Reasons not to use a website builder
You've decided to create a website, but you realize it's not an easy task. For this reason, you are evaluating whether using a website builder is a good choice. We will discuss the top reasons not to use a website builder.
The goal is not to get people to give up using a website builder but to help them understand that a website builder has certain limitations. It could be a helping hand for many who want to develop websites themselves because they can create websites for various industries and professional activities. It's free or at a meager cost if you choose to make the site yourself.
1. You don't own the website
The biggest drawback to using a website builder is never having your website. The website creation platform owns the code, model, design, and other graphic elements it generates.
You own only the content, such as text and images uploaded to the website; everything else is the sole and exclusive property of the company behind the website creator.
The website belongs to the company that owns the tool, even if you pay someone to develop the website using a website builder. Although companies like Wix, Webnode, and many others respect the intellectual property of their users, they don't give you a way to load their websites. Therefore, they do not provide you with ownership of the site.
if this is already a dealbreaker for you, consider hiring an expert in website development
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In the case of logo creation tools such as those provided by Wix, the user can use the logo as he sees fit, but the logo is not exclusive to him. In other words, anyone else can use the same tool to create a logo similar to yours.
2. Inability to move the site
This limitation of the website builder certainly makes many people hesitate if they want to use this tool. The creator does not allow the site to be moved to another company or service.
This problem is directly related to the previous limitation. Since the website builder is a proprietary platform, and the technology used on the website builder belongs to the company that owns the engine, it is impossible to migrate your website to another company.
In addition, you must follow all the company's rules, and there is no guarantee that the contract will not be affected by the instrument's owner. They can reset pricing, remove features, limit access, or anything else.
A website builder doesn't allow the migration of created sites. Your only choice is to accept the new company terms, switch to another website builder, and forcibly create a new site from scratch because the website builder does not allow you to ship the site to another location.
After creating your website, if you realize that this tool is not serving you in one way or another, all of your time with that tool will be lost due to the inability to change the platform without losing the work completed.
Only text and images can be used during the platform change, but the website must be created from scratch on the new platform. There is no option to migrate your site, keeping the same design.
The downside is that each time you change the platform, your website will have a different design, which can be confusing for your customers, who may not understand the significant changes on your website.
Better website builders like Wix and others like it tend only to let you export blog posts. Nothing can be copied. Only the text of published articles can be moved to another engine.
3. Limited design features
Creating a website is quite different when using a website builder. Indeed, there are certain limitations inherent to this type of tool. Whether it is company X or company Y, a website builder will always have some restrictions reflected in how they develop the website.
Design professionals on the market specialize in website development created with a website builder, and they know they cannot take advantage of the full potential of this type of tool because it has certain limitations.
A non-specialist user will hardly notice the limitation. Still, a user with a background in web design or development will surely be disappointed to discover that everything is based on a website builder.
Creating a website with an expert allows for more autonomy and customization. This might be the best option for those looking for a professional way to build a website without any limitations, as website builders can be pretty limited during website development.
4. SEO Limitations
Website builders have come a long way in the past few years, making it possible for you to create very search engine-friendly websites. Unlike in the past, website builders today offer solutions to create a mobile-friendly and SEO-optimized website.
But don't expect too many advanced options and high-tech features. A website built this way can hardly compete with a web development company. A good website builder offers only basic SEO features and on-page optimization.
For those looking for maximum page load performance and a wide range of SEO tools, you should consider a web development company.
Use the best SEO practices to generate the results you want
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For this reason, a website builder will not be the best choice for those who want to create a website to insert a large amount of content. It is not impossible to optimize your site well; however, if your competitors are creating websites with us, know that your site will be at a disadvantage in terms of SEO optimization.
5. Bad for blogging
Great website builders offer blogging features but always have some limitations. Indeed, blogging is not very popular for anyone using a website builder. For this reason, the tools only provide the basics for blogging.
This may seem discouraging, but in reality, using a website builder is a bad choice, and we are only dealing with the main limitations of this type of tool.
Indeed, again, it is clear that website development from scratch is much better for creating blogs or websites. Worldwide companies create websites like this for a good reason, especially since it is ideal for creating awesome blogs.
Of course, everything comes with a price, and if we start an article about the reasons to not hire website development agencies, it will also scare many people. In the case of a website builder, the limitations are much more significant. If you still want a blogging tool that is easier to administer, consider a website development company.
6. Online Store Limited
When building an online store, you need marketing reports, upselling features, and more tools to help you increase your average ticket sales and revenue. It also needed to adapt to the profile of your consumer, something only the current Wix site creator could do. Before hiring a virtual store service, it is necessary to check whether the service caters to your targeted audience.
If you are looking for the autonomy to install new features and the ability to implement new functions in your virtual store, website builders aren't for you.
The problem starts when many website builders choose not to offer online store functionality due to the complexity it requires from the platform. Another problem is that some of the features are aimed at foreign countries. Another obstacle is that website building platforms often charge high fees to enable virtual store functionality.
These features will eventually be limited to more expensive plans. There are better options on the market for those who want to set up a professional online store. Simply put, website builders are not always the best choice for this.
7. Nothing is free and professional
You will undoubtedly think about using a free website builder, but know there is no way to create something professional without spending money.
Creating a professional website requires investment (even if it is low). We are not saying this to force you to purchase a paid service, quite the contrary. The goal is that you don't fall into the traps of free website builders.
We have worked with worldwide companies and I can affirm to you that: you can have a low-cost professional website. Don't be fooled by the free services, as they make money selling upgrades to the paid plan.
No one likes to hear this, but building a website without investment can make it look amateurish. Website builders offer minimal features on free plans. You'll need to upgrade to a paid plan to give it a more professional look.
8. Non-responsive websites
Websites built with a website builder don't offer responsiveness - or they do but in a limited way. The site will work on almost any device, but some limitations may exist.
These websites are mobile-friendly but lose a lot of adaptability to different resolutions. There are usually desktop versions (for computers) and mobile versions (for smartphones), but they are one for each device.
This causes performance problems on some mobile phone resolutions and may also not display correctly on tablets. Even on screens with specific resolutions, there can still be some problems rendering web pages created with the site builder.
On the other hand, if you work with a creative web development company like us, you will be in advanced regarding responsiveness on any device. Developing websites with us makes it easy and convenient for you to have a responsive website that works well on any device. Even the most advanced website builder faces some limitations in developing a mobile-friendly website.
9. Everything is very similar
This may be the worst problem of all. Everyone knows when a website is developed with a website builder just by looking at it. Everything is the same!
Now that you know all the 9 reasons you shouldn't use a website builder, consider hiring an expert
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Websites created with website builders look very, very similar. Consider that your website could work for any company if you just change the logo because it has no identity! Your website will not be unique and will not stand out in the market.
Conclusion
Creating a website can be straightforward and inexpensive using a website builder. We always like to emphasize the importance of this type of tool for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who cannot afford to make significant investments.
The purpose of this article is in no way to prevent people from using a website builder. But it's essential to know its limitations to understand whether it will meet your business needs.
If you can't afford the investment, a free website builder can be a great option to get the idea of creating a website for your business on paper. But if you want to invest in your website and make it unique, get in touch with us, and we will provide you with a free instant quote for your project!