‘Quick’ and ‘cheap’ will sound enticing to anyone looking to build a website for their business, but don’t be fooled.

Common online website builders, like Wix and Squarespace, have become extremely popular over time because they seem like a fast fix to create an online presence. However, there are a number of dangers that you need to be aware of that may affect you, and consequently your business, in the long run.

Website Builders Provide Limited Pages and Functions

The structure of your site will be significantly restricted when using a website builder; they can set limits to the number of pages your site can have, which means if you want to expand your website in the future, you won’t have the means to do so. Sometimes, DIY website builders only offer a one-page site which will hold your company back. Websites should have various pages and levels to express what your business is about and present all of the relevant information to your audience. Without this ability, your website cannot grow with your business.

Functionality can also be restricted when using online website builders. The features that are available are very limited; you will not be able to add or customise new functions, have the opportunity to upgrade your website and if you wanted to switch to eCommerce, this will not be possible. You will be stuck with a basic template that you cannot expand on which leaves your options, and your future online presence, severely limited.

Website Builders Provide Basic Templates

Although they may advertise as ‘stunning’ and ‘beautiful’, sometimes even “bespoke” website designs, the templates that they offer can make your site look cheap and plain. The designs are available to every other company using the web builder, therefore, it is extremely likely that you will choose the same one as many other businesses. Consequently this will affect your credibility and the uniqueness of your online presence. Even if you customise these templates, it’s unlikely that you’ll stand out from the crowd and achieve the user experience and engagement that a bespoke website design can.

Website Builders Don’t Create Mobile Friendly Sites

If you use an online website builder, your site may look aesthetically pleasing on a desktop computer but, more often than not, once you access it on a different device it will not have the same effect. The importance of having a responsive design and mobile-friendly website is paramount nowadays as people are accessing the web in so many different ways. As well as this, it will be detrimental to your Google rankings if you do not have a mobile-friendly website.

Website Builders Are Not SEO-Focused

The code and overall structure of a website plays a huge role in your search engine ranking, but with online website builders, you will not have the control over the code of your site. You will only have control over your design which ultimately means that you cannot optimise your site.

As well as this, many DIY web builders will not provide content management functionality, which will limit your SEO strategy by preventing you being able to add new content on a regular basis. You will only be able to create static HTML web pages that do not provide the same level of flexibility and control as a content management system like WordPress.

Having a slow website is also damaging to your search engine rankings as Google will use this information to rank your website. By using online website builders, your site will be on a server with a huge number of other sites which ultimately impacts your site speed. Not only is this bad for SEO, but it will drive visitors off your website. Without the necessary elements, your website will have bad SEO and users will choose are likely to end up going with your competitors instead.

Website Builders Do Not Offer Ongoing Support 

Sometimes, there can be issues with your website that you can be completely unaware of and with online website builders, you will not receive the support you need – you are left completely on your own. If you are not tech-savvy, this can pose a real problem, leading to a reduced number of visitors and, consequently, sales and revenue. If you choose a specialist web design agency, there is support on hand whenever you need it to help you and make sure that your website is always up to date and fully functional.

Additionally, in order to understand how well your business is doing, analytics and reports are incredibly important. You will be able to track visitors and what actions they take on your website to highlight improvements that could be made. If you use website builders, you may not have the opportunity to gain and utilise helpful information like this.

A website should be built with more than just the design in mind; you need to remember that SEO, user experience and responsive functionality are all vital to the success of your website and, ultimately, your business. Don’t think you have to take what seems like the easiest and cheapest approach, as this could be a decision that you regret further down the line.

You don’t have to create your web presence by yourself, enlist the help of a professional website design agency like ourselves and ensure that your website can be the best it can be. Call us today and have a chat with one of our expert consultants to see how we can help you design and manage your website today – 01473 934050 or email us at hello@logicdesign.co.uk.