If you intend to build a website, one of the first decisions you'll have to make is whether you use a website builder or the traditional ways of coding the site from scratch. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and the right choice varies largely based on your needs, skills, and long-term goals. In this article, let's break down some of the differences between the two choices to help you make the best decision.
What Is A Website Builder?
A website builder is an online platform that allows anyone to create a website without code knowledge. It usually offers drag-and-drop features, pre-designed templates, and user-friendly interfaces, which allow anyone to build a functional website in a very short time.
Popular website builders:
- Wix
- Squarespace
- Weebly
- WordPress.com
Pros of using a website builder
- Ease of Use: Website builders are meant for non-technical users. You will not require learning any programming languages or technical skills to create a website. You simply drag and drop elements while adding customization as needed.
- Speed: It allows you to launch a totally operational site in hours or days, depending on the complexity of your needs. Use pre-designed templates to simplify designing, along with automated handling of hosting and updates.
- Cost-Effective for Small Sites: Website builders generally offer cheaper plans perfect for small businesses, portfolios, or personal blogs. You will save money on the services of hiring a developer, nor do you need to spend money on high-cost hosting services.
- An all-in-one solution: Most website builders host domain registration, hosting, templates, and security updates within one platform. This makes it easier for someone who wants to manage his website as accessible as possible.
Drawbacks of using a website builder
- Limited Customization: Templates are convenient, but they can be restrictive too. You may not have complete control over design elements or functionalities, and customized features are, in most cases, limited to what the platform offers.
- Scalability: Website builders are perfect for smaller projects but are sometimes better suited for larger, more complex websites. If your site grows in traffic or needs special customized features, you might find you have outgrown the capabilities of the platform.
- Performance Issues: Web developers may cause your website to load slowly at times. This is because they use templates and plugins. This slows the loading time of your website. For both the user experience and SEO, this will prove quite damaging.
What Is Coding?
Coding refers to hand-writing codes for your website using programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and many more. This one will give you full control over the look and functionality of your website. You can do much more customizations than website builders allow because their templates and features will be limited to what they offer. This is why modern web developers use multiple technologies and frameworks, such as:
- HTML/CSS/JavaScript for front-end development
- Node.js, PHP, or Python for back-end development
- React, Vue.js, or Angular for dynamic user interfaces
Benefits of hardcoding your website
- Customization: You are accountable for every minute detail of the web page-from design to functionality-when you code. Therefore, you can design custom features, animations, and responsive designs.
- Better Performance: Custom-coded websites tend to be more performance-optimized. This means that you're able to write clean, efficient code that minimizes load times and enhances the user experience.
- Scalability: Your business grows, so can your website. Add features, redesign layouts, or integrate with other systems without being limited by the capabilities of a website builder.
- SEO Advantages: Coding allows you to control all SEO elements such as meta tags, image optimization, and URL structures that make your website more visible in the search engine.
Disadvantages of coding your website
- Time-consuming: Coding a website from scratch can take several weeks or even months depending on how complex it is. And if you want to be online quickly, then there could be other alternatives than this.
- Price: If you are coding yourself, hiring a web developer may cost you a lot of money. On top of that, you will have to incur extra costs in terms of hosting, domain registration, and maintenance.
- Technical Expertise Required: To build a website through coding, you will require in-depth knowledge of various programming languages and web technologies. This might not be very feasible for an individual with minimal or no coding experience.
Which do you Opt for?
A website builder is the way to go if you need a site with the least investment of money and time and no need for specifically customized features.
Coding gives full control of when it should be used for scalability and optimization of performance. It, however takes more time, expertise, and money to do this.
For most small businesses, portfolios, or personal projects, a website builder will suffice. Only with advanced e-commerce platforms or interaction-heavy web applications do coding skills provide the flexibility and customization you need.
The choice between a website builder or writing code depends on your website's goals, skillset, and budget.
