All Website Builders Are the Same – Right?
When a company is starting out, it might seem like the cheapest solutions to get online and get going will be best, but this is one of the most expensive mistakes that a business can make if the proper planning and understanding of marketing isn’t a major contributing factor to selecting a website framework. Starting on the wrong foundation can limit your ability to grow and scale quickly, and can have significant detrimental effects on your SEO as well. But don’t worry, launching on a more robust platform doesn’t have to take long – after all, we managed to launch a full app in 48 hours complete with automated marketing.
What Are the Cons of Wix Websites?
1. The starter plan doesn’t remove ads from your site.
Advertising on your website should benefit you, especially if you’re paying a fee. With Wix, the entry level plan that hovers around $5 per month does not remove Wix-based ads from your site. To remove the ads, you must go to a different monthly plan that will cost more than most of the website building competitors that are out there right now.
2. There are no unlimited plans.
With Wix websites, you are not allowed to have unlimited bandwidth or storage on any plan. This even applies to the business and commercial plans that are sold at premium rates.
3. Drag and drop designs can limit your creativity.
Although the website builder has improved dramatically in the last couple of years, you still have certain limitations. You can drag and drop items anywhere instead of into locked boxes, but it still can be a hassle to get a design to look and work the way intended. It takes much more time in reality to design a site on Wix than most people will think it does.
4. The App store on Wix doesn’t really offer apps.
Adding functionality to your Wix websites is pretty easy to do with the App store that is offered. The only problem is that most of the apps there aren’t true apps. You’ll get to add I-frames instead of real functionality to your website. These are easy to install and they work okay, but it isn’t the ideal solution that many may like to see.
5. SEO is a pain in the ass with Wix.
You do have access to an SEO Wizard with Wix that can help you maximize content optimization, but the techniques offered are a little behind the times. Most of the focus is on keyword targeting, grouping, and ranking without any regard to other aspects of modern SEO. It may not be a deal-breaker, but it will be a disadvantage to those who are looking at a long-term website effort.
6. The only way you will be able to view your site stats is if you pay to add Google Analytics
Data is arguably the most important part of a successful marketing campaign, and not having access to basic data and analytics tools is a major limiting factor in growing a business. Not having access to google analytics and other tools limit your ability to use data dashboards to scale the business.
7. There is virtually no automatic mobile design
The pros and cons of Wix websites show that it is a good entry-level website builder that can help anyone get online. It may not be the best solution for advanced users and the costs may be higher than other options.
What Are the Cons of Squarespace?
1. There is no phone support.
With Squarespace, there really isn’t a way to receive immediate support if there is an issue you need to troubleshoot. The chat mechanism is pretty efficient, but it is not as fast as a conversation can be if there’s a simple question you need to have answered.
2. Pricing is more expensive with Squarespace.
If you want Squarespace to bill you on a month-to-month basis, then it’s $26 per month for your site. Their plans are also limited to a single website and lower-tier plans may even cap the number of pages or products you’re allowed to have. Paying the annual fee upfront drops the cost to $18 per month. Personal sites are as low as $12 per month.
3. There is an overall lack of advanced marketing tools.
People don’t just show up to your website because you’ve published it. They need to know about it. Squarespace gives you all of the basics for marketing, including the all-important share buttons, but the advanced tools are lacking at best. You do have URL redirect options, but SEO is pretty lacking and limited to basic meta structure. There is virtually no A/B testing at all.
4. There is no support for third-party apps, plugins, or extensions.
This makes it difficult for beginners to customize their sites. If you hang out around Squarespace for long enough, you’ll be able to pick out who is using this builder. Any features which do get rolled out for this builder must be rolled out by Squarespace, which means you have less control over your functionality than on other platforms.
5. Editing and adding content can sometimes be difficult.
Putting in your basic content goes pretty quickly on Squarespace. Adding new pages, setting up a new blog, or trying to edit your design templates are a different story. If you want to add or move elements, the process can be time consuming.
What Should I Use Instead of Wix or Squarespace?
Our recommendation is simple – if you’re looking to build a website on a budget, you’re not going to find better value that WordPress. Aside from the basic needs like hosting, WordPress is a free open-source community that powers over 1/3 of the world’s websites. Why does this matter? Every major marketing software has an integration with WordPress, giving you the ability to build a robust marketing platform complete with automation.
The power of WordPress is realized when integrated with marketing automation suites like HubSpot, giving you the power to categorize your website visitors and personalize marketing campaigns and on-page content based on their preferences and behaviors.
Should I Rebuild My Website?
The decision to rebuild a website from scratch may seem daunting, but starting with a fresh foundation and building a custom solution that works with your business can provide incredible short-term returns and long-term value for your business. When deciding whether to rebuild a site, it’s important to consider costs, timeline, and goals. An experienced agency can help you figure out if a website rebuild is the best direction for your company – if you don’t know where to start, chat with one of our strategists today!