Table of Contents
What are the advantages of using a website builder?
Some of the key selling points of a website builder include:
- Mobile responsiveness: Websites that don’t optimize for mobile won’t appear in Google, but website builders prioritize mobile responsiveness first.
- Affordability: While web developers are extremely pricey, website builders are available for a monthly or annual subscription.
- Accessibility: Website builders are typically low-code or no-code.
- Time-saving: Website builders normally consist of drag-and-drop elements.
Let’s now look at each of these.
Mobile Responsiveness
Mobile responsiveness is crucial in the modern SEO landscape, and more people access sites on their smartphones and tablets than on computers. Websites that ignore this fact will not be visible, but site builders understand this.
Site builders normally optimize websites for mobile and desktop. Screen sizes adjust depending on where the user is accessing a website from.
Affordability
Web developers often involve a one-off fee for site design projects, but they’re very expensive; site builders have a recurring, but relatively small, subscription fee.
For the above reason, beginners, small businesses, and people without technical skills all use website builders. You might need extra help later, but a site builder is at least a starting point.
Accessibility
Website builders have pre-designed templates, drag-and-drop features, and plugins, but they don’t have the learning curve of complex CMS.
Website builders normally have resources, such as videos and articles, to walk through the setup phase.
Saving Time
Building a site via a website builder normally takes a few hours, but on the other hand, complex websites made by developers could take weeks or months.
Website builders normally need one or two people to oversee the process. Users can test-iterate once their site goes live; if they don’t get much traffic, they should make adjustments where necessary.
What are the disadvantages of using a website builder?
Website builders are one of the most convenient site-building tools, but they’re by no means perfect. Things to consider when you choose a site builder include:
- Scalability: As your business grows, you’ll need a tool that can manage extra customers, requests, and so on.
- Platform dependency: Growing your website on a site builder means that you need to use that platform.
- Customization: Website builders have basic features, but you need to ask whether they’re enough for your needs.
Let’s now look at each of these.
Scalability
Websites experience more customer requests, site visits, and orders when a business grows. It’s a nice problem to have, but your business will crumble if you don’t have a sturdy infrastructure.
Before buying a site builder, look at its scalability options. For example, you should see which plugins it has and determine whether you need more bandwidth.
Platform Dependency
When you use any website builder, your domain and site design are on that platform. You can migrate your services to another provider, but you should really know what you’re doing.
Because you risk losing site data when migrating, the best option is to pick a platform you like the first time around. You should use free trials where available. If you later migrate your website and domain, get a professional to do it for you.
Customization
Before you sign up for a website builder, you need to make sure that it has the customization tools you need. It’s great if your chosen service releases updates in the future, but you shouldn’t rely on them doing that.
If you need more comprehensive customization, hiring a web developer might be necessary. Alternatively, look at more advanced content management systems like WordPress.
Can I switch website builders if I’m not satisfied with my current one?
Yes – when switching website builders, you normally export content from your current builder to the new one. Manual transfer might be necessary in some cases, but you could also get migration tools or services in other instances.
Switching websites from one site builder to another often requires redesigning the site. Moreover, you’ll have to resubmit your site map to Google.
What are the limitations of website builders?
Some of the limitations associated with website builders include:
- Access to code: You often can’t access code with website builders, and you’ll need to think about this when considering customization options.
- Ownership: You usually own your own site with a custom-built website, but this isn’t always the case with site builders. Check this before you sign up for a service.
- Site speed: Site speeds might be slower than with a custom-built site, but some website builders have pretty solid services in this respect. It varies from builder to builder, so you should verify with your chosen platform.
When is a website builder the right choice for my business?
Consider using website builders if you don’t have the budget for a web developer. If you lack technical expertise, trying to build your own site from scratch will otherwise frustrate you; site builders can help.
On the other hand, you should consider a web developer or CMS if you already know how to build websites. You may also want to use custom site services if you have a specific vision for how your website will look.
Nevertheless, don’t fail to get acquainted with popular faults during site development that will help you dodge traps in the process of creation.
Conclusion
Website builders are convenient and affordable ways to build your website, but they come with limitations that can be frustrating. You should look at site builders if you want to set up a site and can’t afford a developer, but you’re better off looking at more advanced services if you need something different.
Assess your needs before signing up for a service, and use free trials where possible. You should also think about the migration services available.
