But, as you’re about to see, this is a dangerous route to take. Beneath the happy, inclusive veneer of web platforms lies a slew of deficiencies, frustrations and negative consequences that are best avoided…
Limited blogging features
While we aren’t saying that web builders are devoid of benefits, they do constrain what you’re able to do and, often, it has a direct impact on your venture. Wix, for instance, supports over 90 million sites, yet it does not come with a native blogging app. You’ll have to download Blogger or Tumblr to get started on your SEO strategy. And if you forget about this, it’ll derail your attempts to produce clever, relevant web content that people will stumble upon.
Another platform, Weebly, causes gripes amongst its customers thanks to an inability to promote and prioritise certain articles. There’s no chance of having a ‘Most Popular’ list, or a ‘Latest Posts’ section. If blogging options aren’t totally adaptable, your audience will find it harder to search through your back catalogue for relevant articles.
Inflexible templates
Yes, the vast majority of amateur platforms trumpet their template designs, and some of them do have a professional look and feel. The trouble begins when you realise that the framework you chose on a whim, perhaps to see how it’ll appear, is fixed forever. You might not be able to change it, which is bad news for a business that wants to evolve and add extras over time.
Let’s bring up Weebly again, because it’s a prime example of almost making it to a decent hurdle, but falling flat in the end. You can change the colours and basic font; beyond that, menu bars, backgrounds and tinkering with content width is out of the question. Also, Wix absolutely, positively doesn’t let you change from an initial template, no matter what ideas you have in mind.
Uncertain mobile displays
These days, having mobile compatibility is a must, as the time consumers spend on phones and tablets has outstripped desktops. Although D.I.Y web providers will claim to have automatic mobile optimisation, don’t take it as a done deal. Sites like Squarespace make slight (but demonstrable) changes to your web pages when you’ve edited them – thus, you can never be sure how it’ll look on a smaller screen until it’s been published.
A minor issue – granted – but every piece of the development puzzle matters. The biggest brands know their online operations down to a T; are you going to join them, or put faith in a platform that squeezes you into the same mould as everyone else?
The Code Guy does the opposite: we take each client’s ideas on their own terms, carefully honing landing pages, product catalogues, shopping carts and blogging sections to your highest standard. There’s very little we can’t do, and our work saves you from loading dreams into a web builder that won’t be able to realise them.
Curious? Give us a call or a message, and lend your website the nourishment it needs…