Creating a website from scratch is a costly and labor-intensive task. However, such expenses are too high for small and medium-sized business owners. In addition, it takes quite a long time to launch such a website, as it requires a whole team of specialists to develop it.
For such cases, there are ready-made solutions in the form of content management systems (CMS) or website builders. With their help, even with minimal PC skills, you can create and customize a ready-made website for your business. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each of them below.
Differences between CMS and website builders
First, let’s familiarize ourselves with the key terms. They will help you better understand how these solutions differ from each other.
Website builder — a software solution for creating websites from ready-made blocks (elements). Designed for users without IT knowledge. They usually do not have the ability to work directly with the HTML code of web pages.
CMS (Content Management System) is a content management system (essentially software for creating websites). In professional jargon, it is also called a “website engine.” Unlike website builders, CMS allows you to change and work with the HTML code of web pages.
Advantages and disadvantages of construction sets
The website builder literally consists of assembling a “structure” of pages using ready-made blocks (menu, banner, slider, product card, review, etc.). You can choose any design option from those available, change the location of blocks and elements, and edit the color scheme or font of the website.
The advantages of construction sets include the following points:
- Low entry threshold. The builders are easy to use and require no additional skills: to create a website, simply select the desired design and fill in the necessary blocks with information.
- Affordability. Website builders are usually either free or offer free plans under certain conditions.
- Short development period. Using the constructor, you can create a full-fledged website in just a few days. First, the user registers in the system and selects a tariff plan, then works on the design and SEO settings. Upon completion, they fill the website with content and have a ready-to-use solution.
- Support from developers. These services provide round-the-clock technical support for any issues that arise during use.
- Integration with third-party services. Developers already have ready-made widgets for connecting third-party services, such as CRM or other applications.
As for the shortcomings of the designers, they are significant and are listed below:
- Limited capabilities. Working with the constructor does not involve working directly with the page code, so the options for customizing blocks will be limited to the design options available in the service itself.
- Advertising. As a rule, all website builders offering free plans place their ads on the websites created. To disable this option, you will need to upgrade to a paid version.
- Search engine optimization. Websites built using website builders perform poorly in search engines due to a lack of or limited functionality for meta tags.
- Questionable reputation. The lack of uniqueness of the domain name may negatively impact the overall trust of the audience, as websites based on the constructor are similar and have a third-level domain, for example, sitename.constructor.com.
- Difficulties with transfer. When moving to a new platform, difficulties may arise, as not all builders are compatible with different hosting providers and CMS.
To sum up, we can conclude that a website builder is a great option for simple solutions. Even a beginner can handle it, and its functionality is sufficient for creating a landing page, a simple website, or a small online store.
Disadvantages and advantages of CMS
CMS is also a tool for creating and managing websites, but it has an option for editing by changing the HTML code, and most parameters can be customized to suit your needs.
The advantages of content management systems are considered to be:
- Extensive customization options. Since CMSs are open source, all functionality, design, and other parameters can be customized for a specific purpose. This may require additional knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, or consulting a specialist.
- Functionality expansion. Plugins and themes (both free and paid) are regularly developed for all modern and popular CMSs. For example, to create an online store based on the WordPress CMS, you just need to install the WooCommerce plugin.
- Regular updates. CMS developers are constantly working to improve their product and regularly release updates to fix vulnerabilities.
- Improved optimization. With the help of special plugins, CMS-based websites can add meta tags and track SEO optimization statistics.
Now let’s move on to the disadvantages of “engines”:
- Sufficient knowledge. To develop a CMS-based website, the user will need minimal knowledge of layout and programming. In addition, specific tasks may require outside assistance, which will require additional funds.
- Hosting costs. CMS websites need to be hosted on a server that will ensure optimal performance. As a rule, these are paid services, since free ones are not designed for the significant load that occurs when a website is running on an installed CMS.
- Website protection and security. Regular system updates do not provide complete protection against website hacking or operational errors. Creating regular backups and configuring security is entirely the responsibility of the website owner.
What to choose: a constructor or CMS
After weighing all the pros and cons, first determine your needs: calculate your budget and set goals. For a blog, one-page website, or business card website, a website builder will suffice. The most popular ones right now are Weblium, Wix, and many others. They have many free templates and layouts in their arsenal. There are also many website builders that are specifically designed for landing pages.
If you plan to create an online store, news portal, or other resource with high traffic, the best option would be to choose a CMS. A website based on a content management system will load quickly, rank high in search results, meet all user expectations, and be easy for staff to work with. Among the most popular systems, we can recommend WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal.