Reach out

UX Design

Which Website Builder Is the Best for Web Design?

Which Website Builder Is the Best for Web Design?

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While this may be true, good web design can increase your chances of more people finding your website appealing. The more people enjoy your website, the higher the possibility of it impacting your business.

“If only given 15 minutes to consume content, 66 percent of people would prefer to see something beautifully designed versus something plain and simple.” -  webfx.com

Without a doubt, those who wish to strengthen their digital presence need to understand the role of quality web design. Your experience with web design will vary with the type of website builder you choose.

However, with so many options available, the task of selecting the best one to work with can feel daunting.

Choosing the best website builder can be overwhelming.

But don’t fret! Our goal is to guide you and make this process easier. This article will look at different website builders, comparing them in design, maintenance, learning curve, etc. In the end, we will recommend the best choice. Let’s get started!

Web Design: Why Looks Matter

 

Whether designing a website for the first time or redesigning an existing one, you need to understand its impact on your audience. What your audience perceives from your website will significantly impact your business.

"Without a clear web design plan, you lose the potential results that a good online presence can give you." - rockcontent.com

Following are a few reasons why web design matters:

It gives the first impression

Your website will be measured, and it will be judged.

The truth is, users will judge your website and business within seconds. First impressions are 94% design-related. Therefore, you want those first few seconds to make a positive impact. If people think your website is outdated or boring, they're not going to stick around to learn more about your business.

If users don't like your website, they'll go to a competitor's page. (Image from www.kinesisinc.com)

Undoubtedly, web design is important because it shapes how people view your brand. It helps you keep leads on your page instead of running off to your competitors.

Web design sets the impression for customer service

Your website should appear welcoming to your audience.

Indeed, your website is a big clue for customers about what type of treatment they'll receive from you. If they see you put little effort into your website's design, they'll assume you won't put much effort into helping them.

"Your website is like a customer service representative. If your website is bright, modern, and inviting, your audience will feel more welcome on your page." - webfx.com

Your website is your presentation card to potential customers. Yes, quality web design takes time and effort, but the benefits are worth it.

It helps your SEO strategy

Web design elements affect how search engine spiders crawl and index your website.

Your code needs to be SEO-friendly. Many web design elements influence how you publish content on your website. Besides how your website publishes content, some web design elements can directly affect SEO. A good option might be to partner up with a reliable web design agency to ensure proper web design practices.

Helps build trust with your audience

Good web design helps to build trust in your business.

Above all, a website that is poorly designed or has outdated information doesn't exactly scream reliable. Your website may be viewed as questionable, which is the last thing you want. Quality web design helps to create a sense of confidence and trust with your audience. The more confidence customers have in your brand, the more loyalty they will show.

A professional site‍ will feel more inviting to customers, making them spend more time on your website. This creates more opportunities for your business to capture those leads.

These are only some reasons to take web design seriously for your business. Next, we will look into the most popular website builders and help you figure out which is the best choice to go with.

Webflow

Webflow was founded in 2013. It has grown very quickly and has picked up a very faithful following. It has been at the front of the no-code movement. This means you don't need to understand code to build complex and visually pleasing websites.

In addition, when compared to Editor X and Word Press, Webflow has the advantage in terms of pricing for hosting. However, something to keep in mind for all three website builders is that as your business grows, you will have to invest more on extra features.

Website Builder Comparison 2021 - Side-By-Side Honest Review

Next up we consider the learning curve. This is particularly important if you're new to web design or looking to change platforms. When it comes to ease of use, this tool is a bit more difficult to understand when compared to Editor X. This is because as you learn it, you will pick up some basic coding knowledge, CSS and HTML. However, Webflow counts with its own "university", which has a library full of helpful videos. Their videos are really engaging and help you to learn the platform much quicker.

Now, when considering design, Webflow counts with over 100 templates in their library and that number is constantly growing. Another advantage is that no coding is required. You have 100% control of how things look. You have the freedom to move things around and edit as you wish. It does give it an extra edge over Editor X and WordPress.

When it comes to customizing your site, Webflow will definitely be your best choice.

Additionally, Webflow requires virtually no maintenance, which is a definite plus. They have a great CMS system which can be handed off to your clients. They'll easily be able to make edits, adjustments, add blog posts, etc.

Webflow rules in the maintenance department.

In particular, a definite plus for Webflow is that it ranks highest for SEO. This is simply because websites using this tool will look much cleaner, be more mobile friendly, and will be more visually pleasing. Of course, all of this goes into Google ranking.

Editor X

This Wix product was created in 2020. Even though this was recently released, keep in mind that Wix has been around since 2006. Absolutely, Wix is a very solid platform and Editor X is a step in the right direction to compete with other web site design tools.

Definitely, Editor X is the easiest to learn and quickly get you running websites. They also count with a video library and other resources that do a fantastic job at teaching you Wix. Also, because they're an older platform, you can find many helpful videos on Youtube created by users themselves.

Website Builder Comparison 2021 - Side-By-Side Honest Review

It should be noted that Editor X has a few limitations that it's working through. Most likely they'll continue to improve with more time and experience. For example, something to consider is that Editor X has only about 20 templates. However, they're pretty new and most likely will add more later on.

When it comes to maintenance, Editor X is very similar to Webflow. However, their CMS system is not quite as good. This makes it the second best option in terms of maintenance .

WordPress

This website builder has been around since 2003. It's the biggest name in web design. The majority of websites are built through WordPress.

Even though this tool has been around for a while, it scores the lowest when it comes to ease of use. If you're looking to quickly learn how to get a website running, this is definitely not the right choice for you. Some users find it to be confusing and continually run into problems with it.

Also, more isn't always better. WordPress has many more resources compared to the other two website builders. However, some users find the sheer quantity of resources overwhelming. You might not even know where to begin. That's something to consider when trying to become familiarized with a new tool.

In addition, WordPress boasts over 11,000 templates. Unfortunately, to customize anything coding is required, unlike with Webflow and Editor X. Also, you don't have the freedom to customize as you would like.

Website Builder Comparison 2021 - Side-By-Side Honest Review

Another downside to WordPress is that it does require maintenance. You will need to manage and update plug-ins. This makes it more time consuming and much more of a hassle when compared to Webflow and Editor X.

And the winner is...

Drum roll please!

How exciting!

Webflow! While all three web design tools have their pros and cons, we believe Webflow has the edge over the other two. We see the biggest advantages more than anything in terms of freedom of design, to be able to customize freely, and to keep virtually maintenance free websites. It's also not too complicated to learn. So if you're looking to learn how to use a new website builder, this is the way to go. It's also the least pricey, which is always good. Now go get web designing!

Let's talk.

Reach out to us on Facebook or LinkedIn and tell us which website builder is the best in your opinion. Or follow us on Instagram for a bite-size version of our blog.

By
Laura Amarillas
On
December 6, 2022
9
min read

Continue reading.