Online or Offline Web Builders – Which One is Best for You?
Connect or disconnect, which is better to create your website? Both have unique advantages and disadvantages. Here is a list of them to help you better decide which is the best option for you.
Online website builders
There are several different providers to choose from, such as Yola, Webs, Webnode, and Circlepad, to name a few examples. Online site builders offer different tiers, from free websites with limited options and subdomains to packages that allow you to have your own custom domain and tons of storage space.
The advantages
– Simplicity, you have everything located in one place and easy to find
– You can access and modify your website from any location with an Internet connection
– Almost all use some kind of drag and drop technology that makes website creation quick and easy.
The disadvantages
– If your servers go down, your site can do it. Moving to another hosting provider can also be difficult, if not impossible, if you created your website with your online website builder.
– Limited in what it can do. All of these sites have predesigned templates and the ability to create a blank page. However, your editing tools may be limited, making your site look like a “cookie cutter” website that doesn’t stand out from the rest.
Offline website builders
An offline site builder is that offline. Instead of having to rely on a website to build your site, download and build your website on your computer. Then when you’re ready to be viewed online, upload the files to your hosting provider.
The advantages
– Unlimited control. Unlike online site builders who limit what you can create with their editing tools, you are free to design websites the way you want.
– Throw when you’re ready. Some online site builders publish their content as soon as it is saved; This leaves your visitors looking at pages that you might not want them to see because they are not finished.
– Flexibility, if one hosting provider fails, you can easily transfer it to another hosting provider. You also won’t have to worry about your content being accidentally erased, as all files are saved on your hard drive.
The disadvantages
– There is a learning curve. Unlike online website builders, offline site builders are a bit more complicated and take more getting used to. Many have drag and drop features like most online site builders. But the additional options can take a bit of getting used to, especially if you’re new to website building. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean that your site might take longer to connect.
– The cost. Instead of paying a fee for a domain name, hosting, and web builder, you have to pay all of this separately. Offline web builders can range from $ 50 to several hundred dollars; you have to pay between 5 and 12 dollars (depending on the hosting provider) per year. On top of that, you have to pay for the hosting separately, which can range from $ 7 to $ 19 a month. Sites like Go Daddy allow you to host an unlimited number of websites or blogs, but you still have to purchase each domain name separately.
– You can only create your site from one location. Again you are limited to your computer, you need to go somewhere where you cannot take your website with you unless it is a laptop
There really isn’t a bad choice when choosing either option. Before deciding, take some time to try a few different ones to get an idea of what they have to offer and whether it is comfortable to use.
