Should I Use a Website Builder?
Most businesses need much more power and flexibility than your typical website builder, but that doesn’t mean that the answer to “Should I use a website builder?” is always a resounding “No.”
Website builders are do-it-yourself interfaces for quickly assembling professional-looking websites without the need to know HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or any other coding language. Some of the most popular today are Wix, SiteBuilder, Weebly, and Fiverr. Website builder reviews are mixed because of their wildly varying applications, and finding the best website builder is often a process of trial and error.
An example of a website under construction from the Wix homepage
For ventures that are just getting on their feet, website builders are invaluable introductory tools. But for businesses that are ready to grow and generate revenue, there is no substitute for the power of today’s advanced content management systems (CMS). One of the most widely used CMSs today is WordPress, a favorite in the marketing industry and only a step below scratch web design.
It’s truly a question of individual needs. Start answering the question by asking yourself the following.
Are you (or is your company):
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If you said yes to any of these questions, then use a website builder! | If you said yes to any of these questions, then don’t use a website builder! |
For startups – Our always-online consumer society needs a home base for your product or service, and website builders will get you up and running fast so you can start distributing marketing materials and get customers to your website.
For service-based businesses – Having a place for customers to make contact and get further information online is an instant boost to your lead catalog – provided you can bring the customers to your site.
For those new to web design and marketing – You’ve got to start somewhere, and website builders offer the luxury of ultra-fast web design alongside zero-effort marketing tools. | For medium and larger businesses – Website builders don’t have the customization, flexibility, and tracking capabilities that allow businesses to learn where growth opportunities exist and how to continually improve their business models.
For ecommerce businesses – You’ll need to be able to customize your ecommerce platform and track your sales and shipments carefully, something that even the most powerful builders can’t do yet.
For content marketers – Content management systems allow nearly infinite variation in how you handle, integrate, and distribute your content, and they support more types of content, as well. |
What If I Don’t Have the Resources to Run a Content Management System?
It’s possible that your company has particular staffing needs that stretch your budget or is simply in a stage of growth that doesn’t allow for the flexibility of full-on marketing. When the resources aren’t available to take on a content management system, many companies add marketing responsibility to the job description of a staff member and open up a website builder.
While it’s not a mistake to do so, you’ll only be holding your growth back if you do. When the time comes to switch to a full-on CMS, you’ll have to shift resources to a marketing team or transition an employee or two to rebuild your website so that it’s up to today’s SEO and user experience standards.
A more forward-thinking option is to train your management to understand and operate a content management system so they can share ideas and collaborate. It doesn’t take long to learn the ins-and-outs of a CMS, and the small time investment will save you massive amounts of time and effort later.
Alternatively, you can hire a digital marketing team to take on the work for you. A quality agency will work with you and your budget to establish a plan of action and will openly communicate to ensure that your business goals and visions are met. Digital marketing professionals are deeply well versed in content management, and most of them know a good deal of HTML and CSS to help you customize the look and feel of your website content.
As a bonus, a digital marketing team often costs less than hiring just one full-time marketing employee. You don’t have to train content specialists and they are experienced in various fields and industries.
Be Careful with Website Builders
Again, it’s not that builders are negative, necessarily. Just keep in mind that if you plan to grow, you will eventually have to move away from the user-friendliness of building tools and start customizing your online presence to match your product or service. The transition can be precipitous, so plan ahead!
Our digital marketing experts at Leverage Marketing use advanced CMSs to deliver customized, branded content, web design, and user-friendly layouts. Let us manage your website for you!