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Why Are Website Builders Bad?

Lately, it seems like a lot of TV ads about building websites are actually promoting website builders where you just point and click and build your own website. While this kind of point and click type sites may look appealing, there are some things that could be disastrous for a website made with them. Before you decide to use the Do It Yourself (DIY) website builder, you'll want to read some of the issues listed below and find out exactly why using the DIY Website Builder might be a bad idea, especially for your business website.

 

Bad SEO

One of the worst parts of using a website builder to create a business website is that the builder is spitting out a jumble of code that isn't well structured. It doesn't contain the elements needed to help Google rank websites better.

 

SEO stands for search engine optimization and its methodology to make your website appear higher in Google and other search engines. There are a lot of SEO parts, but one of the most important parts is SEO on-page. This is the code and structure of the website and has a major impact on the SEO-friendliness of the website.

 

When you build your site with these website builders, you don't have control of the code, just the design. You cannot use structured data to increase your local SEO or even add content. Growing your online presence is a big part of getting more online visitors and customers. These website builders do not allow you to create new content, so you rarely rank in Google.

 

No structure of the website or data

The other issue with only 1 page is that you do not have a website structure that is essential to SEO. When a website is organized nicely and according to a site hierarchy, you make search engines very happy and they're often going to rank that website higher.

Not mobile friendly

Mobile devices now account for more than 50 percent of all web traffic worldwide Why DIY Websites are Bad Idea-Responsiveness. This percentage is even higher when you include tablets. It is crucial that your website is formatted in a way that provides good user experience on mobile devices.

 

The best way to ensure a good mobile user experience is to build a responsive website. This will allow your website to adjust the size and size of the screen used to view it. This is important not only for your user experience, but also for your search rankings. Google will penalize websites that are not mobile-friendly, resulting in a lower ranking of search results.

 

DIY websites are not built using responsive design. This means that you will have a tough time addressing the needs of mobile users, and your website will make search engines poorer.

 

You could be promoting your competitors

Let's face it, there's nothing free with no strings attached to it. Some of these free website builders and even paid services might have chains attached that you don't realize. You may have ads placed on your new website, and the worst part is that they might be promoting your competitor. There may also be small text links on the site.

You don’t own the website

Often, when you use a DIY website builder, you won't own your website. In many cases, the DIY builder may own the design, content and images used on your website. If you stop paying for their services, you may find that you will not be able to use these assets in the future. This will force you to start and build a new website from scratch.

 

In addition, when a DIY builder is created, you will not be able to migrate a website to another server. This means that you can't use another host down the road. Essentially, for the lifetime of that website, you're stuck on their platform and server.

 

The website may not be that unique

After the latest rounds of Google's search algorithm updates, one of the main things that can affect a site in the search results is how unique the site is. Consider how unique your site would be if you were to build it using a DIY website builder. It is likely that the design and much of the linking structure will be like the hundreds of other sites that have been created using it.

Does Your Business Need a New Website That Actually Brings in New Business?

Remember, when creating a website you have two audiences that are equally important: Humans and Google.  Most website designers stick to designing for humans. Why? Because the client wants a beautiful site first, and the designer is interested in making that client happy.  But unfortunately that’s where most designers stop.  Magnified Media designs sites for both Humans and Google. Why again you ask? The reason is simple - if you don’t make your site Google-friendly, it won’t ever get seen by Humans! Interested in seeing what we can do for your business? Schedule your free Online Presence Audit now.

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