Should I Use a Website Builder or Not?

Posted in Webmasters on April 20, 2021 by Simon

Our Best Website Builders 2021

Try Squarespace
Try Wix
Try Weebly
Try Site123

You may wonder whether it is worth using a web builder compared to using a designer for your website. It used to be the case that most people would hire a designer for their site and this would mean that they would get a professionally designed website. These days more people are using a web builder though. This is because there are many advantages over a designer and it is good to understand what these are so that you can decide whether it is a good idea for you to use a web builder.

Web Designers are Expensive

Web designers cost a lot of money. You will need to pay them to design the website and this could cost you a significant sum of money. Although web builders do have costs as well, it is important to note that these will be monthly fees. This will spread the cost which makes it easier to afford them. The costs will also include hosting for the website, which if you use a web designer you will have to pay on top. You might still think that it is easier to pay off the lump sum first for the designer and then you will have less to pay each month. However, there are also some other reasons that you might find that using a web builder will suit you better.

Graphic Designers are Expensive

For some website designs it might be necessary for you to use a graphic designer. This could be for creating a logo or even working on images and things like that for the website. Sometimes a web designer may do this themselves but they might also expect you to pay extra for a designer and this will add to the costs. With a web builder they will have templates and themes built-in so you will be able to use those and select stock images or photos if you do not have any and therefore put together a design with no need for a graphic designer at all.

Making Changes is Expensive and Takes Time

If you are using a web designer and you need changes to be made to your website, it will take time to organise this. You will need to let them know what you want, get a quote and book them in and then pay them. With a web builder, you will be able to make those changes yourself and so they can be done very quickly, assuming you have the time and they will not cost you any extra. It can feel good to know that you can make changes like this really quickly as if you spot an error, want to add some content that needs to be on there quickly or something like that, it could be much better to be able to do it yourself.

You Do Not Have Control Over Content

With a web designer, you do not have total control over the content. While they should be doing what you want, they may not agree with everything you want or they may just do some things their own way. This means that you will not have complete control. You may think that you are not creative, but wen builders will have lots of templates and themes so you will be able to choose exactly what you would like the website to look like. This means that you can make it suit your requirements. With a web designer they may not show you lots of options and so by doing it yourself, you will be able to see what is available and choose something that you really like. You will also be able to decide exactly what features are on the site.

Expensive to Change Theme

If you want to change the theme of your website then a web designer will have to go through a whole new design at a high cost to you. You will probably end up paying the same or more than you did to get it designed originally. However, if you have a web builder, you will just be able to select a different theme of the template and switch it over. Most will allow you to do this and you will be able to make the changes that you desire, play around with new looks and have complete control over it all, without paying any extra money. It can be fun and you will be able to do it easily in most web builders.

About Simon

Hello! My name is Simon and I'm a full-stack web developer from Bristol. I've put together MYOW to help people learn about web design from the ground up as well as provide access to all the tools required to create an awesome first website.