In our digital age, building up and maintaining a solid online presence is crucial for any business. Having a good website is necessary for more than conducting effective marketing campaigns – nearly every interaction between customers and businesses nowadays includes some online element.
Websites are an integral part of business – and web development veterans such as DevriX can help any company establish a solid foothold online. But what’s the best way to go about doing that?
Currently, the two most popular starting points are choosing a CMS and using it to create a solid website or picking the Website Builder that suits your needs.
What is a CMS?
A CMS is a set of tools used to build a website quickly and efficiently. Instead of starting with a blank HTML page and doing all the coding from scratch, a web developer can use pre-made templates from the CMS to speed up creating many website elements. Naturally, using readily available tools instead of starting from square one severely reduces the time and effort needed to create a website.
Depending on the complexity of the site you want to build and the functionalities you want it to have, the process of developing it can still be very complex and time-consuming. In spite of this, using CMS is by far the most common and preferred way of going about business. This is why the most popular CMS – WordPress – powers over 38% of all websites on the Internet.
The complexity of building a website using a CMS largely depends on the particular CMS and on what you want to achieve with it. Using CMS to create complex websites can be a serious task that requires technical expertise.
Website Builders
Website builders took the world by storm a couple of years ago, and have been a popular option for establishing a web presence online ever since. Although they’re still a relatively niche solution, website builders are growing in popularity with each passing year.
As its name implies, a website builder is a system that allows its users to create websites – with their main selling point being the extremely low barrier to entry. Website builders are universally geared towards internet users, not web developers.
Every aspect of a website builder is designed to be as user-friendly as possible, with an intuitive user interface, drag-and-drop options, and a simple design that’s easy to adjust to your liking.
Examples of popular website builders include Wix, Site123, SquareSpace, Zyro, Jimbo, and Webnode.
Should you choose a CMS or a Website Builder?
Whether a CMS or a website builder is the best way for you to establish a presence online largely depends on the needs of your company and your personal preference. Carefully consider the following questions, and by the end of this article, you’ll know for certain which option is right for you and your business.
Are You Good With Technology?
Are you familiar with HTML and CSS? Do you have an IT department or a reliable partner that can handle code for you? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” then you may well consider choosing a CMS over a website builder.
What you need to keep in mind about CMSs is that using them to create and maintain an online presence often requires a significant degree of technical know-how. In general, a CMS offers tools to do the job more easily, but it is often not a complete product. You may still need a skilled artisan to use those tools to the best effect.
Conversely, if you are not familiar with coding, don’t want to invest in an IT department and the necessary infrastructure, and just want a website done, then a website builder may be the best option for you.
Are You in a Hurry?
If you absolutely need a website ready to go in hours or days rather than weeks or months, a website builder is probably the right option for you.
A CMS can be used to create amazing websites – but doing so takes time. The more elaborate and complex the website, the more time it will take for even seasoned web developers to create it.
How Complex is the Website You Want?
Do you just want a landing page for an event or a simple website to show off your portfolio? If the latter, then a website builder is probably a good option for you.
However, if you want to customize your website to your own taste, configure it any way you like and implement any functionality you choose, you’d have to go the route of CMS. There are very few limitations to what a good web developer can do for a website given enough time and resources. A CMS website can implement hundreds of widgets, programs, and plugins.
Furthermore, CMS websites are is subject to SEO adjustments and can be designed with loading speed in mind. If this is what you want from your website – accept no substitute.
How big is Your Budget?
If you have the money to spare to create your own unique website, with all the bells and whistles, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go for a CMS.
If your working budget is more restricted, you’re probably better off trying to make do with a website builder, as those can be surprisingly cost-effective.
Is Independence Important for you?
If you want a website that’s entirely your own, you need to go with CMS. Using a CMS to create a website allows you to build a website, host it on your own server, maintain it and if you wish – change it, upgrade it and relocate it to another server.
A website builder is usually an all-in-one service that lets you create a website quickly, but doesn’t give you much control over the website’s infrastructure. You could combine the available templates to create impressive results, but you wouldn’t be able to create your own templates or introduce functionalities of your own design into your creation. Additionally, you couldn’t move the website to another server if you wish, as you are not hosting it in the first place – the company that’s providing you with the service is doing that.