What are website builders: all the pros and cons

A website builder is a program that allows you to make up a website without using manual coding. All the main work is done through a user-friendly graphical interface. Similar tools have appeared for a long time (WYSIWYG editors), but it is the constructors that have gained wide popularity.

What is the main idea?

Website builder with WYSIWYG editor

Using a WYSIWYG editor, you can create only individual elements of the site (blocks, paragraphs, links, etc.), but the constructor allows you to manage an entire section of the site (portfolio section, feedback form, etc.). The graphical editor of the constructor makes it possible not only to customize the styling of a section, but also to control its logical behavior.

An advanced designer interface eliminates the need to understand the basics of HTML. Moreover, in addition to visual settings, almost anyone can independently customize the internal processing of user data. For example, you can set your own filtering and validation rules for a feedback form.

Benefits of website builders

Website creation using a constructor

Creation speed. It takes just a few hours to create a simple, small website online. Modern builders, as a rule, have a clear interface and all work comes down to creating blocks and filling them with the necessary information. Similar work on CMS will require knowledge of the code and take much more time.
Price. Constructors can be free, shareware, and paid. With a limited budget for sites with limited functionality, this is a real discovery. Using a paid plan, you are often allowed to create a website much faster and with wider functionality.
No need to code. An advanced Internet user will cope with the development of a website using a constructor. You don't have to be a programmer or look for one if you need a website that is simple in functionality. Often, a superficial understanding of the structure of your future project will be enough.
High-speed performance. Typically, top website builders allow you to build fast, well-optimized websites. As a result, visitors to your web project will be able to quickly open a site and switch between pages without significant time delays.
Structuring. The use of a block structure allows you to make information clear and understandable. You just need to select and fill in the blocks suggested by thу constructor.
SEO optimization. Many builders contain ready-made modules with a minimum amount of settings that simplify the search engine promotion of the project and make it possible to configure the necessary analytics.
Fast redesign. You can change the design of the web resource at any time. You just need to choose the template you like from a variety of ready-made solutions. Site templates are available on any website builder. They can be either paid or free.
Adaptivity. Generally, you will not have to test the standard templates provided by the system. Basic templates are tested at the development stage, as a result, the webmaster gets a fully working website without bugs.

The constructors are undoubtedly good, but they also have certain lowlights.

Disadvantages of website builders

Uniqueness. Website builders offer a limited set of templates, therefore, on the Internet there will be many similar sites with similar, if not identical, designs, which threatens to discredit the company among potential customers, and also opens up opportunities for your competitors.
Code size. Unfortunately, not all constructors generate optimal HTML. Bulky generated code can negatively affect page load, as a result, visitors have to wait for the page to load, which negatively affects conversions.
Complexity of editing. The HTML and CSS-code generated by the constructor are difficult for programmers to understand and often cannot be edited and you have to take the resulting product as it comes.
Difficulties in scaling. It is not a problem to make a small project on a constructor, but if your company overgrew a business card site and you decide to make a serious online store, then you should think about a CMS system or a personal solution.
Paid solutions. Good things come at a price. Interesting templates, modules, plugins cost money. Also, getting attached to the builder, you will have to accept their pricing policy and pay for using the system and hosting where your site is located.

How to choose a website builder?

If you intend to create a website using a constructor, we recommend you to take into account the following selection criteria:

Test period. A free trial period will allow you to fully evaluate the capabilities and functionality of the website builder.
Clear pricing. The subscription price must be fixed and provide access to additional functionality (templates, modules). Discounts when ordering builder`s services for a long time can be a nice bonus.
Analytics and promotion. The presence of advanced SEO settings and the ability to use analytics systems (connecting Google Analytics, Yandex Metrics, FB Pixel) is an important advantage and will allow you to more effectively promote your resource.
Templates and modules. A large collection of templates, modules, as well as the ability to integrate with many popular services (call tracking, chat with a customer, online payment, and others) will make your project more functional, interesting and useful for visitors.
Support and community. The presence of a support service will allow you to quickly get an answer to your question and solve the problems that have arisen. A well-developed community will allow you to get feedback from the same webmasters, as well as find and use interesting, non-standard solutions.

Summing up

It is worth highlighting systems that allow you to create simple sites with minimal skills and time consuming. These include: Wix, uKit, and Nethouse. These constructors are suitable for beginners and will be the best solution for small businesses. It is more difficult for a beginner to create a website on Tilda, in addition, this constructor is more expensive, but for the implementation of creative ideas and creating an original design, it can offer much more interesting possibilities.

The designers have conquered the market by giving the user a huge variety of ready-made sections of the site. It remains only to drag the desired section with the mouse to the assembly area, and then fill it with your own unique content. The variety of these tools is so great that the user is given a choice on which platform he will manage his constructor. Yes, sites often become similar to each other, but this flaw is eliminated only by your imagination. With a little tinkering, you can create a completely unique design that is not like the others.

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Portfolio of the sites on Tilda

Here you can observe our works, made with Tilda and other popular CMS