Five big problems with website builders
Using a website builder for your next design project can be a very tempting prospect. Website builders appear to offer a lot of benefits. On the face of it they are cheaper than hiring a web designer and easier than coding it yourself.
But there are some huge drawbacks that most won’t tell you about. Why would they? It’s in their interest for you to use their product to make your website. But we’re going to reveal all in today’s blog post. You’ll learn why you should shun website builders and use a proper web designer instead.
It can take a long time to create a site using a website builder
If you think using a website builder will be easy because you don’t have to code, you are mistaken. These products are often far from intuitive and it can take hours for you to get used to using the builder. These are wasted hours that you could otherwise be spending on running your business and making money. If your time is worth anything at all, it probably won’t be worth spending it on using a website builder to make your next site.
You’ll actually spend more than you realise
One big draw of website builders is the cost savings they offer. The prospect of spending just a couple of bucks a month on a brand new website sounds great. That’s until you get building and realize that the basic version of the package doesn’t give you everything you need or want to create your website. To get all the bells and whistles will usually mean upgrading to the most expensive plan which can run to $50 a month. And this cost is ongoing which means you’ll be paying $50 a month for every month you use it. That’s $600 a year.
It could look like everyone else’s website
Almost all website builders rely on templates to create the layouts and pages. So even if you add your own images to the templates, the underlying design and look of the website will be the same of hundreds or even thousands of other website. This isn’t great for a business trying to look professional.
You probably won’t be able to transfer it
So you’ve got fed up with your website builder and decide you want to transfer it away and host your site yourself. Tough. Most website builders won’t let you keep your site if you transfer it away from them. In some cases, the website will actually belong to them, not you. Even if you can transfer it, you probably won’t be able to take the content or the designs with you. It’s not a sustainable option.
Your SEO won’t be great
Being found on Google is hugely important for small businesses. Unfortunately, website builders don’t give you the best tools for this job. Often, the templated nature of them means they aren’t well optimized for search engines and will struggle to rank. Even an expert SEO company may not be able to help you rank a site built with a website builder.
If you want a proper solution for your new website, our designers can help. Get in touch today.
