When it comes to creating a website, businesses have two primary options — using a website builder or opting for traditional coding. Each method offers distinct advantages and challenges, making the choice crucial for aligning with your business needs.
Website builders are platforms that allow you to create websites without needing extensive technical knowledge. They offer user-friendly interfaces and often include drag-and-drop editors, making them super accessible for those with limited coding experience.
Building a website with code involves writing code manually to build a website from scratch. It requires a deeper understanding of programming languages but offers greater flexibility and control over the design and functionality of your site.
Choosing the right method is essential as it impacts not only the initial development process but potentially the long-term management and scalability of your website.
Why use a website builder over coding: 7 reasons
Website builders have revolutionized the way businesses approach web development. They provide a streamlined process for creating professional websites without the need for extensive coding knowledge. A popular example is Wix.
01. Ease of use
With intuitive interfaces, website builders allow you to create websites quickly and this is an signifciant influencing factor when it comes to choosing a website builder. Their drag-and-drop functionality simplifies the design process. Many have also now adopted AI capabilities, allowing you to create a website with AI in minutes.
"I think the biggest game-changer is the fact that you can easily create a stunning website, and you don’t need to understand layout, design or anything to get a great working website. You can get the creative juices flowing with AI’s help and Wix’s expertise until you get exactly what you want." Yaara Asaf, head of product (Wix Editor)
Learn more about how long it takes to build a website.
02. Affordability and cost
They often come with affordable pricing and paid plans, making them accessible for small businesses and startups. Wix plans, for example, start from $17 a month and include domain registration, secure hosting and enterprise-grade website security.
Website builders are generally more cost-effective, with subscription-based pricing models that include web hosting and support. This makes them ideal for a wide range of use cases and budgets, including small businesses. Using a web developer to make a site often involves higher initial costs due to the need for skilled developers and the time involved.
Learn more about the cost of building a website.
03. Mobile-friendly
Many website builders integrate visual editors that enable real-time design changes. They also ensure your site is responsive, adapting seamlessly to different devices. An example of this is Wix Studio, its range of responsive templates make it possible to create a responsive website yourself.
04. Website templates
Website builders offer a wide range of pre-designed website templates that cater to different industries and styles. These templates provide a solid foundation for your website, which you can customize to reflect your brand identity. Wix offers over 900+ templates.
Examples include:
05. Design customization
Beyond templates, website builders allow for extensive theme customization. You can adjust colors, fonts and layouts to create a unique look that aligns with your business image. Website builders offer a range of templates and customization options but in the past may not have supported highly specific design requirements. This is no longer the case, as new platforms such as Wix studio allow you to design more and better with custom CSS, gradient backgrounds and responsive design.
06. CMS
Content Management Systems (CMS) enhance the functionality of website builders by offering additional plugins and tools. They provide more control over content management and can be integrated seamlessly with platforms like Wix.
07. Scalability
Website builders can scale your site with your business. It wasn’t always the case but it’s rarely true today that they can’t. Sites built and managed on website builders, like Wix, can handle advanced functionality, for an online store for example and other scalable business metrics, like traffic.
"What often gets forgotten when talking about choosing a website builder is the capabilities of the infrastructure that’s promised to you—the reliability of the hosting, the level of security in place to protect your visitors’ data and, of course, your site's speed. Even if infrastructure is not the first thought that comes to mind when creating a website, if it’s not robust enough, it can cause major headaches for website owners when trying to scale a website later on." Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix
Why opt for coding a website over a website builder
Coding remains a powerful method for building websites, offering unparalleled flexibility and control over every aspect of your site’s design and functionality.
What does it mean to code a website? It means using programming languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript to create a website from the ground up. This approach requires technical expertise but allows for a highly customized web experience.
Flexibility
With coding, you have the freedom to implement any design or feature you envision. This level of customization is ideal for businesses with specific requirements that cannot be met by standard templates.
Design control
Coding provides complete control over the website’s architecture, enabling you to optimize performance and user experience according to your business needs
When might I choose coding over a website builder?
For complex projects requiring unique functionalities or integrations.
For businesses with in-house development teams capable of maintaining and updating the site.