For anyone who is familiar with SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you know that it is the bread and butter of a website.
In simpler terms, SEO makes it possible for your website to be ranked higher by a search engine like Google. When looking for an answer for a query no one (not even you) really searches through the second and third pages. You are most likely to hit the link for the top shown sites, therefore, SEO ultimately brings more traffic to your site.
So, it’s safe to say, SEO is pretty important.
Therefore, when you are building a website, opting for a platform that is more suitable for SEO should be the main focus.
Where Can You Build An Awesome Website?
When building a website, people tend to go for one of either option: they choose a Website Builder like Weebly or they opt for a Content Management System like WordPress.
Choices… choices!
While both website builders and CMS have their own sets of pros and cons, the selection between the two would depend on the kind of content you have and on what scale are you producing it.
Photo by Fancycrave on Unsplash
Let’s dig a little deeper to help you decide which of the two might be a better option for SEO.
Website Builders:
Unless you are really good at coding, you need a simple, user-friendly option to build your website. Say you are a small business, with not a lot of money to spare, website builders might be the best fit for you with their “drag and drop” options, although you are quite restricted in terms of design and making changes to the backend.
What are Website Builders good for?
So for pros, you get a fairly basic setup that is easy to use and learn. You can design a pretty decent website while using the drag and drop features available and it’s not going to cost a fortune.
Why you should consider other options:
However, there are some drawbacks, there aren’t a lot of development options and making changes at the backend is nearly impossible. The websites often have poor URL structure and you may like a plan, only to find out later that it is limited by page size.
CMS Platforms:
Developers usually prefer a CMS like WordPress over a website builder because of all the freedom that comes with it.
CMS are essentially software programs that help you manage and store content on your website. These platforms, like WordPress, can integrate website builders along with other plugins into its API.
What is so great about CMS?
Using a CMS platform, you can build a website on pretty much whatever scale you like with available themes but you are not just limited to those since you can create your own layouts. Developers can add their own HTML and are free to manipulate htaccess files. There are SEO plugins and tools available.
Drawbacks of using a CMS platform:
CMS platforms like WordPress can get really difficult to get a hang of in the beginning. You have to put in a lot of time and energy to get around all the tools available to get your website looking the way you like. What you get might look great but it’s not as easy as a Website Builder.
Although deciding to go with either of the two options depends upon your needs and resources, CMS and Website Builders both have their pros and cons and someone demanding a more sophisticated looking website with more options might want to opt for CMS.
