Thousands of DIY website builders are out there building websites for business owners. Please don’t fall prey to fancy words like “build your free website” and “get your website ready in 60 minutes”. The reality is different than you think.

Contrary to popular belief, DIY website builders are not so great for businesses. I’m here to explain why DIY Website builders aren’t the best website design option. And I have 10 solid reasons to back up my claim.

What is a DIY website builder?

Do It Yourself website builders are a growing alternative that individuals and business owners prefer to build their website. Most of these website builders do not involve any sort of coding which allows anyone to build a website.

Why Are DIY Website Builders Bad For Business

Many small business owners choose DIY website builders because they’re affordable, easy to use, and quick to set up.

But here’s the thing. Even though DIY website builders have their perks, they also have limitations. Your website can end up being a generic template, blending in with the crowd instead of standing out.After thorough research and based on my experience, I am putting forward these 10 reasons to avoid DIY website builders.

  1. No Brand Ownership with DIY Site Builders
  2. Drag-and-drop website builders are not professional
  3. SEO is a headache with DIY websites
  4. DIY website builders offer limited customization
  5. Scalability is a problem with DIY website builders
  6. DIY website builders are less flexible than you think
  7. DIY Website builders offer poor support for e-commerce
  8. DIY websites have technical limitations
  9. DIY website builders aren’t cheap as they advertise
  10. Google prefers custom build websites

#1 No Brand Ownership with DIY Site Builders

You did not see that coming, did you?

You create the website using that DIY website builder for your precious business. It will be your business website but you won’t own it.

Let’s say you choose one of the top website builders to create a website for your new parlor. You create the website with beautiful images and inspiring text. Now your business has outgrown your needs and you want to switch your website to other platforms.

That is not happening because you did not create any of the technical files, stylesheets, or backend code and don’t know what those are. All you did was customize an existing template by simple drag and drop.

They leave their trademark signs at the bottom of your business website like “Create your free website now”. This means your business website is a way of advertising for the DIY website builder like “Look how good this website is. You can build one too!”.

You have ads running all over your website. What’s important to note is the website builder still has rights over your business website. But you are not even in the picture which is the problem with DIY website builders; you are not the boss.

 

#2 DIY Website Builders Are Not Professional

As a business owner, you can’t professionally code your website all on your own. So should you use a website builder or not? No, as there are still better options out there. Of course, DIY website builders are simple, basic, and easy to use for anybody. There is no arguing in that.

But to put it in simple terms, a website created using a DIY website builder is not a website. It is just an eye-catching template that is customized to look like a business website.

Templates are generic and you are not the only one using them. With only a few things to edit within a template, how will your visitors find you unique?

According to a survey, 48% of users decide the credibility of a business website but its appearance. So that means almost half of your audience will skip your website if it was designed with a cheap template from a DIY website builder.

 

#3 SEO is a headache with DIY websites

When it comes to SEO, it takes at least a few months to a year to see some measurable results. It takes time and you need advanced tools to track progress.

One of the reasons to avoid DIY website builders is their limited ability to expand creatively. As a business, you need to strategize your SEO game tailored to the way you want. With website builders this option is limited.

How?

If they have an SEO tool, that tool is accessible with the same features to every business that’s built on their platform. So you follow a generic SEO plan with the same features just like every other business. Where is the authenticity here? You don’t have enough room to experiment.

Not to mention you’re still dependent on these DIY website builders for SEO updates and you don’t have full control of the code behind the scenes. Think about it again: do you really want a half-baked tool for your business?

And when you compare these SEO tools with WordPress’s RankMath SEO, it falls a mile short. The tools you get are easy to use but comparatively show average performance. Even if you push for their “premium” SEO features, you will realize it is a waste of money.

 

#4 DIY website builders offer limited customization

Picture this: you’re a small business owner, and you want your website to be as unique as your brand. But here’s the thing – DIY website builders might be unable to fulfill that dream.

Sure, these builders promise simplicity and convenience. They offer pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop features, making it seem like a breeze to create your website. But when it comes to customization, they often fall short. It’s like being handed a colouring book but told you can only use a few colors.

You want your website to reflect your brand’s personality, but with DIY website builders, you’re stuck with cookie-cutter designs

DIY website builders often have restrictions on integrations with other tools and services. For starters, you won’t be able to add your custom codes to your DIY website builder. Custom coding is like having a secret superpower in website building.

With custom coding, You can create advanced forms, dynamic content, custom animations, third-party integrations, user authentication, personalized e-commerce solutions, performance optimization, and even develop your APIs, unlocking endless possibilities to stand out from the crowd.

Another important limitation of DIY website builders is they can’t offer the level of technical support that a professional web developer or hosting service would provide. To stand out from the crowd with a website completely designed to your taste, you need to get it designed by a website development services agency.

 

#5 Scalability is a problem with DIY website builders

We already saw how switching between templates is a headache but switching to a new hosting plan is a different pain.

First of all, DIY website builders have servers where your website and thousands of other websites will be hosted.

Imagine your business grows and you need faster and dedicated servers for your business. None of the plans on any of the best DIY website builders supports that.

Custom-designed websites using a Content Management System are the best for businesses that want to grow online and improve their traffic. Compared to what a CMS provides for a small business, DIY website builders don’t have a chance.

Like maintaining a new car, your website must be updated with content frequently to keep the conversation going. To do so, drag-and-drop website builders cannot adapt to your interests and will confine you to their limitations.

 

#6 DIY website builders are less flexible than you think

The templates are indeed attractive, no doubt about that. But try modifying the template with your business’s images.

Most probably you will not be satisfied with what you see. That is because the framework demands professional photos and limits you from experimenting independently.

Sales is a key aspect of website designing and it requires the freedom to design according to your strategy. You must make sure that website planning is important to achieve optimum performance and visual appeal.

If you want to customize the mobile view of your website, some drag-and-drop website builders restrict that as well. Thus, your DIY website builder becomes an obstacle to reaching the mobile audience, how can you boost your sales?

The templates are indeed attractive, no doubt about that. But try modifying the template with your business’s images.

You see, these builders have limitations. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Sure, you can move things around and change some colors, but if you want to go beyond the template’s boundaries, you need more time.

Another thing to consider is future scalability. DIY website builders might not grow with your business. It’s like trying to squeeze into your childhood clothes – they just won’t fit anymore. As your business expands, you might need more advanced features, better performance, and increased capacity. DIY website builders might struggle to keep up with your growing needs.

You might have grand ideas for your website, but DIY website builders might not have the tools or options to bring those ideas to life. You deserve a unique online presence that reflects your brand’s personality.

 

#7 Website builders offer poor support for eCommerce

Have you ever come across those DIY website builders who swear setting up an online shop is a piece of cake? But here’s the scoop: many of these builders fall short when it comes to providing the support you need for a successful online business.

First off, DIY website builders often have limited e-commerce features. It’s like trying to run a marathon with one leg. Sure, they might have some basic shopping cart functionality, but when it comes to advanced features like inventory management, order tracking, or customer reviews, they might leave you hanging.

But that’s not all. DIY website builders might need more integration options with popular payment gateways. The last thing you want is to limit your customers’ payment options and create a hassle.

Security is another major concern. DIY website builders might need more security measures to protect your customers’ sensitive information. One security breach and your business reputation and revenue go down the sink.

You need a secure e-commerce platform that encrypts data, implements SSL certificates, and offers robust security features to keep hackers at bay.

To be clear, not all DIY website builders are bad for eCommerce. Businesses that require small inventory, limited stocks, and a simple product line-up might find the best drag-and-drop website builders.

 

#8 DIY websites have technical limitations

It is similar to the classic example of straightening a dog’s tail. You just cannot do anything about it. So are the templates of even the top website builders. You cannot go out of their framework.

As we saw earlier, you get free hosting with the best website builders.

But here’s the caveat: what you’re getting for free is shared hosting. Your website does not have a dedicated or a high end configuration server; instead, you must adjust with other users. Shared hosting means shared server resources which have a massive impact on your website’s loading speed.

Security cannot be a limitation and DIY website builders don’t have an iron wall to fend off hackers. DIY website builders don’t have the robust defences needed to keep them at bay. This one reason is enough to say why DIY website builders are bad and a big no for your business.

Remember that when you’re frustrated with these technical limitations, your peers are out-competing you. Because they have a professional website that’s custom-built to their needs.

Plus, skilled developers stay up-to-date with the latest security trends and know how to plug potential holes in a website’s armor. They provide round-the-clock support, having your back at times of distress.

Once you get your website done, you need data about its performance. With Google Analytics and Google Webmasters, the primitive analytic tools of even the top website builders don’t have a chance.

Avoid DIY website builders and entrust your website’s security to professional web developers to safeguard your business.

 

#9 DIY website builders aren’t cheap as they advertise

The phrase “Free website” sounds pleasant but maintaining one, in the long run, is not. The best website builders offer a variety of plans to suit every field of business but how much do they cost?

Let us start with the domain name and hosting plan. We are not considering the free plans here as they run ads on your website, have little or no exclusive support for businesses, and are overall a disaster for online stores.

The business plans have an annual billing for your domain name at $17.95 a year and a monthly billing for the website plan you choose. Do you want custom emails for your employees? They don’t come free and are billed monthly.

The top website builders in the market offer different plans for eCommerce stores. The important factor to note is the transaction charges, they are never free and would have accumulated a lot at the end of the month.

For instance, Wix charges 2.9% for every transaction with $0.30. Except for their free business plan, Weebly charges 3% for every transaction.

Considering all the costs, you will find many benefits of choosing a web design and development company and letting a web development team code your website. The plans might appear cheap but at the end of the year, your DIY website will rob your wallet.

 

#10 Google prefers custom build websites

The important aspect of creating a website is making sure it has Google in its favor. If you reach the first page, you get better traffic than 90% of your competitors.

But is the case the same for all the players in the market?

Even when you switch from the best drag-and-drop website builder to a CMS, the pages won’t be visible. This is because of the permalinks as they are not changed and Google cannot identify what those pages are.

Permalinks are meant to be unchanged and last for a lifetime. As they are the important tags you give for every page on your website, changing them when you switch to a CMS is necessary. If Google doesn’t know what it is, how can they put you on top of your visitors?

 

What’s The Best Alternative For DIY Website Builders?

So, you’re wondering what’s the best alternative to those DIY website builders, right? Well, let me break it down for you. Not gonna lie, not all DIY builders are terrible. Wix still has around 4% of the market share and that’s something. Not all drag-and-drop website builders are created equal and some people prefer them because of their ease of use and simple requirements.

But what you need is a level above these DIY website builders. A proper CMS like WordPress is the right tool for a professional website.  It’s no shock that they dominate 62.8% of today’s market share of all online websites. That’s right, it’s the big boss in town.But that’s not the only reason to go behind WordPress. I highly suggest that you check out our detailed explanations of why WordPress is the best website builder. This might be the article to convince you to seal the deal!

As mentioned before, not all drag and drop website builders are created equal and some people prefer them because of their ease of use and simple requirements. To help business owners like you assess your needs and budget, I have compiled a list of 6 best website builders for small businesses.

Before wrapping things up

I hope this article gave you valuable insights into why DIY website builders will not cut it for your small business. It is your business; Don’t settle for a cookie-cutter, run-of-the-mill website.

Hiring a web design and development company would be the ideal choice no matter what. Let the professionals work their magic and bring your business ideas to life on a website that’ll have people buzzing online.

Gyan Devign Tech Services, the best web development company in Pune, offers custom websites designed by professional developers. Get your website up and running now, don’t let your doubts hold you back. Tell us how you want your business website to be and we will make it happen. Let’s make your business shine online!