DIY web builders like WIX, Squarespace, Webflow, Jimdo, Ionos, and many others (also known as website builders or website creation software), have become increasingly popular in recent years. These platforms promise to make it easy for anyone to create a professional-looking website without needing any coding or design experience (mainly due to its drag-and-drop functions). However, in reality, DIY web-builders are often a poor choice if you are looking to build a website for your business or personal brand. I’ll tell you why.
WIX is the Shit… Nobody should use it 💩
Don’t get me wrong! I will always be in favour of new technologies that make our lives easier… and WIX, Squarespace, Ionos, Jimdo and Co. have their merits in that sense. BUT as a Digital Marketing agency that values ethical advertising, we at Aridane.Marketing don’t think it’s okay to mislead people with false promises. Let’s take a look at some of the main issues:
Is Squarespace good for a business website?
Squarespace, like other DIY website builders, offer limited functionality
One of the main issues with DIY website builders like Squarespace is that they often come with limitations on the types of websites they can create. For example, many DIY web builders are not well suited for creating complex, dynamic websites that require the use of databases or other advanced functionality. This can be a major problem for businesses or individuals who need to build a professional website that can handle E-commerce transactions, data collection or other specialised (necessary) tasks.
Squarespace claims to be THE website builder for blogs, portfolio sites and online shops. Squarespace’s blogging feature is certainly more versatile than most of its competitors… but it’s still an option that simply offers pre-made templates, which score very poorly in Google PageSpeed Insights and could hurt your chances of ranking well in search engines.
Is WIX a good DIY website builder?
Generic, dull and uninteresting-looking website
Another major issue with WIX and other web builders is that they offer few customisation options. Most of these platforms offer a limited number of templates that are designed to appeal to a wide range of users. While this may make it easy for someone to quickly create a basic website, it also means that the resulting website will likely look generic and bland. Additionally, many DIY web builders do not offer the ability to edit the HTML or CSS of a website, which means that users are unable to make truly custom changes to their site’s design or functionality.
Are website builders really free? Are they worth it?
WIX, Webflow, Jimdo, and other DIY website builders are free of charge very expensive
They offer free plans → They charge for everything.
Is Webflow negative or bad for SEO?
Many Webflow templates, especially the very simple ones, actually perform well using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. However, these results are less impressive once you start editing these templates and adding your own images and animations to them.
In general terms, here is another problem of DIY web builders: performance. They may use a lot of unnecessary code, which can make the website slow, hard to load and unoptimised for search engines. This can make the sites hard to navigate for visitors and can hurt the visibility on search engines – (in other words, website builders destroy SEO) – making it hard for people to find the website.
The bottom line is that you can certainly create a site with Webflow or any other web-builder that meets the goals of Core Web Vitals, but you will need to have technical SEO knowledge and also an understanding of the processes involved in Core Web Vitals testing. Otherwise, you will have been told “simplicity and speed” which then turns out to disappear when you customise your DIY website.
Are DIY websites and website builders secure?
DIY web builders often lack the security features that are essential for protecting a website and its visitors. Some website-building platforms may provide basic security measures such as SSL encryption, but they typically do not offer the same level of security as a custom-built website. This can be a major problem for websites that handle sensitive data, such as eCommerce and online shops that take credit card information.
Lastly, many DIY web builders are not built with the long term in mind. They may not offer features such as hosting, backups, or easy scalability (sometimes you can’t even change the theme, once you’ve published), making it hard for you to grow your website as your business grows. You might find yourself trapped in the platform with limited options for upgrading or expanding.
WIX, Squarespace, Jimdo, Webflow… conclusion 💩
In conclusion, while WIX, Webflow, Jimdo, Squarespace, and most DIY web builders may seem like an easy and convenient solution for creating a website, they are often a poor choice for businesses or individuals looking to build a professional, customised website. These platforms have a lot of limitations, both in terms of customisation and functionality, and are often not well-suited for creating complex or dynamic websites. Additionally, they often lack the security and scalability features that are essential for protecting a website and its visitors. It is usually better to invest in a custom-built website, which will give you more control over the design, functionality, and security of your website.
Our humble and honest opinion on DIY web builders
WIX, Webflow, and other builders are giants with the power to spend a lot of money on marketing and persuading potential customers; they are collaborating with all kinds of companies and influencers to reach out to lots and lots of people. Our humble opinion at Aridane.Marketing is: with WIX and other web builders it’s easy to jump in, create a website and publish it quickly… without stopping to think and determine what your company needs to achieve a solid online presence.
There are too many factors to consider: content structure, user experience, titles and images and their importance, the metadata on each page, call-to-action that appear in search engine results (SERPs), etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. All this must fit together to the millimetre. Not forgetting the correct monitoring of all metrics to be able to properly align and adapt your marketing strategy.
No offence to anyone, and acknowledging the work of all the companies behind website builders… but
“Trying to promote that anyone can professionally build their own website is like expecting a novice driver to beat a track record with a Formula 1 car.“
A professional web designer is usually a better investment in the long run, allowing you to grow and scale your business with your website. Additionally, you might get more help, guidance and support from a web developer or an agency, making the process of creating and maintaining a website smoother.
