How Coding Benefits The Marketing World

As a digital marketer you would want to learn about all sorts of topics in the realm of marketing that make websites perform better such as Search Engine Optimization and A/B Testing. These are good to learn, but there's something else marketers should strive to learn, and that's coding. Coding has been on the rise in the 21st century, for it's low barrier to entry and large pool of jobs that could use it. As a skill it can only enhance your resume no matter what major or degree your pursuing or have. Specifically for Digital Marketers, coding is great because it can help with website automation or data analysis, to make your work easier, and give your customers a better experience of your brand's website.

In this blog I'm going to look at some Website Creation platforms that require various levels of coding, and tell you what I think of them.

No-Code vs. Low-Code

Before I talk about specific website creation platforms I looked at, I'm going to briefly talk about what Low-Code and No-Code are. No-code platforms help nontechnical business users create applications such as websites without needing to write a single line of code. Low-Code platforms still cater ease of use in work flow like No-Code platforms but are one step above. Low-Code platforms require some basic coding to develop complex websites. Both Low-Code and No-code platforms and tools are essential for businesses to use, as their workforce will vary based on technical skills, and these platforms help beginners develop their technical skills.

Coding With Codecademy

The first site I looked at was Codecademy. Codecademy is an interactive low-code platform that gives out tons of coding lessons in various coding languages such as Python and Java. When using Codecademy for the first time, it reminded me of my high school Computer Science as this was my first time coding in nearly 6 years ago. I definitely had forgotten everything I learned so I went through a beginner lesson in website creation using HTML. The course was very simplified and easy to get through in about 45 minutes, and it taught you how to use basic functions in HTML such as how to make headings and make divisions to nest elements within other elements. The course followed me through a progression of building a website about Brown Bears.

What also was great about learning through HTML was the User Interface and User Experience was excellent, as it followed a simple formula that the lesson is on the left, the code you write in the middle, and the Output on the right. Not to forget, the lesson was free which is a plus in today's world. I recommend using Codecademy to marketers or anyone in general wanting to learn HTML as it's easy for beginners (like me) to jump into coding with it's shallow learning curve.

Coding with Squarespace

The next coding site I looked at was Squarespace. Squarespace is a little different than Codecademy as it's a no code website creation site. I had some basic experience in website creation, using Webflow and even made my own personal website. Squarespace was similar in that it also walked you through the steps of creating a website. What interested me a lot, was that when I first was making an account, Squarespace asked me if I wanted to build a custom website with Squarespace's own AI, or if I wanted to build a website with a template. I wanted to test my skills, so I opted to not use the help of an AI, but learn from using a template to see if Squarespace is beginner friendly.

After picking the Template option, I was given a wide array of options for different templates and colors to fit the purpose of the website I chose. I had some writer's block, so I chose my website purpose to be Marketing Blogs. I picked the Almar theme as it looks very marketing blog to me.

The actual site was also very easy to use, as since I was using a preexisting template, I didn't have to create new elements and could change the text on the site using the editor. I recommend using Squarespace for website creation as it gives you a lot of freedom, but the one downside is it's cost. It only provides a 14 days free trial to use the site's premium features. This does give you enough time to learn the mechanics of the site and whether if it's the right website creator for you. I'm not entirely sure if I'm hooked onto it, but I urge you to at least try Squarespace before you knock it down.

Coding with WordPress

WordPress is commonly used in website creation, and as of May 2024, more than 474 million sites use it. My experience with it was mixed, as one of the first things I noticed was how limited your experience is using the free option, as it wants you to pay for the higher subscriptions to gain access to premium features. WordPress also has a steeper learning curve being low code, as when looking around the site, I went to go find the AI tool to help teach me. To my surprise, the AI tool also costed money.

To get some help that was free, I went to look at some WordPress themes for inspiration, and there are many great themes and layouts which can be great at finding inspiration of starting the website creation process. Ultimately I think WordPress is a great Website creation tool, but I don't think it's the best website creation tool for beginners. Like all things, I recommend you try it first before discrediting it, so WordPress isn't an exception for me.

Coding with Pineapple Builder

Coming in with the most unique name, Pineapple Builder is a no code website creation platform. After directly using WordPress, I actually needed a site like Pineapple Builder. Pineapple Builder uses generative AI in it's website, and asked you what you want your website to look like and it auto filled information on what it best thought matches your initial prompt. Training the AI assistant was easy as it was well coded to match the prompt a put, "To create a website that features marketing blogs to teach people about marketing." After Training the AI, I was given design choice to choose the background and color pallets. I then could edit the text and format the site to how I wanted it to look. The images below, are what the Pineapple Builder has the power to generate. The Landing Home Page it created for my website was all AI generated and it looks exactly like the website themes you see on Squarespace or Wordpress. I heavily reccommend this platform if you want to learn website creation, as the AI tool made it great for beginners to learn.

What Should I Chose

After looking at these 4 website creation tools, some being no code and some low code, I bet you're wondering which one to choose. I recommend all 4, Codecademy, Squarespace, WordPress, and Pineapple Builder as all these tools offer great UI/UX to help with your brand's marketing through making an intuitive site. Codecademy's HTML is definitely more work to learn than the other 3 platforms as you have to learn coding, however with the potential of how much coding brings to the digital marketing world it deserves it's place. For Beginners, I recommend Pineapple Builder the most as it's generative AI helps with ideation as beginners in website creation might not have a clear goal in mind of what their site should look like. Squarespace is also great as it featured many templates, and next time I should try it's AI tool to see if it's as polished as Pineapple Builder. Finally with WordPress, with it's steep learning curve I don't recommend for beginners, but once you learn about website creation through Pineapple Builder and Square Space, I urge you to go try WordPress as it's commonly used by large companies like Disney and CNN.

Coding brings so much to the table for digital marketers and mastering it can be the difference between your brand having low awareness, to having high customer loyalty, generate high conversions, and bringing in increased revenue. What's great about it also is everything you need to learn about coding can be taught to you right from your computer or phone screens for free.