (Alis Behavioral Health). This is where interactive websites stand out.

There are many interactive features to play with, from animations and hover effects to quizzes, forms, and dynamic scrolling. These elements can transform your website into an experience that grabs your visitors’ attention and keeps them on your site for longer.

Interactivity also directly impacts conversions. Well-placed interactive content like quizzes and forms can guide users to the product they’re looking for, helping to increase leads.

In this article, I’ll explain what makes an interactive website builder truly interactive. I’ll detail the top features to look out for and a comparison of the best interactive website tools available right now, including my personal favorite, beehiiv. 

Regardless of whether you need a portfolio or personal website, I’ll give you the guidance you need to choose the right platform for you. 

An interactive website builder allows you to design a website with features that users can engage with.

Instead of building a static site, interactive website builders allow you to bring your site to life with animation, transitions, and user-driven elements.

This may sound like the sort of site that could only be built by a developer. Nope! Most interactive builders offer drag-and-drop editors to make it simple to design impressive elements such as hover effects, product reveals, quizzes, polls, and dynamic scrolling. These features make your site look contemporary, while also encouraging people to explore it.

The main difference between an interactive website and a static site is performance. A static site might deliver information, but it’s unlikely to drive results in terms of engagement. Giving users interactive content, such as a form to fill out or an animation to watch, makes them stay on your site for longer, in turn making them more likely to make a purchase / sign up.

Let’s run through some benefits of using an interactive website builder:

Interactive websites are known for offering an easier, more intuitive user experience than static websites.

Let’s look at an example. An E-commerce site could use hover effects on certain products to reveal details, without requiring the user to make an extra click. This small touch can help guide users through your website and create a sense of flow that keeps people exploring.

Interactive elements don’t just entertain your users. They also drive conversions.

Forms that users can fill in help to capture leads directly on a page, while quizzes can help users find the product or service they’re looking for. 

For example, a fitness website might use an interactive questionnaire to suggest workout plans, while an SaaS company could integrate a pop-up demo request form. These tools can change passive browsing into active engagement, and therefore browsers into customers.

Kaitlyn Arford grew her newsletter Freelance Opportunities! to 11,000 subscribers using beehiiv’s interactive features, earning $6,000 in the process. Learn how she used polls, automation tools, and re-engagement campaigns in the full case study here.

Your website is a chance to tell the story of your brand and make a great first impression.

Parallax scrolling, animated transitions, and clickable graphics can help tell your brand’s story, creating an experience that is memorable for your visitors and easy to navigate.

A business could use dynamic scrolling to unfold its content as visitors scroll. This positions your brand as modern and innovative, while making it super easy to tell a story.

When choosing the best interactive website builder, look for features that not only make your site engaging but are also practical for the goals you’re trying to achieve.

Here are some of my favorites:

I love using animations and hover effects to add life to static pages. You can hover over product images to reveal details or make buttons animated when you click on them.

These small touches can make such a difference when trying to keep your visitors engaged.

Forms and quizzes capture valuable leads while making the process fun.

From newsletter sign-ups to product finders, they encourage users to interact, learn which product is for them, and share their information.

Another feature that works really well is smooth transitions with dynamic scrolling.

As users scroll through your website, you can unfold the content using dynamic scrolling and beautiful transitions, making your site a joy to read.

Drag-and-drop editors are widespread across website builders, but they’re super useful at making advanced interactivity accessible for everyone.

You can easily build a layout and add animations without requiring any coding knowledge at all. They’re an invaluable tool for interactive content.

It’s important to make sure that the interactive tools you’re using seamlessly integrate with your marketing tools.

Features you may already be using, like customer relationship management (CRM) integrations, email capture forms, and automation tools, should either be featured or easily integrated within your website builder to ensure that everything works together properly. 

Why Listen to Me? I have been working in the digital marketing space for nearly 10 years, predominantly helping brands with their email marketing and online presence. I now specialize in creating great content for beehiiv to help people nail their email strategies!

There are many interactive website builders available. Choosing the right one for your business comes down to your goals and budget. 

Below are my top picks, where I’ve detailed the main features and pricing plans of each tool.

Originally known for newsletters, beehiiv has expanded into interactive website building.

Unlike many traditional builders, beehiiv focuses on audience engagement, helping you build not only a beautiful site, but one that focuses on interaction and conversion rates.

Here are some of my favorite beehiiv features:

In terms of price, beehiiv is competitive with a free plan offering essential features and paid plans starting at $42 per month.

beehiiv’s free plan makes it easy to get started, while premium options unlock advanced customization, premium templates, and access to deeper analytics. For creators looking to scale their businesses, beehiiv is a choice that is competitive on price compared to traditional website builders, while offering a unique set of interactive publishing tools.

Webflow is good for designers who want to retain control over animations and interactions. It has powerful visual effects that let you create custom scroll details and transitions. Its micro-interactions are also a good feature to add extra professionalism.

I like that Webflow offers highly customizable animations and interactions, while also giving strong SEO controls. However, it’s not that easy to use. It can be a steep learning curve – especially for beginners. Plus, it can also be quite time-consuming to set up.

Pricing starts at $25 per month for basic sites, with advanced plans increasing to up to $212 per month.

Squarespace’s interactive website builder is perfect for visual storytelling. It offers polished templates and smooth page transitions, all in an easy-to-use platform.

Squarespace also has strong media support, allowing you to connect your social media channels to your site and post directly via a website management panel.

In my experience, customization can be a little limited, with fewer interactive elements than some of the other interactive website builders mentioned here.

Pricing starts at $16 per month for a personal plan, $26 per month for a business plan, or $40 for commerce sites.

If you’re a WordPress user, Elementor may be the right choice for you. 

Elementor is a WordPress plugin that focuses on interactivity without coding, with motion effects and pop-ups all situated within the WordPress drag-and-drop editor. It offers a wide range of widgets, good community support, and can quickly integrate with a WordPress site.

Unfortunately, as with all plugins, Elementor can slow your website down and be unpredictable if there are any technical plugin issues. 

In terms of pricing, there’s a free version available, with Pro plans starting at $59 per year for a single site.

Zyro is a good interactive website builder if you’re looking for a budget option.

Zyro offers simple drag-and-drop editing, which makes it super user-friendly, and can set you up with simple interactive features to start exploring a more engaging website.

Unfortunately, as with many budget site builders, it is very limited, with fewer advanced options, making it generally unsuitable for content-heavy websites.

Plans start from $2.90 per month for a basic site and go up to $15.90 per month for more advanced features.

Choosing the right platform can make all the difference when building an engaging, interactive website. beehiiv is the standout choice for me when it comes to ease-of-use, visual effects, and measurable, interactive features.

I love how beehiiv combines interactive templates, customizable forms, dynamic layouts, and analytics all in one clean interface. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re focusing on publishing content, growing your audience, or looking to increase conversions. beehiiv makes it easy to build a site that looks great and drives real results.

Start a free, 30-day trial with beehiiv to start creating your interactive website here!

You can make a website interactive by adding interactive elements, including animation, hover effects, quizzes, and dynamic scrolling.

Use an interactive website builder like beehiiv to easily add these features without the need for coding knowledge.

It can cost in the region of $25 - $200 per month for an interactive website. Free plans are often available if you’re looking to build an interactive website on a budget.

ChatGPT is capable of generating code, templates, and content with careful instruction. However, it cannot host or fully build a live, interactive website on its own.

The most flexible website builder is beehiiv. It offers interactive templates, customizable layouts, and dynamic features, balancing ease-of-use with advanced interactivity, making it ideal for content-driven websites and audience engagement.