Wizards can make our lives easier, or they can get in the way. Most hosts have Sitebuilder software of some flavor–template based wizards to create your website, and GKH is no exception. It comes with our Fantastico auto-installer. But unlike most of what we offer folks, this is a feature I hope few people use, to be honest about it.
Sitebuilder Limitations
Sitebuilders have significant limitations. You’re much better off knowing that in advance than getting a rude awakening down the road.
- Lack of portability. The way sitebuilder software works, you select templates and use wizards to create your site. The sites usually cannot be moved and continue to function properly, so when you use sitebuilders, you’re locked into the service provider offering it. Now, this is good for service providers, but not so good for you! [1] What if you begin to have problems with the service, or perhaps decide to take your site offline temporarily? You can’t just move the site or keep a copy while the service isn’t active, so it cuts down your options.
- Code bloat. Every web decision requires a trade-off. Site builders give you simplicity of use–but you lose efficient code. As an example, one site done in a sitebuilder for someone I worked with came in at a whopping 611K of code–over half a MB, just to see the page! I redid the exact same layout manually for 37K.
- Bloated code means the site will be slower. In this case, the sitebuilder version would take over 15 times as long to load! Web visitors will wait an average of 8 seconds to see your site. If you run a commercial site, this is costing your cash. Ouch.
- Search engines don’t like bloated code. The clean, standards compliant code will do you more good in getting search engines love than almost anything else–short of quality, original content.
- Poor quality code behaves less predictably. Your bloated site is FAR more likely to break for your visitors. Even if it “looks okay” to you, bloated, poorly-written, automated code will often simply not work on the large variety of platforms used to access your site.
- Lack of Flexibility. Sitebuilders are set up with consideration for the most common tasks, not necessarily the tasks you need to accomplish. If you want to add a script, some snippet of custom code, or basically anything not already available to you through the wizard, you’re probably out of luck. You generally cannot edit the code directly. Another easy-to-use option with far more flexibility is a WordPress setup.
Great Design Quickstart Book
Uglier sites. I’m sorry to every amateur designer out there–but if you don’t know basic design principles by whatever means, you’re going to make design mistakes. Even if the templates you’re using have been professionally designed, clueless rookies can invariably find a way to make more ugly–and therefore less effective. Now I’m not saying every template-based sitebuilder creation is ugly–but it’s more likely than for a custom-done site. [2]
When Are Sitebuilders a Good Choice?
The more simple your site, the less impact these sitebuilder limitations will have. If you’re in a hurry to get a site up, have basic needs, don’t have technical skills, find a template that is well-suited and are okay with the limitations, a sitebuilder can help you get up and running quickly and painlessly. There are situations where it could be a good choice for you. The key is understanding what you get versus what you’re trading off so you can make an informed decision.
Good luck with your site!
photo credit: StarrGazr
- I prefer customer retention techniques built around providing irreplaceable levels of value and service, personally. How ’bout you? [↑]
- If you need to do some design and have no background, The Non-Designer’s Design Book is a great quickstart to understanding basic design and will improve your layouts immediately. [↑]
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Posted on November 14, 2009 at 3:10 pm in: Public Service, Web Advice
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