How We're Different Than Wix.com

How We’re Different Than Wix.com | Simplemachine

Posted October 10, 2019

Developing a website from scratch can be a difficult and intimidating feat for those who lack appropriate experience. However, the fear of technology should not limit you, because there are many beginner options available. Your first decision will be whether to use a platform with drag and drop features, like Wix or to hire a professional website design company that can cater to every request. Even if you are unsure as to what you want, professional designers can make your new website look perfect.

The Cons of Using a Platform

While the learning curve on a drag and drop is low, there are several distinct and important disadvantages, including:

Cost: Since you are paying for the ease of using a website builder, there is likely a monthly system access fee. If you stop paying, you can no longer access the tools. This limits your ability to make updates in the future without incurring charges.
Generic: Since the business model behind a drag-and-drop builder is providing one-size-fits-all websites, your site will look like many others built on the platform. This is because the builder has a fixed number of templates shared across all users. You can change colors, fonts, copy, and photos to personalize it; but in the end, your website will be similar to others on the web.
Hidden Coding Dangers: In many instances, there are issues with website builder templates regarding compatibility between plugins and themes. This is because many of the templates are of poor quality or have broken coding. Those who are using the templates because they lean more on the non-technical side would have no idea as to why the website issues are occurring.
Outdated Code and Templates: With technology growing exponentially every year, last year’s top template maybe this year’s incompatible option. Aesthetically, many templates are not modern and sleek looking, and without the ability to completely customize, you are stuck with what the builder can offer.
Personalization: One of the greatest pitfalls of a drag-and-drop builder is the lack of available customization. As with any system, there are limitations to what you can do from an aesthetic, functionality, and overall design perspective.
Search Engine Optimization: The greatest downfall of a website builder is their inability to be search engine optimized. Most website builders offer basic SEO, such as description, title, and meta tags, but that is the extent. In addition to having outdated and bloated code that is difficult for search engines to read, you cannot edit it to add SEO tags, change image names or perform a variety of other SEO tasks to boost your site’s rank.
Site Owner: Finally, who owns the site? Unfortunately, it is not you. If you decide to leave the website builder to go to another company, the site stays with them. This is because all the features and functions you added to your site using their tools will not work outside of their software. If you decide to leave or stop paying the monthly fee, you have nothing left to show for it and will need to start over. In some instances, you cannot even own the domain name and must transfer it to their domain registrar.

The Pros of Using a Professional Service

Fear not, there is an alternative if the generic website builder is not for you: hiring a professional website design service. There are numerous advantages to doing so, including:

Positive First Impression: The moment a potential consumer visits your site, they form an opinion of your company solely based on the look of your website. Even if you offer the best service in the world, the appearance of your website does all the talk. Hiring a professional design company will create a firm, positive impression for potential consumers.
Improved Designs: Using a website builder’s pre-made templates are very basic and boring and used by thousands of other websites. Customers should be excited when they visit your page, and a website design company can spark that emotion using a fresh, one-of-a-kind design created with a focus on your goals. A good design can also show online and brand authority.
Improve SEO: While the website builder offers basic SEO, a professional company typically has SEO experts who are updated on the latest search ranking algorithms to help your site rank highly thus driving more traffic. A website design company will code your site for favorable communication with search engines. Using basic SEO offerings is unlikely to attract the same kind of attention.
Make Money: Hiring a professional company can improve service and capabilities through automation, allowing you to focus on increasing revenue. From online appointment booking software to adding features to an order, the possibilities of making your website work for you are endless.
Quicker Website: Most websites do not perform optimally and if you have a slow site, your potential consumers will find a faster, more responsive site to use. A design company will know which tools and plugins to integrate to provide improved security and speed. Also, they will provide leaner, more efficient coding. An experienced design firm can recommend the best hosting providers for the sort of traffic your site will attract.
Reliability: The case of a self-designed website that has been running for a month and the owner suddenly receives an error message when making a change is a common one, even with reliable systems. You could spend hours attempting to find a solution and end up contacting a website design firm to help fix the issues; or, you could work with professionals from the outset.
Technology Compatibility: If you are not in the website design and development field, you likely have little knowledge of the newest technology standards. This is a disadvantage in competitive markets. A design company will educate you on the latest technology and build your site accordingly. A good example is a responsive website design for mobile devices. Unless your full-time job is researching design tips catered to this technology, you’ll fall behind your competition.

There is plenty of scope for you to create the website of your dreams. However, if you are serious about developing your online presence and branding, hiring a professional company to do the work for you is the usually best option. If the idea of using a professional service for your business website is appealing, contact Simplemachine today. The professionals at Simplemachine can help build a website to meet your exact needs with fresh code, a modern look, and an optimized site to rank highly in the search engines.