What have been your best website builders to get up and running quickly whilst being efficient enough to scale long term?

[Dannydee]

I think I have an idea for an online business that may be a mix of courses and/or services. I have been chatting with ChatGPT all afternoon about my experience and skills in marketing and CMS operations, and it has helped me to narrow down some potential paths to follow.

It has suggested that we use Framer, Carrd, or Webflow to get an MVP and landing page up and running quickly. Carrd isn't much good since branding is very limited. Framer and Webflow appear much better on the surface, but a quick Google search brings up a lot of negative trust pilot reviews, which is disheartening.

What website builders would any of you recommend? I have some experience with WordPress, Wix, and Shopify. Some of which can be quite complicated (especially WordPress and Wix), even tho they sell them as being "easy to use".

I believe there are faster and more efficient alternatives these days (even AI-driven ones where you just enter some info and it builds the site in seconds).

What are the best site builders?

The more functionality, the better. CMS, SEO, payments, email, etc. Everything one would need to build and scale.

 

[fisicx]

This has been tried before and just didn't work.

The more you try to automate building a website the worse the result.

In any case, if you are building a site your first actions should be plan the site. This will dictate functionality. You can then get all the content in place, sort out the navigation and layer up the functionality. Last thing to do is make it look pretty.

It's not a speedy process and shouldn't be so.

 

[Shopclicks]

The more functionality, the better. CMS, SEO, payments, email, etc. Everything one would need to build and scale.

There is nothing better than a Wordpress website built by a competent developer for all of your requirements. Regardless of which CMS or platform you use, it's adding the content which will determine how fast you can get up and running.

Some of which can be quite complicated (especially WordPress and Wix), even tho they sell them as being "easy to use".

If you find Wordpress complicated, you need a developer's help. The other platforms you mention, will have the same complexity or simply won't perform and scale.

 

[Dannydee]

This has been tried before and just didn't work.

The more you try to automate building a website the worse the result.

In any case, if you are building a site your first actions should be plan the site. This will dictate functionality. You can then get all the content in place, sort out the navigation and layer up the functionality. Last thing to do is make it look pretty.

It's not a speedy process and shouldn't be so.

With the help of ChatGPT, the planning becomes a lot easier. It's already given me a plan/layout for a homepage, including copy, taglines, etc, which is a good place to start.


Thanks for that tho, it makes sense. I guess AI site builders are probably somewhat of a gimmick for people who want things done quickly and with minimal effort (like me ).

 

[Dannydee]

There is nothing better than a Wordpress website built by a competent developer for all of your requirements. Regardless of which CMS or platform you use, it's adding the content which will determine how fast you can get up and running.


If you find Wordpress complicated, you need a developer's help. The other platforms you mention, will have the same complexity or simply won't perform and scale.

I have a WordPress subscription for another year. I bought a 3-year personal plan for about 85 quid 2 years ago that I didn't do much with. Personal isn't much use for building and scaling. Also the cost appears to grow significantly if you want to get better templates and start adding plug-ins. High costs aren't attractive when you just want to get things moving and testing quickly.

The year of WP personal is almost useless to me now. I know I need to make more of an investment but that's what I'm trying to figure out; where best to put my money and effort.

 

[fisicx]

With the help of ChatGPT, the planning becomes a lot easier. It's already given me a plan/layout for a homepage, including copy, taglines, etc, which is a good place to start.

That's not how plan.

Planning begins with your market research. This will determine the marketing plan and from there the content and navigation. You can then build a wireframe with a simple theme and test the information flows. Add in the trustmarks and calls to action and get some users to have a play.

The homepage can come much later. If you have a good marketing plan your visitors may well never see the homepage.

And you will be forever adjusting the copy, titles, taglines, layout and everything else after launch. ChatGPT can't do your analysis for you.

 

[fisicx]

Also the cost appears to grow significantly if you want to get better templates and start adding plug-ins. High costs aren't attractive when you just want to get things moving and testing quickly.

Self host. Cheap as chips and you retain full control. I've got domains I just use for testing.

 

[Shopclicks]

I have a WordPress subscription for another year. I bought a 3-year personal plan for about 85 quid 2 years ago that I didn't do much with. Personal isn't much use for building and scaling. Also the cost appears to grow significantly if you want to get better templates and start adding plug-ins. High costs aren't attractive when you just want to get things moving and testing quickly.

Hmmmm. You don't get anything good without investing something (time or money). Assuming you used wordpress.com? Your only cost, if you do everything else yourself with wordpress.org, should be a hosting plan.

 

[martin_shl]

There is nothing better than a Wordpress website built by a competent developer for all of your requirements.

That is an opinion. Backdrop CMS is a superior system in many respects (that is my opinion and the opinion of many who have tried to build what they needed in WordPress but found Backdrop much easier), but it depends what you want the website to do and who will be managing it on a long term basis; don't just think about quick setup, but think about how the website might need to grow and how easy it will be to upgrade; do the developers have a strong commitment to backward compatibility (Backdrop does)

Also the cost appears to grow significantly if you want to get better templates and start adding plug-ins. High costs aren't attractive when you just want to get things moving and testing quickly.

Backdrop modules (plug-ins) are all free of charge. We don't have an as many themes as WordPress but we have several good quality themes off the shelf.


There's an old addage:
Out of Quality, Speed, and Low Price, you get to pick two; you can't have all three

 

[Shopclicks]

There's an old addage:
Out of Quality, Speed, and Low Price, you get to pick two; you can't have all three

What do Quality & Speed mean in this context?

That is an opinion.

Yes, but I'm certainly not alone.

 

[Wesley Cude]

I would still suggest WordPress. Go to Themeforest, find a theme you like that used Elementor or WPBakery and then install on your domain name, installing one of the pre-made demos. Don't mess with the layout, simply swap out the branding colours, imagery and text. Then see how your idea does.

If you start to gain traction, look at ways to customise the website further for your own requirements.

 

[Ditso]

I have used WordPress almost exclusively over recent years. Tried a few different CMS option. I quite like "Oxygen" and detest Divi and Elementor. I've used Astra themes and also one called "Popcorn" but tbh I've more or less stopped doing websites now.

 

[Dannydee]

I have used WordPress almost exclusively over recent years. Tried a few different CMS option. I quite like "Oxygen" and detest Divi and Elementor. I've used Astra themes and also one called "Popcorn" but tbh I've more or less stopped doing websites now.

Oxeygen looks too good to be true.. Why is it 199 quid for lifetime access??

 

[Dannydee]

That is an opinion. Backdrop CMS is a superior system in many respects (that is my opinion and the opinion of many who have tried to build what they needed in WordPress but found Backdrop much easier), but it depends what you want the website to do and who will be managing it on a long term basis; don't just think about quick setup, but think about how the website might need to grow and how easy it will be to upgrade; do the developers have a strong commitment to backward compatibility (Backdrop does)



Backdrop modules (plug-ins) are all free of charge. We don't have an as many themes as WordPress but we have several good quality themes off the shelf.


There's an old addage:
Out of Quality, Speed, and Low Price, you get to pick two; you can't have all three

How do you use Backdrop? Download stuff? I don't see a pricing section.

 

[fisicx]

How do you use Backdrop? Download stuff? I don't see a pricing section.

Installation instructions here:

Installation Instructions | Documentation

docs.backdropcms.org

You will need your own server

 

[Dannydee]

Installation instructions here:

Installation Instructions | Documentation

docs.backdropcms.org

You will need your own server

At the risk of sounding lazy, the other options, such as Framer, Webflow, and even WordPress, sound more appealing due to them being more of an, or as close as possible to an all-in-one box that is quicker and easier to set up and get going.

Am I wrong?

 

[fisicx]

Depends on what sort of service you want to offer.

Even Wordpress needs proper configuration. If you just do a standard install you will never get the site running efficiently and secure. For starters the default username is admin. Which is the one all hackers use to try and access your site.

 

[Dannydee]

Depends on what sort of service you want to offer.

Even Wordpress needs proper configuration. If you just do a standard install you will never get the site running efficiently and secure. For starters the default username is admin. Which is the one all hackers use to try and access your site.

It's just going to be digital services, possibly courses, possibly products, maybe ebooks, maybe a subscription eventually if all works out well... all online and digital tho


It sounds like Framer is a really good option to at least start with because you can hit the ground running; it's less techy and all that stuff. I don't need a complicated site, at least in the beginning.. I could always migrate if I needed another platform in the future

 

[fisicx]

Wordpress isn’t techy. And there are a range of free plugins you can install to sell digital products. Your problem is you are paying a subscription which limits your options instead of self hosting (which is free) and is unrestricted.

You will find framer isn’t as simple to use as you think and it doesn’t have an e-commerce option.

 

[YasmeenLondon]

Oxeygen looks too good to be true.. Why is it 199 quid for lifetime access??

Oxygen is a great page builder, I switched to Bricks Builder a few years ago when it was still 199, but all my websites running oxygen are working great and giving me no headaches.

I Still prefer Bricks Builder though, better team behind it, lots of updates, clear roadmap, they listen to their users etc, can't say the same for Oxygen.

 

[Paul Carmen]

Chat GPT can help with content, ideas, planning etc, but it's not a substitute for proper initial research. That is driven by you thinking through the options and undertaking detailed research, so you understand the way forward.

A business or service launch should be based on proper analysis and research led insights; e.g. customer and market research, to outline what potential customers pain points are, what they look for to solve them and where they look. Once you've done that you can come up with solutions (services or products) to address these pain points.

That forms the basis for market research; e.g. are there already good solutions available. If not, why not (market size, cost etc), if there are, what can you do better, and how can you capture market share.

This then becomes the bones of a marketing plan; e.g. what are my services, how do I reach people, what are the messages, features and benefits that will get cut through etc.

At that point the project planning and Chat GPT use comes in handy, to research the detail, but any content or marketing work undertaken by Ai should be fact checked, and rewritten by humans to avoid Google/Microsoft seeing it as AI produced content.

 

[antropy]

I think I have an idea for an online business that may be a mix of courses and/or services.

What courses and what services?

There are already loads of sites where you can upload your courses and get paid when they sell.

Paul.

 

[Ditso]

Oxeygen looks too good to be true.. Why is it 199 quid for lifetime access??

No idea, but I've put it on about 20 different sites over the last few years and its worked pretty well. I think I still have it on a few now.

 

[Direct Digital]

I think I have an idea for an online business that may be a mix of courses and/or services. I have been chatting with ChatGPT all afternoon about my experience and skills in marketing and CMS operations, and it has helped me to narrow down some potential paths to follow.

It has suggested that we use Framer, Carrd, or Webflow to get an MVP and landing page up and running quickly. Carrd isn't much good since branding is very limited. Framer and Webflow appear much better on the surface, but a quick Google search brings up a lot of negative trust pilot reviews, which is disheartening.

What website builders would any of you recommend? I have some experience with WordPress, Wix, and Shopify. Some of which can be quite complicated (especially WordPress and Wix), even tho they sell them as being "easy to use".

I believe there are faster and more efficient alternatives these days (even AI-driven ones where you just enter some info and it builds the site in seconds).

What are the best site builders?

The more functionality, the better. CMS, SEO, payments, email, etc. Everything one would need to build and scale.

Did you ever build that website?