Websites might be the most important part of your business and can play a significant role in your success. Previously, your only option was to hire a professional. This had many advantages as well as problems with it. Website Builders, as a growing software platform is a real alternative as we are heading to 2021.
With the introduction of a handful of fantastic website builders out there you can now build your website with less or even no coding skills. However, it doesn’t mean you should. Most website builders have few problems of their own. It is imperative that these builders improve in the coming years. However, at this level now you might want to research further while investing in professional web developers or website builders.
You may have a clear-cut decision on your hand as your preference can be different for the business website. For example in the case of startups, those who have a separate investment budget tend to hire professionals for their website. However, in the same scenario, if the website wants to go up and running in a short time, a website builder is a wiser choice. This article helps you to make a better choice if you are hoping to hire a professional website developer or use a website builder for your business.
Pros and Cons of using Website Builder
Website Builder is simply a software platform that allows users with little or no coding skills to build a website. For the most part, it is simple enough for a common person but displayable to do its job. No matter what anyone has to say this is a trend that is here to stay. Hence, investing in a popular platform might do you well and help you to attain better quality and quantity of traffic. Here are the pros and cons of using a website builder.
Pros
* No Coding Skills Required
The very base advantage of the website builder is the ability to design and develop without coding. Some of these might even allow you to drag and drop your preferred components to your website. Similarly, the interface here is easier with clear instructions on how to use them. You can get used to the tools here and start working on your website from the very first day.
* Fast for every step of development
Most people might not know this but it takes hundreds of hours of coding during the complete design and development of a professional website. In comparison, a website builder is exponentially faster. A proper website here will be up and running within a week.
* Cheaper in comparison to other methods
Website Builder is simply cheaper in every regard. For startups with less capital, this might be a game-changer. You can use different necessary components of a good website builder for less than 10$ per month. However, it is not new for different builders to add charges in cases of exclusive website features and extensions too.
* Easy to Export and Manage
It is one of the major attractions for website builders. Big website builders not only give you the ability to develop a website but also host it with them. This allows for smooth easy and fast export of the website components to be live. Similarly, it is also easy to export the site in case you want to change your platform.
Cons
* Not Custom Designed
One obvious thing for Website Builders is that you can miss the ‘Pro’ experience. There are a wide variety of templates available but it is rarely customizable to your interest. Similarly, more often than not these templates are not mobile optimized which can be bad for your business website.
* Comparatively slow loading Time
Speed is more important now than ever. Stats show that more than 70% of total visitors bounce off your website within the 10 seconds mark. Fast websites do much better in this context. However, Website builders can’t guarantee you that and your site could be significantly slower.
* Poor possibilities of on-page SEO
You are not required to touch any codes for website builders. While it might sound great most out there have unstructured and messy codes. To what degree it will hamper your site is uncertain but it will damage your on-page SEO. Similarly, SEO is way better with some assistance and analysis plugins which most website builders don’t support.
* Limited Pages and features
Features are more likely to be limited in website builders for selling a much expensive premium package. You might only be allowed to create few pages and it will not help for a large business.
Some well-known website builders
Here are some of the best website builders for you to give a try if you want a top-notch and efficient interface to work with.
* Wix
Wix might be the most popular and known website builder. The aggressive advertising campaign certainly worked for them. One disadvantage here is that once you have published your site here you can’t switch.
* Duda
Duda is up and coming website builder. With a small charge upfront, almost anyone can build their website with Duda. The most impressive feature here will be the guaranteed optimization for a mobile-friendly version of your site as well.
* Gator Website builder (By HostGator)
Hostgator has been one of the best hosting services in the world for some time now. They have entered the market now as a website builder as Gator Website Builder (GWB). It might not be the best one for you right now but there have been leaks about substantial investment from the company for the coming years.
* SquareSpace
Squarespace is the website builder for those who love to meddle around their site. It has lots and lots of exciting tools that can help your site to stand out from the rest.
* Ukit
Ukit is a Russian website builder which have been the topic of discussion as an up and coming builder. Ukit is popular out there for its in-built statistics pages and superior image editing tools for your website.
* Weebly
Weebly has both free and paid versions with little to distinguish between those. Weebly is great to learn how to build your site from scratch with its easy UI.
Pros and Cons of Hiring professional web designers
A web developer is a professional who unlike website builders will make your site from scratch. In comparison to Web builders, you can sit back and relax and 9 out 10 times your site will be fantastic. Remember a point that it is not about how much your website costs but how it might cost your business if you do not have a professional website. Here, are a few pros, cons, and more if you want to hire a professional web developer.
Pros
* Websites professionally developed is more secured and faster
Security and Speed might be two of the most important factor to help in your website visitors converting as your clients. A professional will take the security and speed factors as the most important requirements.
* Your website will be unique and aids in developing a better sales pitch
Creating something from scratch means that your website will be yours in every possible way. Being unique will help your brand to grow and might be extremely beneficial in a long run. It highlights what matters and that can be what defines your business among your competitors and targeted audience. Apart from this an aesthetically pleasing website is a plus point for any marketing strategy.
* Skilled developers can help very much in successful marketing and SEO strategies
SEO and web development come hand in hand. This step is where hiring a professional takes every step to the next level. The expertise of a web developer combined with the tips and strategies of a marketer will assure you have faster ROI. Similarly, a better content management system and the availability of different custom-made plugins will make your site rank higher in the search engines.
* Web-support is better and you can troubleshoot any complications easily
Websites can change with the smallest of inserts. This might be for both the website builders and while building a site through a professional web developer. As developers know the code they wrote troubleshooting and solving errors is efficient here. Similar, can’t be said about website builders as they are known for the slow or late response to customer inquiries.
* You get exactly what you wish
Simply put it this way, your ideas can get the results on your website here. As you can control and manage every bit of the pages or parts of your web-page you get exactly what you want from a professional web designer.
Cons
* More time consuming and long term project
Making a website from scratch will take significantly longer than with a website builder. Similarly, due to this being a long-term project if you didn’t hire the right website building company or professional this can be a headache. Sometimes, it could even be a waste of your money and time.
* Coding skills might be necessary for updating and managing your website
Now, you can get everything on the front of your site with a well inserted Content Management System (CMS). However, coding skills or a simple understanding of code will be required if you want to change further. This is necessary if you aren’t able to contact your web designer for every small and big change.
* It is difficult to balance both the quality and cost of the website
The cost factor here plays a major role. While it is no doubt that spending freely will result in a lot better website, it is extremely difficult to create a website on a budget. You might find options out there but a cheap website by a professional web developer means a drop in quality.
* Requirement and development process can get confusing sometimes
This is the very first step and miscommunication will not be good for both parties here. Throughout the process of website design, you might have to give your input for the site. This might not be the best use of your time in the case of long projects.
* Simple steps might require complicated codes
For something simple as drag and drop in a website builder, it might take hours of code for a web developer. This is the truth behind the website being custom-made for you. Sometimes, bugs and errors can extend the deployment phase of the site too.
Things to ask before hiring a web developer
If you have chosen to hire a professional to make you a great business website here are few points to discuss before the deal is done.
1. If possible, hire someone from your Professional network
Rather than heading straight to Google and searching for a professional web developer, try seeking for one in your network. You can trust better and even know the hiring experience of your other peers. This step will also be helpful in your long run.
2. Ask for the experience not only as a web developer but in your business industry
As a web developer, it is positive that professionals might have completed dozens of projects. You will be benefitted more if they have worked in some sites related to your business. Similarly, you can also ask them if they’re open to research further on your industry in these regards.
3. Ask for his/her previous works
You might not have to do these as most professionals will showcase their projects readily. Take a look at those and make your decision. Sometimes it is better to do what your heart says. If you fancy the style and components of those websites, hire them for your site too.
4. Make a design Wish list and ask for their further recommendations
It is very helpful to have a wish-list of what you want to see on your website. This step will assure that the website you have in mind is not out of the skillset of the web developers. Browse few business sites on the internet and make a list of what might make your site look and function better.
5. You can test their technical skills with demo works
It might be difficult to trust someone easily. In this case, make them show or prepare you a demo of their skills. You can choose quick and easy tasks for them and if satisfied carry on further with the project discussions.
6. Check for the endorsement from their previous clients
This step is obvious but very helpful. Ask the contact info of the clients and try to get their honest experience. If you are assured of the professional service here, you can go on to hire them. In case you miss few negative recommendations, this step will help you.
7. Assure for the web-support availability even after the project is complete
Now, make sure you are not completely left once the project is complete. It is better to pay extra if available for web support. This will prevent you from the hassle to hire an extra employee to take care of your business website.
Conclusion
Choosing between using a website builder vs. hiring a professional is always debatable. There is no doubt that a proper web designer will always come on top. However, if the work is done for your business it might be more than what is necessary for your business website. Hence, heading towards 2021 you have to clear out your plans and choose wisely to attain the ideal website fitting your business.
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