Elementor

[Business2022]

We currently use elementor for our website but I have seen comments saying it’s not so good. Can anyone recommend any other options in replacement? We like elementor for the pure fact we can easily build pages, make changes ourselves etc
Thanks

 

[fisicx]

This is really difficult question to answer as a lot depends on your site.

Page builders will always affect performance (slow the site down) and page speed is something Google is very keen on.

Page builders often look great on a desktop but not so good on a phone - the device of choice for many and the device Google uses for measuring just about everything.

Page Builders can lock you into using just one theme and need all sorts of extra plugins. A well configured site doesn't need any forwards facing plugins for layout.

WordPress has been developing blocks for some years and they have almost but not quite negated the need for a page builder.

So if your site is simple (as it should be) your don't need Elementor. But if you feel the need to add lots of animations and other pointless features then continue to use Elementor.

Create a clone of your site and have a play with blocks - you may discover you can do most of the things you want without any plugins. and that can only be a good thing.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

As mentioned, using Elementor and the results are not that connected. A poorly designed/ugly website will be that on any platform!

 

[Bygfut Media]

Page Builders can lock you into using just one theme

That's not completely true. You can use any 'compatible' theme with Elementor. Of course, the Hello theme developed by them would be the best option, however, you can still use it on other themes if you know what you're doing.

Also, saying "Page builders often look great on a desktop but not so good on a phone" got me wondering how you came to that conclusion. With custom breakpoints available on these tools, you're able to create mobile friendly websites. It's even harder to build proper mobile first websites on block builders, because of how its structured (I believe it'll improve over time). Always weird trying to do a mobile preview within the builder.

As much as Elementor and other page builders have issues when it comes to page speed, etc., in some cases, other factors come to play. The type of hosting you have (if it's a poorly managed shared hosting, then you may experience server problems), the contents you upload (i.e. images, video, etc.), if they're heavy and not well optmised, then they'll contribute to the problem. If you're not preloading Google fonts, then that could also be a problem.

I think this whole debacle between "page builders and block builders" is just a play on words. At the end of the day, they're both used to build pages, so yes, block builders are also "page builders", of sorts. I think the coding, UI/UX is what differentiates these tools in my opinion.

@Business2022 you can still use Elementor to create your website pages, as long as you know how to optimise it for speed and for mobile.

 

[WebDesires]

WordPress now has a built in block editor which is really REALLY good.

 

[fisicx]

Also, saying "Page builders often look great on a desktop but not so good on a phone" got me wondering how you came to that conclusion. With custom breakpoints available on these tools, you're able to create mobile friendly websites. It's even harder to build proper mobile first websites on block builders, because of how its structured (I believe it'll improve over time). Always weird trying to do a mobile preview within the builder.

Elementor has never been very good on a small screen. In fact most page builders are pretty naff on a small screen.

You can add a whole load of custom css to make them look better but that beyond the scope of most site owners.

 

[NEF]

I use Elementor and have good cheap hosting, I utilise good caching plugins and Cloudflare. I get google page speeds in excess of 92+

 

[fisicx]

I use Elementor and have good cheap hosting, I utilise good caching plugins and Cloudflare. I get google page speeds in excess of 92+

Maybe you do but the UX/UI of elementor on small screens is very poor. Times have moved on and people now have different expectations

 

[NEF]

Maybe you do but the UX/UI of elementor on small screens is very poor. Times have moved on and people now have different expectations

That is all down to the theme it combines with, mine looks good , if I do say so and very modern.

I’m more than happy with my move from opencart to Woocommerce and once you get used to elementor, it makes it very easy to get a polished looking product , store and article. Again the theme plays a big part, hosting , etc

$60 on a good theme, cloud hosting is available from $30-40 that is more than enough for most average stores, cache, cloud flare, firewall provided , like I say it’s excellent for me and fast.

 

[getsetgonline]

Page builders, namely Elementor have always been good for us. We typically use them to spin out a travel website quickly to test the demand and if it is a hit, we get a custom site built.
In my side line of automation setup, I use page builders as quick ways of getting something online with minimum fuss.
Mobile can be a challenge but they can be used with persistence