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A question I've seen popping up online recently (as well as talking with people in real life) is:
What is a website builder?
Not to mention, "Is a website builder the same thing as a page builder?" And, "How does this relate to WordPress?"
So let's unpack this.
BONUS: At the end of this post, I'll show you what I use to design and develop custom business websites and why I use it
What is a website builder?
A website builder is an all-in-one platform that allows you to create and design websites without the need to write code manually.
Website builders are designed to simplify the web development process, so you don't have to worry about all the messy tech stuff like coding or web hosting or domain management. It's all handled for you with a website builder.
Popular examples of website builders would include Wix and Squarespace.
What is a page builder?
A page builder, on the other hand, is different than a website builder — even though they sound similar.
A page builder is a tool (often a plugin) to use on a broader platform like WordPress that allows you to create and customize individual pages on a website using a drag-and-drop editor.
Popular examples of page builders would include Elementor and Thrive Architect.
Website builder vs. Page builder
One of the biggest differences between a website builder and a page builder is a website builder offers less flexibility in terms of customization and functionality because a website builder is a closed proprietary system.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
If you want to get up and running quickly, you need to have constraints in place with limited options and limited moving pieces. Otherwise, it's defeating the purpose of rapid implementation.
Whereas when you use a page builder with an open source platform like WordPress, the sky's the limit.
What exactly is WordPress?
Let's talk about WordPress for a minute.
What exactly is WordPress? Is WordPress a website builder, a page builder? Both or neither?
WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS). A CMS is a platform that allows you to create, manage, and organize your website's content without having to write code.
Open-source means you can use WordPress, modify it, and share it without paying a licensing fee — which is probably the reason why WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet today.
What are WordPress themes?
While WordPress is very powerful, it's pretty bare bones right out of the box. There's not much to see until you start adding some color, and that's where a WordPress theme comes into play.
A theme gives WordPress its look and feel, turning a blank canvas into something visually appealing.
WordPress does provide you with its own free theme, which they update every year. While it's a decent starting point, and definitely better than nothing, it's still pretty basic.
So if you want your WordPress site to look more professional and unique, you'll probably want to invest in a premium WordPress theme like Astra or Kadence, or a theme from themeforest.net.
How to design individual pages on a WordPress site
To make the pages on a WordPress site stand out and design them without needing to know how to code, you're going to need a drag-and-drop page builder like Elementor or Thrive Architect.
WordPress does come with this own built-in page builder called the Gutenberg editor, which does provide basic page building functionality. But kind of like the free theme that comes with WordPress, the Gutenberg editor is a good start, but it's kind of limited in what you can do.
That's why I recommend investing a few dollars in a paid page builder like Elementor or Thrive Architect that has all the bells and whistles.
Fun fact: WordPress page builders only came onto the scene around 2015, give or take, and really revolutionized the process of website design and development. Prior to using WordPress page builders, WordPress pages had to be built using the built-in WordPress content editor, along with custom coding using HTML and CSS, which was extremely time consuming, not to mention very limiting in the kinds of pages you could build. But when WordPress page builders came along, they allowed you to design way more sophisticated pages in a fraction of the time, which was a total game changer.
FAQs
Q: If I use a website builder like Wix or Squarespace, then I decide I want to switch to a different website builder or even to WordPress, is it easy to switch?
A: Unfortunately, no. There is no magic red button to export your site and transfer it to another system. Most website builders use proprietary technology, meaning they are not compatible with one another. When you build a website using a specific website builder, you are basically locked into their ecosystem. If you ever want to switch to another platform, you'll likely need to rebuild your website from scratch.
Q: Do you need to know how to code to use a WordPress page builder?
A: No. Page builders like Elementor or Thrive Architect allow you to drag and drop elements to create and customize your website pages. Yes, there is a little bit of a learning curve, but with a little patience and practice, it's a very learnable skill.
The "tech stack" I use to build websites
As promised earlier in this post, here's the tech stack I use on my site as well as all the sites I built for clients.
- 1I use WordPress on all sites I built because I want the freedom and flexibility to customize my site however I want and not be locked into a particular system.
- 2For my WordPress theme, I do not use any pre-built theme like Astra or Cadence. Instead, I use Thrive Theme Builder, which allows me to create a custom theme exactly how I want.
- 3The WordPress page builder I use is Thrive Architect.
As you can probably guess by the names of these products. They're from a company called Thrive Themes. I've been using their stuff to build websites since 2015.
Why is this my preferred tech stack?
Very simply, it works. It allows me to do everything I need to do to build modern professional websites for clients.
So you might be asking yourself, "Mark, how do you know there's not something better than what you're currently using?
That's a fair point.
There are thousands of WordPress themes available and probably 10-20 or more page builders on the market. And that means it would be literally impossible to test everything currently available.
So, for me, what it boils down to is this: When you find something that works, keep using it. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Here's the most important part of this post
If you need to get your website built or you need to upgrade and modernize your existing site, the most important thing you can do right now is to take action and do something.
If you're a do-it-yourselfer, then educate yourself by watching some YouTube videos or purchasing some online courses about how to build a modern professional website to generate leads for your business.
And if you don't have the time or desire to design, develop, and manage your business website, then reach out to us and let us help you. This is what we do!
