Wix Review – A detailed website builder review

wix-review

Nearly everyone has a web presence these days, making it important to stand out. Wix is a platform that offers a powerful site builder along with hosting in one convenient location. It is perfect for those who want an attractive, functional website but do not have the skills to build one. This Wix review will outline the features of the service and touch on its disadvantages.

Read my comparison of Wix vs WordPress and see why WordPress is the #1 choice for building a website.

Overview

Wix offers the following features:

  • A large number of templates for every need and industry. The platform offers 510 templates to jumpstart a web presence. Users also have the option of creating a custom design.
  • A website builder with drag-and-drop functionality. Users can choose the elements they need and place them wherever they want on the page.
  • An extensive support system through phone, email, knowledgebase and forum. Support buttons are strategically placed around the site to assist users at any time. In addition, help features are available for every page element.

 

Using Wix

The Wix platform is targeted at those who need a personal or business web presence without the fuss of buying a hosting account or hiring a designer or programmer. While the platform performs well for musicians, artists, photographers and other small businesses, it may struggle with very large numbers of pictures, so it is best to test Wix before making a commitment to it.

Wix utilizes a What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) builder. This means that whatever is put into the editor will appear the same way on the published website. Most users find they can learn how to use the builder in about 20 minutes, although the configurations, tools and functions can appear daunting at first glance. Once the learning phase is complete, users will find the interface to be very intuitive.

 

Templates

Wix offers over 500 templates to its users. While it started out as a flash-based builder a few years ago, its emphasis has shifted to HTML5 designs with large images and modern fonts. This helps not only in terms of SEO but also mobile device compatibility.

Most users may want to start with a pre-made template while they adjust to the Wix system or simply want to save some time. One major drawback of using Wix is once a template has been selected and put into use, it cannot be changed to a different template later. Some users may find this unnecessarily restrictive.

Directly changing the HTML and CSS codes of the templates is not permitted, which disallows users from making specific edits. While most Wix users will not be affected by this, advanced users will find it frustrating.

Wix does offer users the ability to create a separate mobile presence that includes a special bar displaying email addresses, phone numbers, social media profiles and maps. This is an excellent feature because most people are now using the Internet through mobile devices. This trend is expected to increase going into the future.

 

Apps

An important difference between Wix and other similar platforms is its App Market, which contains 250 apps that add extra functionality and features. This includes live chat, newsletters, contests, reservations and testimonials. The App Market alone makes Wix an attractive option to small business owners.

 

Search Engine Optimization

Wix offers flexibility with search engine optimization (SEO) by allowing users to choose between having a flash-based website or an HTML5 website. Flash-based sites typically do not index well in search engines because they cannot be thoroughly crawled to determine content. Sites built with HTML5 can be crawled completely and are often given a much higher ranking. This is a big plus for the service.

The platform allows users to completely optimize SEO, like titles, keywords and descriptions. Users may also insert Google Analytics code to track performance.

 

Hosting

One of the best aspects of Wix is that it is a hosted platform where all security and updates are handled behind the scenes, and the user does not have to worry about it. The downside of this is if a user wants to leave Wix, that person will not be able to export their website to another host. This is mainly due to the platform’s particular technology that will not function elsewhere.

The best approach is to try Wix for free and decide if the platform is a good match for user needs before committing to a paid account.

 

Pricing

Wix offers competitive pricing for its service. Users can start for free and gradually add paid services as their websites grow. The free offering has no time limit, allowing users to fully explore their options and decide if Wix is the right choice.

The platform provides five premium packages that range in price from $6.90 to $29.90 per month. Some people consider Wix’s pricing to be high, but when the overall functionality of the platform is considered against the cost of buying hosting and hiring a professional web developer, the price scheme is quite fair.

The VIP, eCommerce, Combo and Unlimited plans come with a free domain name, so this must also be considered into the total startup cost. All premium plans are free for the first 14 days, which means there is little risk in trying them.

 

Conclusion

This Wix review concludes that it is a robust platform that offers the ability to build a stylish, well-performing website with excellent SEO for a minimal investment of time and money. It is an excellent choice for those who do not have technical skills and want to get a web presence online fast. Despite its lack of export and code editing features, its good points place it near the top of the list when shopping for website builders.

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