In a YouTube video, Brad Hussey, a web designer from Canada, discusses with Adrian from Codex Community, the evolution of website building, from manual coding to the current trend of no-code platforms.
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What is a Drag and Drop Website Builder: The Key to Easy and Effective Web Design
A drag and drop website builder is a useful tool that allows you to build a website without the need to code or learn CSS commands. It is done by simply dragging and dropping elements onto a canvas. This feature helps the users to integrate pictures, videos, text blocks, galleries, forms, slideshows, buttons, and a lot more. It also uses pre-designed templates and themes to help users create a responsive website in just a matter of hours.
If you’re a small business owner who wants to build a website, you will find a drag and drop website convenient. This will save you time, money, and resources.
In this article, we will decode what drag and drop website builder is, its advantages, disadvantages, its difference to traditional website building, and the best drag and drop website builder available in the market.
How Does Drag and Drop Website Builder Work?
A drag and drop website builder simply works by dragging and dropping elements like text, images, and buttons on your pages. The first thing you need to do is choose a template from the builder’s pre-designed templates. Most drag and drop website builders offer a wide range of templates, so you will surely find one that aligns with the purpose and style of your website.
Now that you've selected a template, you can begin customizing its layout according to your brand voice. It will allow you to change the position and size of the elements on your webpage easily. It will also allow you to incorporate interactive features into your website. Such features can enhance user engagement and provide a better experience for your web visitors.
After designing and customizing your website using a drag and drop builder, it will let you see how it will look to your visitors. Most builders offer a preview function, allowing you to see your website in action before publishing it. This feature will ensure that your website appears exactly how you visualized it. Once you're satisfied with the preview, you can publish your website with just a few clicks.
Drag and Drop Website Builder Advantages
Easily design your website. The main advantage of a drag and drop website builder is the ease of use when designing your website, even without knowledge in HTML or CSS. You don’t need technical knowledge because you can just go into the platform and place headings, text, images, videos, buttons, tables, icons, and many more widgets. They often offer aesthetic and attractive pre-made templates you can choose from, which will make designing your website easier.
Faster building time. With drag and drop website builder services, you can create your website in just a few minutes and go live in no time. The drag and drop interface makes website building faster and easier. It is straightforward and does not require much technicality. On the other hand, traditional website building to be coded from scratch by a programmer takes 4 to 6 weeks. This is because this kind of website builder uses multiple programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more.
Personalization of website design. With drag and drop website builders, customizing your website design to your personal taste has never been easier. These intuitive tools allow you to take full control of your website's look. Drag and drop website builders often offer the wide range of templates available. There are also various layout options, allowing you to arrange content blocks, images, and other elements to your liking. You can take advantage of this flexibility to create a visually appealing and user-friendly design.
Cheaper than hiring a web designer. A drag and drop website builder has also proved to be a more
cost-effective option for designing a website for small businesses than hiring a web designer. Depending on your plan and website needs, you may spend as little as $20 or $10 each. Some builders even offer a free plan. These are ideal for those who are just starting their first website. Using a website builder will save you hundreds of dollars.
Drag and Drop Website Builder Disadvantages
Customization is limited. Some website builder’s drag and drop editor does not offer all of the functionality you need. Most of them only allow consumers to choose from a limited number of themes. Because of this, customization becomes limited especially if you require more space for more material outside their design framework. This will make it difficult for your website to stand out from others.
Makes your website look generic. As beautiful as they can get, website builder’s templates can make your website like any other website if you do not personalize it. That is why it is important to experiment with fonts, colors, images, and more to make your website stand out from others.
Some are not mobile-responsive. According to statista.com, mobile devices now account for more than half of all web traffic worldwide, and the percentage is growing yearly. Sadly, some website builders have limited mobile optimization. They don't allow you to perform much more device-specific customization.
Limited SEO elements available.
Most drag-drop website builders have very limited SEO integration. These site builders often neglect some back-end coding features. This will hurt your on-page SEO, which is supposed to help you rank higher in search engines like Google. The thing is when you use website builders to create your website, you just have control with the design and not with the code.
What is the Best Drag and Drop Website Builder?
The best drag and drop website builder is Snapss.ai. With its ease of use and feature-rich capabilities, you will be able to build an aesthetically intuitive website. It has SEO tools and integrations which will help you identify the most critical technical SEO issues of your website and take action to improve its health and performance.
This AI website builder also offers Snapps copy.ai, an AI based copy tool that uses artificial intelligence to automatically generate SEO content. It can be used to create unique and engaging content for websites, blogs, and other online platforms.
Snapps can also elevate your website’s efficiency with the Snapp's widgets. You can simplify complex programming tasks through easy copy-paste of prewritten code, compatible with any website. With Snapps’ wide selection of widgets backed by lifetime support and free installation assistance, you can achieve your website’s goals effortlessly.
Coding vs. Drag and Drop for Website Builder: What Do the Experts Say?
Both coding and website builders are excellent options, depending on the needs of your website. While you can create a functional website with either method, each suits different users and use cases.
Adrian highlights that no-code tools don't replace developers but change the approach to building websites. These tools simplify processes, allowing developers to focus on more sophisticated features and backend work. They also mentioned the time efficiency of website builders. Tasks that once took weeks can now be completed in days using no-code tools, allowing developers more time for complex features.
Avinash, a web developer and Wordpress expert, said that if you want a basic website with little to no customization, go for a website builder. But if you need a bigger website where a lot of customization and control is needed, then hiring a web developer to code your website is the best way to build a website.
Duane Clark said on his Quora.com reply that building a website (from scratch) can be daunting, especially for those who are unfamiliar with web development. In such cases, a website builder can be a lifesaver. Aside from its intuitive interface and beautiful templates, some website builders even often ecommerce capabilities making setting up your small business website and online store accessible.
Coding vs Drag and Drop Website Builder Summary
| DRAG AND DROP WEBSITE BUILDER | CODING | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Knowledge Requirement | Little to none | High |
| Building Time | Consumes few hours | Takes weeks to months |
| Learning Difficulty | Beginner-friendly | Difficult if you don’t have coding knowledge/experience. |
| Affordability | Cheaper, depending on the plan and inclusions. | More expensive because it requires additional manpower and third-party features |
| Customizability | High | Limited |
| Migration | Restricted | Easy |
| Security | Vulnerable | Robust |
Final Verdict: Are Drag and Drop Websites Worth It?
Yes, drag and drop websites are worth it if you want to build a website for your small business. It is the best option for easy site creation, regardless of your skill level. It is also time and money efficient, helping you put your resources to your other needs rather than spending it all on building a website.
If you are looking for the best drag and drop website builder you can use, Snapps.ai is the way to go. It offers unlimited creation using its live drag and drag tool which will simplify your workflow. Its intuitive tools, customizable templates, and powerful features will help you with seamless website creation. With Snapps, you will get an efficient development, enhanced functionality, and a visually stunning online presence.
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