Creating good websites: the use of the so-called page builder – advantages, disadvantages and development

Basically, it’s clear to you that we’re not going to talk about food this time either, but about ready-made solutions, human perception, and of course, trying to get something we want out of almost nothing.

When we talk about the digital world we live in, there is no doubt that a good website is the key to success, no matter how much ” social media preachers” and various influencers convince you that it is not so. Whether you are a startup that wants to conquer the market, the world or whatever, or a store that wants everyone to visit, you have probably seen for yourself that without a website, things are not so wonderful.

The initial hype or sales momentum, i.e. branding and so-called awareness, very quickly reach their maximum and the target group becomes limited and monotonous (in terms of dynamics). The linearity of social networks, their strategy of displaying or not displaying certain posts and ads, the inability to display information in a little more depth and detail, and so on… has led us to the fact that no one wants to read tirades, detailed reports about anything on Facebook (not to mention Instagram), or anything longer than 15 seconds, right?

Give us 15 seconds maximum and we will happily and (un)informedly continue watching puppies and children, and lately, more or less entertaining AI “brainchilds”. Of course, the exception is LinkedIn, which unfortunately increasingly resembles a platform for mere promotion without foundation and, of course, a testing ground for various AI-created content.

In order to expand this initial vicious circle, or to be able to break out of it, it is necessary to reach other segments of potential users/customers who will at some point definitely want to find out who is behind that more or less interesting profile on social networks. To this we can also add all potential partners, or those who would continue to work with your brand or offer as partners, websites become the “backbone” of the entire business.

Now, with that in mind and the desire that everyone who offers or wants to make something available needs a website, many solutions have emerged that are basically good, provided you know exactly what you want and how.

Today, one of the easiest ways to create a website is by using a so-called ” page builder ” (a tool for creating pages), which allows even those who do not know even basic HTML to create a more or less good website. Although fast and practical, this approach also has its imperfections that can ultimately lead to a completely different result than the one desired at the beginning of their creation.

Below you can find out the basic advantages and disadvantages of using a “page builder” with a special emphasis on WordPress solutions, and think about situations when it might be better to start from scratch.

Advantages of using a page builder

Page builders like Elementor , WPBakery , Divi and others have become a real miracle in the world of web design. These tools allow users, even those who know nothing about programming, to create functional and attractive pages very quickly. Therefore, their advantages are quite clear:

1. Fast page creation
   Who doesn’t have time for long and tedious website development processes? With page builders , you can literally “pull out” a site in a matter of hours!
2. Accessibility for a wider audience
   Although we don’t all have the same technical skills, with page builders everyone has the opportunity to become a web designer.
3. Design flexibility
   If you’re a creative soul who wants to completely customize your website, page builders are perfect for you. You can choose colors, typography, element layout, and more. All of these changes can be made in a few clicks, meaning you can quickly try out different ideas without having to worry about the technical details.
4. Integration with additional tools and functions
   Do you want to add functionality such as an online store, contact form or SEO tool? Most page builders come with a wealth of plugins that allow easy integration of these functionalities (Woocommerce, Yoast, etc…)
5. Cost-effectiveness or more simply: they are cheap
   If you can’t or simply don’t want to pay designers and developers, page builders are here to save you. Without having to pay professionals, you can get a relatively high-quality website for a much lower cost.

And now that everything is purple and the world looks beautiful through ” page builder glasses “, there comes a sobering up, or at least a minor hangover.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and the disadvantages of this DIY approach are not insignificant. At first glance, anyone can immediately conclude that learning how websites behave when placed in front of a real user requires some knowledge and experience, there are a number of other things to take into account, especially when creating websites for a more serious business.

So let’s start dismantling the old one ” Anyone can do it now that it’s cheap and perfect for my needs online “

1. Platform dependency
   If you choose to use a page builder , you’ll usually be locked into a specific platform. This means that if you decide to switch to another system in the future, migration can be a real challenge. Transferring a site to another system can take a lot of time, effort, and often a significant amount of money. So, before you fall in love with one tool, think carefully about your future needs.
2. Limited control over code
   Page builders allow you to quickly set up the basic structure of a page, but do not allow easy control over the source code. This is the most common stumbling block of all entrepreneurs who decide on the DYI system. Control of the source code is necessary so that ultimately the pages are able to achieve both technical and primarily business goals.
3. Page loading speed
   Any page you create with a page builder is usually “heavier” than pages that are coded by hand. This means that your page may have more files (like CSS, JavaScript, etc.), which can negatively impact loading speed. And, as we all know, a fast page is a happier page (and better for SEO!). While there are plenty of optimization tools out there, loading speed can be a challenge, especially on mobile devices.
4. (Un)optimized pages for SEO
   Without knowing the previously mentioned page code, it is difficult to get the most out of the page builder in terms of SEO optimization, and although many page builders offer SEO tools, the pages that amateurs create using these tools are not always optimized like those that would be created by a professional team. The program code, natively generated by a selected page builder is not always the most efficient, which can affect the performance of the page in browsers. So, even though you will have a good site, it might not rank so well in the search services (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc…)
5. Scalability limitations
   For small and medium-sized projects, page builders are often sufficient. But when your project grows, it can become difficult to customize the builder to meet all your needs. If your site requires specific functionality or if you want it to be optimized for more traffic, builders can start to show their weaknesses.
6. Security
   The more popular page builder you choose for your project, the more frequent your pages will be the target of various hacker attacks. Sad but true – in order to protect your sites, you will most likely invest incomparably more money than you needed for their basic setup. From the choice of secure hosting , to the daily backup, the huge number of hours spent controlling and “patching” security holes in the chosen combination of framework + page builder + various plugins.