Why You Shouldn’t Use a Website Builder

Why​ ​You​ ​Shouldn’t​ ​Use​ ​a​ ​Website​ ​Builder By​ ​Jenna​ ​Erickson,​ ​Codal​ ​Inc

______________________________________________________________________ There​ ​are​ ​many,​ ​many​ ​platforms​ ​out​ ​there​ ​that​ ​allow​ ​you​ ​to​ ​build​ ​a​ ​website​ ​using​ ​a simple​ ​drag​ ​and​ ​drop​ ​interface.​ ​Wix,​ ​SquareSpace,​ ​Weebly​ ​are​ ​just​ ​a​ ​few​ ​to​ ​name.​ ​If you​ ​are​ ​a​ ​Facebook​ ​or​ ​Twitter​ ​user​ ​chances​ ​are​ ​that​ ​you​ ​have​ ​seen​ ​advertisements​ ​for these​ ​types​ ​of​ ​platforms.

While​ ​these​ ​platforms​ ​look​ ​seamless​ ​to​ ​use,​ ​and​ ​can​ ​be​ ​built​ ​practically​ ​for​ ​free,​ ​in​ ​a short​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​time,​ ​it​ ​may​ ​look​ ​appealing​ ​to​ ​a​ ​business​ ​owner,​ ​right?​ ​Well,​ ​any​ ​UX design​ ​agency​​ ​would​ ​argue​ ​otherwise.​ ​Creating​ ​a​ ​good​ ​website​ ​takes​ ​more​ ​effort​ ​and time​ ​than​ ​just​ ​throwing​ ​a​ ​few​ ​sections​ ​on​ ​a​ ​page​ ​and​ ​slabbing​ ​content​ ​on​ ​it.​ ​Here’s​ ​why web​ ​application​ ​development​​ ​agency,​ ​Codal,​ ​would​ ​argue​ ​against​ ​it: Terrible​ ​SEO​ ​(Search​ ​Engine​ ​Optimization) Website​ ​builder​ ​platforms​ ​do​ ​not​ ​contain​ ​the​ ​correct​ ​elements​ ​to​ ​get​ ​your​ ​website ranking​ ​on​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​Google.​ ​A​ ​large​ ​part​ ​of​ ​on-page​ ​SEO,​ ​is​ ​the​ ​code​ ​and​ ​structure.

When​ ​you​ ​build​ ​your​ ​website​ ​on​ ​a​ ​platform​ ​like​ ​SquareSpace,​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​have​ ​any control​ ​over​ ​the​ ​code,​ ​which​ ​means​ ​that​ ​the​ ​search​ ​engine​ ​optimization​ ​is​ ​completely out​ ​of​ ​your​ ​hands.

Without​ ​a​ ​good​ ​SEO,​ ​or​ ​a​ ​solid​ ​SEO​ ​strategy​ ​plan,​ ​how​ ​will​ ​you​ ​get​ ​users​ ​on​ ​your website?

Devalues​ ​Your​ ​Brand Using​ ​a​ ​website​ ​builder​ ​simply​ ​devalues​ ​your​ ​business​ ​and​ ​brand.​ ​Using​ ​a​ ​standardized template​ ​from​ ​Weebly​ ​or​ ​Wix​ ​will​ ​make​ ​you​ ​blend​ ​in​ ​with​ ​other​ ​similar​ ​companies.​ ​A customer​ ​that​ ​is​ ​on​ ​your​ ​website​ ​probably​ ​will​ ​not​ ​trust​ ​making​ ​a​ ​purchase,​ ​or​ ​filling​ ​out a​ ​form​ ​if​ ​they​ ​can​ ​tell​ ​that​ ​you​ ​spent​ ​a​ ​total​ ​of​ ​$30​ ​on​ ​your​ ​website.

Your​ ​digital​ ​presence​ ​is​ ​important,​ ​having​ ​a​ ​nice​ ​website​ ​design​ ​creates​ ​a​ ​feeling​ ​of trust​ ​for​ ​your​ ​users.​ ​Cheap​ ​web​ ​design​ ​often​ ​equals​ ​cheap​ ​results.​ ​While​ ​brands​ ​are investing​ ​big​ ​money​ ​in​ ​UX​ ​design​ ​services​,​ ​and​ ​IT​ ​strategy​ ​consulting​,​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​to fall​ ​behind​ ​the​ ​curve.

Mobile-Friendliness Don’t​ ​expect​ ​a​ ​fully​ ​responsive​ ​website​ ​if​ ​you​ ​are​ ​utilizing​ ​a​ ​platform​ ​like​ ​Wix​ ​or​ ​Weebly.

While​ ​it​ ​may​ ​look​ ​decent​ ​on​ ​mobile,​ ​many​ ​businesses​ ​are​ ​seeking​ ​out​ ​mobile​ ​app design​ ​companies​​ ​just​ ​to​ ​design​ ​a​ ​mobile​ ​version​ ​of​ ​their​ ​website.

Having​ ​a​ ​mobile-friendly​ ​website​ ​should​ ​be​ ​at​ ​the​ ​top​ ​of​ ​your​ ​priority​ ​list.​ ​Recently,​ ​it was​ ​reported​ ​that​ ​52%​ ​of​ ​eCommerce​​ ​website​ ​visits​ ​came​ ​from​ ​a​ ​mobile​ ​device.​ ​That means​ ​that​ ​you​ ​could​ ​be​ ​losing​ ​almost​ ​half​ ​of​ ​your​ ​visitors​ ​if​ ​your​ ​website​ ​is​ ​not​ ​mobile responsive.

No​ ​Migration​ ​Options Once​ ​you​ ​build​ ​your​ ​website​ ​on​ ​a​ ​self-building​ ​platform,​ ​you’re​ ​stuck​ ​with​ ​it.​ ​Migration​ ​is simply​ ​not​ ​possible​ ​when​ ​you​ ​use​ ​a​ ​website​ ​builder.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​used WordPress​ ​to​ ​initially​ ​build​ ​your​ ​website,​ ​and​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​switch​ ​to​ ​a​ ​different​ ​platform,​ ​it can​ ​easily​ ​be​ ​done​ ​by​ ​any​ ​WP​ ​design​ ​&​ ​development​ ​company​.

If​ ​you’re​ ​still​ ​thinking​ ​that​ ​a​ ​website​ ​builder​ ​is​ ​a​ ​good​ ​option,​ ​you​ ​should​ ​probably​ ​chat with​ ​someone​ ​who​ ​is​ ​in​ ​the​ ​industry,​ ​like​ ​Codal​ ​(​Chicago​ ​web​ ​development​ ​agency​) who​ ​can​ ​help​ ​you​ ​understand​ ​the​ ​difference.