Bridge clubs are more than just places to play the game.

If you’re a bridge club, then you’re also a brand.

And if there’s one thing that most major brands or bridge clubs could use, then it would be a website.

There are thousands of bridge clubs in the world, but many of them only show up as a listing. (That’s not exactly encouraging when you Google the club, now is it?)

Clubs without a website could be losing out on potential members as a result. Lacking a website can even make things harder for your card-carrying club members than it needs to be.

Here’s why every bridge club should have a home page, and 3 popular hosting solutions unpacked.

Why Websites?

When people want to know about something, they look it up online.

Let’s say that it’s your bridge club. Where do you want online visitors to end up first?

A website directs people to the right place.

When your club is only showing up as a listing on someone else’s page, it’s hard to track down any information or resources. But when a club has a website, this is where members get together, updates are posted, and clubs can have information for non-members.

Do brands like Coca-Coca or McDonald’s have websites?

Of course.

(So should you.)

1: BridgeCloud

BridgeCloud is a unique website hosting solution that was created with bridge players in mind.

While companies like Wix or WordPress are user-centric, BridgeCloud is bridge-specific.

This gives it the advantage of features that bridge players (and clubs) can appreciate more – including the ability to customize the look, upload files, and schedule games.

No web design knowledge is needed.

BridgeCloud has the advantage of including features that would take time and effort to integrate into a club site hosted elsewhere (like WordPress).

2: Wix

Wix is an online website creation tool with free or paid site packages.

The good thing is that Wix allows anyone to make a website. Again, no web design knowledge is needed. Everything is done through a simple interface that is mostly click-and-drag.

A possible drawback is the use of the Wix domain: unless moving to paid hosting, you’re stuck being a Wixsite. Other limitations (like space) are also in place unless paying for a hosting package.

It’s also easy to go overboard with Wix until your website looks like a MySpace profile. (The simple answer is, don’t.)

Is it worth doing?

That’s up to you. Wix is good, but it’s not – at least in my opinion – more than this.

3: WordPress

WordPress offers both free or paid hosting packages.

Free packages offer a WordPress-based domain, limited storage space, and a reduced selection of possible website themes for customizing your page.

A custom domain (for example, yourclub.com) and more features become available through their paid plans,

The gold of WordPress lies in the admin panel. It’s easy to use if you’ve never approached web design before, but advanced features are still available for once you’ve learned more.

WordPress wins when it comes to user-friendliness and features.