Marginal, budget-friendly solution for first-timers and technophobes
January 19, 2019
Marginal, budget-friendly solution for first-timers and technophobes
Score 3 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Wix
I used Wix to build my first website, so the problem it solved was getting me my first, rudimentary online presence. Their marketing messages are correct: even a technology and design novice can use Wix to build a passable, even attractive, website. If you're not excited about embarking down a big learning curve to get a website up and running, and you need something that's relatively simple, Wix may be a fine choice for you.
- It gets you a website up fast. If you need a website and you need it now, its templates will do the trick, and some of the templates are nice and reflect current design trends.
- It offers rudimentary plug-ins such as contact forms, calendar widgets, newsletter signups, and the like. Because it's all made in-house (or at least approved), you don't have to worry about something not working properly or crashing your site.
- They can take care of the technical stuff for you, including registering and hosting your domain. Wix can truly be a one-stop shop for your website.
- The feature set is extremely limited. There's just so much you can't do with Wix. You're stuck with only the tools they give you, so if your company grows and you need something more robust, you'll need to start from scratch with something else.
- While some of the templates are modern, the majority look severely outdated and will hurt your brand more than help it.
- While they have a "pixel perfect" drag and drop editor, allowing you to move elements with extreme precision, the trade-off is that sometimes the elements don't display properly on mobile, no matter how much you tweak them.
- It gave me a website when I didn't have one, so "internet presence" can't be discounted
- Overall, it was a good learning experience, but little more.
- As far as my business is concerned, it was a net negative, as I had to move to a different platform once it became clear Wix would not scale.
- Squarespace and WordPress
I selected Wix because of some of the reviews I saw online at the time seemed to indicate it might be a good choice for me. In retrospect, I can only say that I had to learn by trying. If I had to do it over again, I would choose Squarespace. They're also a "one-stop-shop" solution, but their ability to handle 3rd party plugins makes a lot more possible. However, I think WordPress is the best overall choice, complemented by a front-end builder such as Thrive Themes.