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path: "/wordpress-itself-is-not-a-website-builder" title: "Wordpress Itself Is Not A Website Builder" published: true date: "09-06-2018"
Squarespace, Wix, Wordpress blah blah blah, if you searched for "easy to use website builder", chances are you are being flooded with advertisements for these [and similar] platforms.
I do not know much about Squarespace nor Wix. I do however know, that Wordpress.org [the open source tool for developers] is not a website builder by itself. It does not offer a user-friendly drag and drop interface for the building of websites.
Wordpress [at least ".org"] is a content management system. This means that it is a tool for managing content - for example, it allows the content manager to easily produce and update content such as blog posts, images, etcetera.
This is very true, Wordpress offers something called plugins - installations which add extra functionality to Wordpress, and themes - installations which are for the presentation of content.
While many themes (some for free, some not) allow their content, and to an extent, their appearance to be easily customizable - their sole intention is simply to present the content in a pre-determined manner.
Plugins come in all shapes and sizes, but I'll cut to the chase - there are various plugins which turn Wordpress into a page (and thus website) builder.
Sometimes these plugins have to be combined with other products, sometimes they can be hidden inside themes. And their pricing can vary dramatically.
This combination is what I started out with, it is free; but very minimal.
This offers much more flexibility, it offers template layouts - which are pre-designed pleasant layouts. And Beaver Builder's user interface is fairly intuitive. I believe there is a free version of it, which is what I used - but in my opinion, the price range is a bit too steep. Having said that, I did like this plugin.
I cannot remember using this, though I do remember thinking to myself - I need to use this. There is a free version too, and the personal site variant's pricing which is for 1 site is pretty fair at $49.
This is a heavyweight plugin - in fact, I am not even sure if it is classed as a plugin, long story short - this is way too expensive for me to consider using, however, a lot of "web designers" (I am a web developer) favor this one - probably due to the features its packed with.
Yes, I agree, if you are looking just to build a website for a local small business on a low budget (perhaps even as a favor). these options can feel a bit overkill (with the exception of the free options). But what you should understand is that if you are looking to start a "web design agency" of sorts - these tools are an investment to your business. If your client demands that you specifically use one of these tools - then they should pay for the tool themselves. However, if the client is none the wiser about what you are using, then you should ensure a percentage of each client's payment goes towards the tool/s you use. I am sure these plugins easily play nice with other [popular] plugins, but you should try them out - assuming you have the luxury to do so - to find which one you prefer.
When I first started using Wordpress, I began using it thinking that it was the answer to all my problems, but I soon realized I was wrong - and that it was only a gateway to some of the answers of my problems. The blog post also aims to ensure that you take a step back, and truly consider if Wordpress is the right tool for the job.