The Pros and Cons of Using Website Builders

Creating a website used to be a lot more complicated. It required a lot of time and effort, a huge supply of creativity, and an extensive knowledge in coding. If you have the money, you could hire a web designer to do the job for you. But if you’re broke, you’re pretty much stuck with nothing. Now, thanks to the rise of website builders, building your dream site has become easier and cheaper than ever.

Websites like Weebly, Squarespace, Weblium and Wix offer platforms where users can build their own websites for free or a very cheap price. All you need to do is choose from one of their themes, drag and drop or customize the layout, and voila, you have a website! But what’s the catch? The following are pros and cons of website builders business owners should know about.

The Pros of Using Website Builders

No Coding Skills Required

The first and most obvious advantage in using a website builder: coding skills are not required.You don’t need the help of experts. You don’t need to learn the basics of programming. These programs are purposely created for people who don’t know anything about coding.

Cheap and Fast

If you’re looking for a quick solution to your website problem, website builders are here to save the day! They’re great for those who are simply starting out on their first website or those who just want to create a personal blog for random posts. Website builders are cheaper than hiring a web designer. You can save hundreds, no thousands! of dollars. You don’t need to wait too long either. You can create your own website in less than 30 minutes.

Easy to Export

While some website builders can’t export their site to other platforms, there are many website builders which can easily do this. Exporting pages and websites is essential so when you’re changing business or domains, you don’t want have to start from scratch. Template Monster has a collection of custom-made responsive templates that are easily exportable to other platforms.

No Design Skills Required

Websites need to look great. They need to follow some kind of theme or style for it to look visually appealing. Website builders don’t promise to create the best looking site, but their designs are decent enough to draw you, visitors.

The Cons of Using Website Builders

Not Very Suitable for Professional Business

Business websites need to have a quality design, SEO coding, and professional features. First impressions last. More often than not consumers will never visit your website twice if you have a cheap looking design.

Your site’s design is not only for aesthetic purposes, according to a study, 48% of people believe that site design is the number one factor in deciding credibility. So if your purpose for this site is business, you should hire a web designer for more quality and visual aesthetics.

Not Custom Designed

If you want a really good website, you need the experience of a pro. Most website builders are not custom designed. Their free templates look generic, may not work on mobile devices, and have no additional SEO features. Plus, if you need something extra added for effectiveness, most of the time, this is impossible. They simply feel and look inadequate if you’re aiming for a more professional layout.

Slow Loading Time

While the look of your site has a lot to say about your credibility, it isn’t everything. You also want a website that will load fast. Sites built using free website builders load too slowly compared to more solidly built websites on paid platforms.

Poor SEO

Unstructured and messy codes are common among website builders. This is damaging to your on-page SEO, which should help you rank better in search engines like Google. The thing is, when you build your site with website builders, you don’t have control of the code, just design. Google likes sites that are organized well and follow a certain hierarchy or category. And making Google happy will help you rank high on its search engine.

Limited Pages

Unless you signed up for their premium plans, a free website builder account has a limit on the number of pages you’re allowed to create. Some sites will allow up to five pages, while some would even give you just one or two. And we know how little content also means few keywords which equal to few searches and less traffic. People want to read on sites that are frequently updated and growing continuously.

Limited Features

While a handful of these website builders offer better features in their premium plans, most don’t. The only good thing about this is that most of these web builders offer a money back guarantee so you can assess for yourself which builder suits your style.

Poor Customer Service

Free builders also don’t come with the best customer support so if you encounter a technical problem, you’re pretty much on your own. The only thing you can do is consult forums and ask for advice or pray that their support team will miraculously answer your email.

Flash Based

Most website builders are flash based. And most search engines can’t read flash. Your website will not be searchable (won’t appear on Google). And this can make your site’s growth slow and limited.

Conclusion

Website building software is some of the most sophisticated but complicated tools on the internet. But just like how you’d hire a carpenter to build your dream house, it’s worth every of your penny to hire a designer to build your website. However, if you’re simply building a temporary or personal site for your hobby - using the help of a website builder can be the wisest option.