Thanks to the rise of popular website builders like Squarespace and Wix it is easier then ever for a business owner to get themselves online.

All you need to do is choose a platform, select a theme then drag and drop or customise the layout to suit your business.

So what’s the catch? Here are the pros and cons of website builders that business owners should know about.

Pros

Cheap and Fast

There is really no cheaper or quicker way to get a website online.

You won’t need to hire a web designer and thanks to plenty of pre-built themes you’ll be able to get online in less then 30 minutes.

No Coding Skills Required

The most obvious advantage is the drag and drop customiser and the lack of coding involved in a website builder.

You won’t need help from experts and you won’t need to learn anything about coding, these platforms are built specifically for people who don’t know anything about coding.

No Design Skills Required

Your new website needs to look great if you want it to produce the results you’re hoping for.

It needs to follow a consistent theme or style for it to look visually appealing.

Website builders don’t promise you the best looking website but they provide decent enough designs to bring you visitors.

Cons

Not Suitable for Professional Business

Professional business websites need a quality design, search engine optimisation and custom features.

First impressions last and more often then not a visitor won’t return to your website twice if you have a cheap looking design.

Your website’s design isn’t only for aesthetic purposes either, according to a study by Ironpaper, 48% of people believe that a website’s design is the number one factor in deciding credibility.

Not Custom Designed

If you want a really good website for your business then you need the experience of a pro.

Website builder themes and templates often look generic to target their broad customer base and often don’t work well on mobile devices.

Also, if you want something custom added in this is usually impossible.

They simply feel and look inadequate if you’re aiming for a professional layout.

Slow Loading Time

While this depends heavily on the website builder you choose, they will always be slower then a proper custom built website.

With a custom website you don’t need all the extra baggage that comes with a website builder framework and therefore you’ll always load faster.

And you can also take advantage of things like faster hosting, code optimisation, image compression and proper caching.

Poor SEO

Unstructured and messy code is common among website builders (another cause of slow loading times).

This is damaging to your on-page SEO, which can hurt your rankings on search engines like Google.

By using a website builder, you don’t have any control over the code, only the design.

Search engines like websites that are well organised and structured with a certain hierarchy and websites with this will also rank higher then ones that don’t.

Limited Features

While some website builders offer better features in their premium plans, these still pale in comparison to the possibilities a custom website offers.

This is why a professional business should avoid website builders because they’ll eventually want a new feature added to their website which may not be possible.

Poor Customer Service

This can be better with paid plans but you’ll often find your only help being their forums and online guides.

If you do reach out to their support team you can often wait several days to receive a response.

Conclusion

Website builders can be a great choice if you’re looking to get online quickly with very little investment.

But if you’re looking to represent your business online in the best light possible it’s always better to work with a professional web designer.

If you have any other questions about website builders or what’s involved in a custom website design please don’t hesitate to reach out.

To your success,
Jackson