The rise of page builders
The website landscape is changing. More and more people and businesses are opting for websites that use a page builder.
Whether it’s the likes of Wix and SquareSpace or WordPress page builders like Divi, Beaver Builder and Elementor, they are all extremely powerful and they’re here to stay. And it’s not just WordPress either. Other CMS’s like Drupal are developing their own page builders too.
Page builders are an inevitable consequence of technology just getting better. Web browsers are so much more powerful than they were 10 years ago, when all of this just wasn’t possible.
The reasons page builders are so popular are these:-
- No programming knowledge is required.
- It’s a lot quicker to build a website.
- It’s usually the cheaper option.
- It’s possible to do it yourself.
If you want something affordable yet powerful, then it’s the option to consider.
But it’s not always the right choice.
With great power comes great responsibility
Although page builders give you a lot more control and freedom, they’re better suited to the more tech savvy user, as they can be a bit overwhelming to use, at least to begin with.
And if you don’t know what you are doing, it is possible to make a complete mess unfortunately! You still need a proper web design to fulfill the goals of your website, that looks professional and makes a great first impression. A page builder only changes the method of construction.
If you’re really on a budget, you can even go one step further and use a ready made “off the shelf” design. We really wouldn’t recommend this though, as the chances are someone else is already using the same design. So get someone to do a proper web design for you, to meet the particular goals of your website and business.
So when isn’t it a good idea to use a page builder?
When a custom website is the right choice
A custom website is the more traditional way of building a website. This means that construction of the pages is handled by a professional developer or team. Once completed, the design of your website is locked away and can’t (easily) be changed.
The advantage of this is, it’s actually much quicker and easier to update your website. Since you are only updating the content of your website such as text or images, etc., it’s a lot easier to use as there are fewer options to contend with.
But you don’t get the freedom you do with a page builder. You can’t just add what you want wherever you want it. You can only add elements that have been built to fit the design of your website. The upside is everything remains on-brand, and you can’t mess up the layout of your site.
So should I use a page builder or get a custom website?
The answer to the question of which option is best is this. It’s really down to you, your budget, and how you intend on using and updating your website.
Choose a page builder if:-
- You consider yourself tech-savvy
- You have a smaller budget
- You want the freedom to easily change layouts, colours and even fonts in the future
- You have the time to spend learning all the options
Choose a custom website if:-
- You want updating the website to be as simple as possible
- You don’t want the complexity of a page builder
- You don’t want to risk “breaking” or messing up the site design
- You intend to add a lot of content
So there we have it. We hope this sheds some light on the differences between page builders and custom websites, and when to choose one over the other.
At Pechrian Digital, we provide both types of website. Talk to us and we’ll recommend the option which makes most sense for you.
All our advice is free.