5 Reasons to Stay Away from Wix, SquareSpace, and Weebly Websites

Anvil

3 years ago

When Wix, SquareSpace and Weebly – the most popular versions of ‘cheap, professional’ websites hit the market – they were created to help the solopreneur and small business. If you only need a website for that type of business, they are the perfect solution. These websites check all the boxes for a ‘start-up’ and individual business:

Cheap
Easy
Professional looking

For those companies that will never scale in size, need additions to their website, a custom email that matches their website URL, a unique brand and just a simple brochureware website – these web platforms are a great choice! These websites were NOT created for companies that will scale over time (18 – 36 months), provide eCommerce, need customization or want to track measurable website data (SEO).

Here are 5 Reasons to stay away from Wix, SquareSpace and Weebly Websites:

1. Trouble with customer support

Sure, you can never talk to a person these days but when your website has a problem would you rather talk to a chat bot or an actual person or team you hired for your website? The main issue with these websites is you’re on your own because you bought a cheap website. When problems arise, and problems always arise when it comes to website development, you will be left Googling phone numbers and customer support. If you don’t remember what this is like, think back to any experience you’ve had with Network Solutions or GoDaddy.

Can your business wait 72 hours when a problem arises?

2. Lack of customization

Wix, SquareSpace and Weebly websites look really professional – which is why they are so popular. But these websites are cookie-cutter, all the same, which is why they are very cheap. Is that what you envisioned when you created your brand and company – to look like hundreds or thousands of other companies? If you’re an artist, you’re better off with an Etsy storefront or creating a website in Shopify than using one of these options.

3. Websites are NOT as easy as they look

Wix, SquareSpace and Weebly make websites look easy – they are not. Code changes, Google’s rules changes, SEO is a moving target, yet these are static websites that don’t change. Sure, you can upgrade but is that in your budget? When something breaks, how long will it be broken? Wix, SquareSpace and Weebly are perfect ‘you get what you pay for solutions’.

A popular Google search:

Did you remember to ask this question before you bought your Wix website?

4. Not ideal for eCommerce

If you have an eCommerce business, I recommend building a WordPress with WooCommerce website or Shopify website to get started. If you have a complicated solution, then you probably need custom solution, but you certainly don’t want to start with Wix, SquareSpace or Wix for eCommerce. These platforms are perfect brochureware, nothing more, nothing less. If your sales and revenue are not reliant upon your website solution, use one of these websites. Think to yourself, how many of your online purchases are through one of these websites? They don’t use them because there are better options.

5. Closed System

Wix, SquareSpace and Weebly websites are closed systems – meaning they are a black box when it comes to analyzing data, website traffic, making organic search improvements. They are ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions made to look pretty and not help drive website traffic. Want to add Google Tag Manager to your Wix website? Good luck, you’ll need a developer and a rabbit’s foot for that to happen. Again – these websites look nice and are for small businesses – not growing enterprises or companies looking to have a zero-dollar digital marketing budget.

If you have one of these (Wix, SquareSpace, Weebly) as your website solution – don’t worry. You may never outgrow it and it may work perfect for you. However, if your business will grow and scale in 12 – 36 months, you should budget for a more robust website solution that goes beyond the capabilities of these introductory platforms.