In this article, we are going to dive into pros and cons of using Wix website builder.
See, Wix offers terrific solutions to the website that an organization or business needs for online prominence. It offers both free and paid solutions.
With over 10 years in the business, Wix is among the industry leaders.
In fact, if you are looking for a website builder that’s user-friendly, Wix is a great option.
However, there are some upsides and downsides to using the platform.
What are the pros of the Wix website:
#1. The interface is intuitive and useful
Wix is incredibly useful even though it’s not the best-looking backend interface that you’ll find with a website builder today. It has all the tools you need and you also get guidelines and tools to customize templates. Even with the free plan you also get all these and even match your website to your brand.
#2. You receive an upgraded design template
You can create a modern website just in a few minutes using Wix’s drag-and-drop design. That means that you can get a commercial site with almost no investment.
Although some templates are restricted with the free plan, you still receive a solid experience and immediate access.
#3. Wix takes care of your site security without compromising speed
After setting up your Wix account you will realize that these sites perform well with good speed. All these sites operate on a well-protected platform so you don’t need to worry about performance issues. That gives you more time to focus on improving the performance of your site and learning about the various services offered in premium bundles.
#4. You receive an all-in-one solution.
You can always contact the Wix service department in case you run into any problems while using the Wix site. You do not have to stress yourself trying to figure out what is wrong.
You can contact them through email, direct calls, or through their FAQ section.
#5. Extend your site features with the Wix App market
Wix has an entire ecosystem which they call ‘Apps’. They are like plugins you can use to perform specific tasks on your Wix site.
#6. Market your site Easily.
With Wix, SEO management is built-in. SEO helps you sell your site to search engines and encourages them to list you more in search results. All you have to do is give it a little guidance.
For instance, letting it know a little bit more about your site and where you are focusing on then it will do the bigger part for you. It does this by having you fill in keyword tags and other metadata.
Once you add these things to headers, photos, and other elements on your page, Google scans them every time its robots pass through your site. Make sure your metadata is accurate and detailed for a better ranking in search.
Wix also gives you the tools that can help you create social media content.
#7. You’re not locked into a long-term plan.
Most website builders allow you into a premium plan service of 24 to 36 months.
However, Wix does not hook you on such contracts.
Upgrades and premium services are added to your website as you please, starting from as little as $5 a month. If you feel that it’s not working, you can cancel it.
What are the cons of the Wix website?
#1. The starter plan doesn’t remove ads from your site.
Advertising on your website should benefit you especially when you are paying for the website. However, the Wix entry plan which requires you to pay $5 per month does not remove Wix-based ads from your site. For you to remove the ads you have to choose a different monthly plan that cost even more.
#2. There are no unlimited plans
Wix website does not allow you to have unlimited bandwidth or storage on any plan. That also applies to business and commercial plans that are sold at premium rates.
#3. Drag and Drop design can limit your creativity
Wix website builder still has certain limitations even though it has shown a lot of improvements in the last three years. Now you can drag and drop items anywhere instead of into locked boxes, but it’s still a struggle to get a design to look and work the way you intended it.
People never realize that designing a site on Wix takes a lot of time.
#4. The App store on Wix doesn’t offer apps.
The app store offered on Wix websites makes adding functionality even easier. The only problem is most of the Apps there aren’t true apps.
You find yourself adding I-frames instead of real functionality. Even though they are easy to install and they work okay, it isn’t the ideal solution that many may like to see.
#5. SEO is a pain in the neck with Wix
Wix gives you access to an SEO Wizard that can help you Maximize Content Optimization, but the techniques offered are a little behind the times. Wix’s website focuses more on keyword targeting, grouping, and ranking without any regard to other aspects of modern SEO. That is a disadvantage to those people looking at a long-term website effort.
#6. Tracking and analytics require a paid plan.
Every website owner wants to track the performance of their website and the best way is through Google Analytics.
The only way you can do this with Wix is by upgrading your plan.
#7. Your site isn’t Transferable
This is one of the biggest deal-breaker.
Wix might justify this by claiming they don’t want people to export websites created with their technology, but it still creates a big problem for many.
Imagine you’re a business owner and you have grown out of what the Wix website can support. This forces you to pay a lot of money to recreate and transfer your website. If you decide to sign on for Wix, just know they’ve got you for life.
The above pros and cons of Wix websites show that it is a good entry-level website builder that can help anyone get online.
It is not the best for advanced users and it might be more expensive as compared to other website builders. However, it does get the job done at the end of the day.
5 Best Wix Alternatives
Now that you know the pros and cons of Wix, let’s discuss some of Wix’s alternatives in case you are not satisfied with what Wix has to offer.
OLITT vs Wix
OLITT helps you create and edit your posts while having a good look at how the post appears to your readers.
You can also save drafts, schedule posts, add categories, assign multiple authors and insert images easily.
Wix gives you the blogging features you might need such as categories and post scheduling, but the blog post editor isn’t super intuitive.
Weebly vs Wix
Weebly offers more affordable paid plan options of $0 to $29 per month while Wix offers a monthly paid plan of $0 to $49.
Weebly also offers unlimited storage and unlimited website pages, unlike Wix which has storage caps on all plans and limits websites to 100 pages. This might be adequate for small businesses but not for all.
Squarespace vs Wix
Squarespace templates are the best on the market. Even though it has a smaller range than Wix, the designs are consistently stunning. Wix has over 800 templates that are attractive and easy to customize. But, some aren’t as modern as they should be.
Squarespace has four price plans, ranging from $12 to $40 per month (billed yearly).
While Wix has seven price plans starting from $14 to $49 per month (billed yearly). This is a bit expensive as compared to Squarespace.
Squarespace offers high-quality support service through live chats and email, videos, webinars, and a forum. Wix on the other hand offers phone, email, and social media support but its knowledge center is not as comprehensive as it could be.
Shopify vs Wix
Shopify has over 100 payment options with their in-house payment Shopify payments included. While Wix offers only the normal payment options like PayPal.
Shopify also offers you great tools such as curbside pickup and international delivery. With Wix, you will need apps to help with global shipping.
WordPress vs Wix
WordPress gives you almost limitless control over the aesthetic of your site especially if you have advanced coding knowledge. Wix on the other hand over 800 professionally designed templates but you can’t switch templates without redesigning the site.
WordPress requires you to install a plugin like WooCommerce to create an online store but It is best for eCommerce sites or selling in bulk. Wix on the other hand has built-in sales features in any of its eCommerce plans but, it’s only perfect for selling a few products.
In conclusion
Wix is a great platform for creating websites, with its user-friendly interface and wide range of templates.
However, it does have some drawbacks, such as a lack of customizability and limited support.
So, whether Wix is the right platform for you depends on your needs and preferences.