Website Builder

Do you need a web page and don't know how to create it? You can do this with a website builder, even if you don't have computer skills. All you have to do is select which elements your web page should contain and drag them into the project - this is how it should work. However, not all website builders are this easy to use. Not sure which one to choose?

Well, you've come to the right place! We will talk about what are the functionalities of website builders, their advantages, and their disadvantages. Choose the best one for you, your company, or your clients.

What is a website builder?

Let's start with the basics. The goal of the existence of web page creators is very simple - they are tools that help to create a web page in a simple and fast way for people who do not know programming languages ​​or do not have computer skills. Website builders are designed to allow you to create your own website for everyone who can use a computer. It is also beneficial for more advanced users who can allow them to add their own code snippets.

The purpose of website builders? Create a website easily and quickly and be able to update it properly.

However, web page builders do not require knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, or JavaScript. Page creation and editing is done by dragging and dropping (drag and drop).

All you need to do is select an element that your page should contain by using the mouse and moving the icon to where you want to see it: a section, image, photo, or text. The page editor will act according to the WYSIWYG principle (What You See Is What You Get) which literally means “ you will have what you see 

This rule defines the advantage of web page builders - the appearance of the elements is the same as what you see in the editor, and all the changes you make will be visible in real-time. Do you want to change the font color, the design of the elements... but you are not sure if the result will be satisfactory? Make your changes with the editor, see how the page looks after entering them, and decide if you finally want to implement them.

When you design a website with a good page builder, you can be sure that your website will be as you planned. You don't have to explain to anyone what it should look like and ask what to fix - you can make it 100% compatible with your project. 

Offline Page Wizards

They are web development programs that need to be installed on your computer. Designed pages can be published in any direction and can choose any host.

Online website wizards

They are those platforms that allow you to create web pages on the internet with a specific www address. You don't have to install anything to use the online wizards. All you have to do is register on the website of the website builder, confirm your email and then you can log in and start creating your own website. Online web page assistants work in the now popular "Cloud", thanks to the fact that you can now use any web page builder from any device with internet access, you just have to add your username and password.

What to pay attention to when choosing a website builder?

Available Templates  

See what the templates available in the wizard look like. Ask yourself if you want to have a web page as seen in the template and if it is what you really need. Check how many templates are available and what is most important - their quality.

Also pay attention to the aesthetics of your graphic design, if the templates are functional if they contain the appropriate sections and functionalities in the industry for which your company operates for which you make the website. Go to the web page builder and try to create a page based on a template that you like. Be sure to check out the effects!

Remember that the template must be structured effectively so that they encourage potential customers to take advantage of the offer that the company offers. Pay attention to whether the project includes elements that help to obtain clients: buttons that are well visible with CTA, a form to reserve visits, a section with the opinions of the clients, or a portfolio with the projects that are going to be presented.

The best website builders are those who focus on the benefits that a website can bring to the company, not just its design.

The Technology of Web Page Creation

The appearance of the page is not everything. A website must be created with the latest technology to function well and for many years. Find out if it compliments the HTML5 and CSS standards. High-quality HTML5 code ensures that the page will function properly in the future. This will also make it easier for a developer to introduce changes if you need to make changes to their website.

Check if it is possible to add text as another block in the given section on the page. If all the elements (texts, images) are completely independent and are added in other layers, it means that the page has been created in a way that does not agree with the basic principles of creating web pages.

Creating a page in an assistant of this type can have negative effects in different areas (it will be associated with a poor position of the effects, less traffic on the web page: long loading time, fast exit of users, and a smaller number of clients).

Ease of Editing and Updating the Page

Each wizard should be equipped with an editor operating on the drag-and-drop principle. Try dragging the project elements into it, edit them, and remove unnecessary sections or their elements individually. The easier it is to move, the more unique the web page code will be, and that will make the page better ranked in search engines.

The entire page editing process should be simple and intuitive. Pay attention to the fact that all the sections you need on the created page are available in the editor. Can you find them easily? See how long it takes to add new elements, such as a banner change, publishing the implementation of a new portfolio or photos in the gallery, as well as adding a new blog post or news section, or modifying the address data.

Template sensitivity

The website should look good when viewed on different devices: not only from the computer but also on mobile devices. The wizard allows you to preview how the page will look from a phone.

The best wizards will not only allow you to create sensitive pages but also edit them: separate them by computers, laptops, mobile phones, or tablets. Check if you can hide, change, and move items in the editors for each device.

Remember that now 50% of the traffic on web pages comes from mobile devices, mostly mobile phones. Inappropriate looking pages can discourage more than half of user visits, which are associated with the immediate loss of half of the potential customers.

Possibility of publishing your page with your own domain

Often in free versions, the page can be published under the website builder's domain, for example, NameOfTheWebsite.Creator.com. Take into account whether the wizard allows you to publish your page under the direction you want, and especially how much it will cost you today and in the future.

Hosting offered

Find out what the page wizard offers in terms of hosting. Does it provide you with an address without excessive advertisements? Check if everything is clear to you and if you can customize your hosting plan for your needs.

Disk space

This parameter is often emphasized in the page helper offering, but in most cases, it is not important. This may be an attempt to divert attention from other topics. In fact, it is rare for a company to have more than 50MB of data on a web page, and a heavy load on a website usually indicates that it is not optimized.

If, for example, a portfolio publishing application is offered, then the application will give you space for photo publishing and you will not use this space as part of the page builder. So if you don't plan to add hundreds of photos, your page won't need more than 50MB of disk space.

Possibility of adding an SEO section

Before choosing in which wizard you want to create your web page, check the pages created with a good score in the search engine (especially in Google). The best assistants take care of cooperation with search engines, providing administrators with tools to optimize pages for SEO.

Check if you can fill in the meta title and meta description of each subpage and place the H1 and H2 headings, as well as add ALT attributes to the images on the page, sitemap and modify URLs regardless of the name of the subpages. Pay attention also if you can set redirects from subpages no longer existing to the current ones.

Number of Subpages

Before starting to create a web page, think about how many subpages it should have because that structure can be read by users, and so they can easily find the information they need from your web page. It is very important that your website convinces you quickly and effectively about your offer.

In the free options of some wizards, the number of subpages may be limited. So if you want to choose this version, be sure to see if the number of subpages offered will be enough. In the paid versions of the attendees, there is no subpage limit. So if we have a lot of content to put on our page, it will definitely be better to opt for the paid option.

You should not combine the content of the subpages to save in the page builder, as this will reduce the conversion rate (a small percentage of people who will visit the web page will become customers).

The appearance of the pages created in the wizard

If you find a web designer that you like, make sure what the pages will look like. You can easily find pages created in the free versions of the wizards by typing in the browser the following address: [here copy the address of the web page of the wizard given from the navigation bar], eg: https://wix.com/ - site and you will see the first pages of results.

It may happen that the pages made by the creator do not look very good because sometimes the people who create them do not finish them or are not able to cope with the addition of all the elements. However, if most of the pages in the free version look bad or unfinished, it probably means that this page builder is not a good tool for an “ordinary internet user”.

For this reason, some wizards have introduced templates for specific sections on pages. All you need to do is choose a section that you want to add to the page (ex: Reviews, portfolios, products, photo gallery), and the page builder will show you different section variants. 

Sales support

Not only should a website look good, but most of them help with business implementation and marketing goals. Pay attention to whether the page builder offers solutions that make it easy for you to acquire new customers. Many page builders will give you the opportunity to create a web page and… that's it. 

It is better to choose a website builder and template so that the website is designed to generate sales, even if it was created for local offline businesses.

Don't treat the page only in terms of the image. The company's website should sell. If the page builder does not offer such solutions, it is better to look for another one to help you promote your business online.

Quality of service

Do you want to create a web page in a specific web page builder, but it is not entirely clear to you? Is there any technical problem? Write to the assistant's support and see how the employees will react. Will they provide you with the information you need? Will they solve your problem? This is very important because if you don't have support upfront, you probably won't get it when something goes wrong with your page.

Customer response

Check what users say about your website. Watch discussions on Internet forums. You can also ask, for example, in Facebook groups. Thanks to this, you will know how your experiences were and it will be easier for you to make a decision. However, remember that some reviews are usually published for an advertising purpose. Another solution is to contact the companies that have created with the given creator and if they are satisfied with the services they have received.

Prices

Think about your annual budget to maintain your website and the cost of each web developer found on it. The prices of page builders can vary considerably, even if they are tools that offer very similar functions and templates of fair quality and are just as simple and intuitive to use.

Ideally, before you decide to buy, try a few wizards using your free package or free trial. Compare whether creating an easy page and whether the visual effect is satisfactory for you.

Website maintenance prices on some builders are inflated and you can easily find good quality templates at a considerably lower price on another website builder.

However, don't just suggest prices. A package may seem very cheap, but it may not meet your needs. Also, the initial fee may be lower, but it will increase after some time.

Position of the company in the market

If a page builder is interested in you, check how long it exists. Because it is important? Because the website will exist as long as there is a wizard in which it was created. If you choose a website builder that has just been created, you risk a lot because there is a greater chance that the project will finish - most companies go out of business within the first two years of operation.