WordPress vs Website Builders; Which is The Best Option?

Gone are the days where you had to know how to code to set up a website. Website builders have made things easy for people, and you can easily set up one within a few minutes. WordPress has emerged as one of the most popular website platforms in recent years, and several entities support it since it is open source. However, there have been debates on which is the better option between WordPress and website builders. Read on and find out more;

WordPress vs. Website Builders

WordPress started as a blogging platform and has evolved to a full website building platform. It comes in a self-hosted version and an independent one. You can build any site, but its learning curve is steep. You need to learn a lot of things before you can set up a proper site, but once this is done, you will be good to go.

Website builders are drag and drop tools that allow you to set up a site with zero coding experience. You drag and drop different elements of the website until it is complete. Most of these builders come with a plethora of themes that diversify your options when building one.

Which is The Best Option?

We cannot state a definite answer here as it all goes down to your needs and situation. One person might be best suited by the drag and drop builders while another might be suited to WordPress.

When to Use WordPress?

Building a site using WordPress requires you to learn some technical concepts and know how to code. This makes it suitable for tech-savvy people who have the skills or individuals who have the time and patience to learn these skills. However, WordPress sites give you a lot of flexibility, and you are in control of everything about your website. This is an advantage and disadvantage in some way since the full control means that you need to be on the watch out for security concerns, updates and all the other crucial aspects of the site. The advantage is that you are not limited to anything and can tweak the site as much as you can. Themes are aplenty online, and you can use them to customize the website and add cool features.

If you need a proper site, say for a huge business or one that is growing, it is advisable to stick to WordPress. This way, your limits are possibly nonexistent, and it becomes easier for you to scale up.

When To Use Website Builders?

Setting up a site with a builder requires minimal technical knowledge. You can build one in a matter of minutes and change features of the site without changing any code. Modern-day website builders have diversified and are bringing more features, but there are limits. You are not entirely in control of the site and can only change things depending on the kind of builder you are using. The builder will handle the updates, security patches and other essential features thus all you will have to worry about is updating the content.

Website builders are suitable for people who need their first website online within a short time. People who are building sites for fun and have no interest in scaling them up can use them.

Bottomline

Website building is a journey, and at times, the circumstances might force you to start with a website builder before shifting to WordPress. WordPress is for massive sites where owners need full control over the features and security, things which require resources, and for businesses that need to monetize their sites. You can earn money from a site made using a website builder, but the limitations will come back to haunt you once the site is large and you find that it cannot support some of the features.

This way, always look at your needs before picking your desired option. WordPress might seem to be the best option, but it is not the right fit for everyone.

Video Transcript:

Should I Use WordPress or a Website Builder

I’m a huge advocate for wordpress but I also understand the wordpress is not right for everyone. What if I don’t know how to build my own website? As they say there’s a plugin for that.

Welcome to the journey. Today we’re going to help you decide if you should use website builder or WordPress. I think so. As you know I already have a website but I get asked all the time from local businesses what type of web site should I build my business?

Yeah! It’s a pretty common question. And as you know, I’m a huge advocate for wordpress but I also understand WordPress is not right for everyone. Which is why we’re really going to break this down and help you decide should use WordPress or should you use a website builder. Now, it really helps to understand what type of website do you want to create? Like what/ What features do you want on the site? And what do you mean by that?

So, the cool thing with some of the website builders. Nowadays is they’re getting super competitive with the WordPress atmosphere right. So those website builders have those e-mail marketing tools, that has some user login and it has blogs, has all these things but there’s still a little bit limiting. If you find yourself needing just your own flexibility do whatever you want. You don’t like being put in a sandbox, you can only play in that sandbox. Then that’s where you really want to look into wordpress because WordPress has tons of plugins that just open up the amount of things some more flexibility. Yeah! You can literally whatever you want as they say, there’s a plugin for that. So that’s what you want to keep in mind is. There probably to have some of the same features, is just how much control do you want over those features and then how much time you have to learn.

OK. That helps break down the features but what if and I’m sure you’re asking this at home. What if I just don’t know how to build my own website?

Technical skills, super common question and website builders. If you need something just quick and dirty, you get a site built right now. Website builders, all day. They make it super easy. They’re very visual. You usually drag and drop, or plug in place like a Lego type style builder, where you can get your site up and running which is super helpful right. That’d be most of them right. And now WordPress, on the other hand, there’s a lot more options because you get to play out the sandbox. You do whatever you want but every plugin, every theme, everything you do, has has more options and more things to mess with and different features yet to just learn in general. Got it. So it gets a little bit more technical. So, if you have the patience to to learn something new or the technical ability then that’s definitely it. And hey, if you don’t want to do it at all, you can hire a pro.

Next up! Websites built got that done. Now what? Is it set it, forget it. Do you get  I need to continue managing this site?

It depends. And it depends on what you ended up going with. It’s like Website builders. They’re the power of those are there as you say, they’re low main or low mean as for normal people. Right? They make it super easy just to build a site and have it there. Now, I would recommend you continue to add content because Google does like content on your site. As far as just technical maintenance stuff like that. It’s not a problem.

WordPress, on the other hand, it’s what’s called an open source application. So that means everyone contributes to it. There’s updates. There’s things, they have to do. So, you have to every now that I’d recommend at least checking in once or twice every two weeks, something like that and update your themes and plugins. Those updates help either patch a vulnerability and helps improve features or it just makes your site faster. So, as you know, I’m a huge advocate for wordpress. So, my mom started a business a few years ago. What’s the business? Doing auto detailing and pay protection film. So, again huge advocate for WordPress like maa you should got to be on WordPress, get this going. Here are some basics. She’s like OK!, So she starts right and she gets going and then I check out like two weeks later. How’s it going? And she’s like It’s not. It’s way too much for me. I’m right where you left me. She’s never built a site. She’s never done anything.

Now there are tools to help make WordPress easier like Beaver builder, elementor, divi, or even Gutenberg, the new builder inside of it. But sometimes, it’s just too much and I overestimated the ability of a first time user because she was busy running your site. She had no time to learn. Totally right! So a Website builder for someone that has a business that has no time that just needs something up to to showcase her work. It was a better fit.

So again a huge advocate for wordpress but I know it’s not right for everyone. That really steered her in the right direction. Sorry mom. All right! I really hope this helps you decide whether or not WordPress is right for you or a Website builder right for you.

Now, if you have any other comments. Get it kind of get a little gray area. Let us know what your questions are in the comments below and we’ll give you an answer. Also be sure to like the video and share it because you know there’s others out of the same do the same questions. Be sure to subscribe and don’t forget. To ring that bell. You’ll be the first to know about upcoming videos. This is the journey.

*The information above does not constitute legal advice or opinion, nor is it a substitute for the professional judgment of a qualified attorney.