WordPress Page builder: Is it worth using Elementor, WPBakery, Divi, SiteOrigin, Visual Composer and the like?
WordPress page builders are designed to allow users without programming skills to develop and design websites and blogs themselves.
In this respect, they are “the idea behind WordPress – followed through to the end.” More on this in a moment.
What are WordPress page builders and what are they for?
WordPress is an open-source platform whose mission is nothing less than to democratize blogging: All users should be able to publish content on the Internet on their own blog, even if they have no programming skills.
An interesting anecdote: WordPress took inspiration for its mission from Johannes Gutenberg (1400–1468), the inventor of letterpress printing who turned the book into a mass medium. This is why the latest WordPress user interface is called the “Gutenberg Editor.”
There’s only one catch with the democratization of blogging through WordPress: Users without programming knowledge are able to publish and edit content on their website – but programming knowledge is ultimately necessary for designing their website or blog.
After all, every occasional WordPress user knows that it’s not that easy to change the color of a button or the scrolling behavior of a slider, for instance, without prior knowledge of the HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript programming languages.
This is exactly where WordPress page builders such as Elementor, WPBakery, Divi, SiteOrigin and Visual Composer come in: They try to make not only the publication and editing of web content accessible to non-programmers, but also the website design.
In this article, we take a closer look at how well this works.
How do WordPress page builders work?
Most WordPress page builders can be conveniently installed as a WordPress plugin or are already included when purchasing a commercial WordPress theme. For instance, if you purchase the theme Bridge from Qode Interactive on ThemeForest, you will find that it works with the WPBakery and Elementor page builders.
WordPress page builders generally use a WYSIWYG editor. The acronym stands for “What You See Is What You Get” and describes an intuitive user interface where the user can assemble their website visually, usually by drag-and-drop. The WordPress page builder creates a preview in real time, which gives the user a fairly accurate idea as to how the website will look in the front end once it has been published.
Jürgen Kühn, one of our web designers and developers, also aptly refers to page builders as: “Clickity, clickity – done and done.”
What WordPress page builders are available?
As a WordPress agency based in Germany, we at svaerm have found that the following 5 WordPress page builders are particularly popular with German companies:
- Elementor
- WPBakery
- Divi Builder
- SiteOrigin
- Visual Composer
There are also many other page builders, also known as site builders. The following is not an exhaustive list:
- Beaver Builder
- Themify Builder
- Brizy
- Thrive Architect
- WP Page Builder
- Oxygen
WordPress Page Builder: Pros and Cons
| Pro | Contra |
| Website design can also be done without programming knowledge | Impossible to work with pixel-level accuracy: If you move colorful areas around visually long enough in the WYSIWYG editor, you will eventually end up with a lopsided and misaligned website |
| Many design elements, modules and widgets directly available with no need for complex installation | Slow website loading speed, as the page builder has to cover all eventualities and offer them as options, even if only a tiny proportion of them are ever used |
| The user can be spared to a certain extent the need of having to learn the HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript programming languages | Every move in the WYSIWYG editor, every save adds a new line to the source code – so that no programmer will be able to gain an overview later on |
| Inexpensive in the short term: Companies can launch their website or blog completely in-house or using a single freelancer | Expensive in the long term: Businesses whose requirements are increasing and for which a page builder-based website is no longer sufficient must commission an agency for a complete overhaul of their website (relaunch without page builder) |
| Convenient installation as a WordPress plugin or as part of a WordPress theme | Page builders “hijack” the functions of WordPress and can trigger bugs, incompatibilities*, unexpected behavior and security problems |
| Suitable for non-professional users with limited requirements | Unsuitable for companies with high quality standards and special or specific requirements |
*Example of incompatibility: Companies that would like to operate a multilingual WordPress website with WPML can learn here about conflicts with page builders. Just enter the name of the page builder (e.g. Elementor) in the search field and confirm.
Is it worth using a page builder in WordPress?
Page builders such as Elementor or Divi may, under certain conditions, be suitable for hobby users, freelancers and small businesses that intend to remain small. An example scenario:
- Fast loading speed and Google visibility are not criteria for success
- The website is only rarely updated
- The website is maintained on a permanent basis in-house or by a trustworthy freelancer
- The website operator does not wish to acquire any programming skills
In most other cases, however, we advise against using a WordPress page builder. We can recommend page builders neither for large companies nor small ones that wish to grow and remain flexible as their requirements change over time. This is especially true if their business depends wholly or partly on their online visibility.
As a WordPress Agency, we have simply had too many bad experiences with page builders. We often receive requests for us to expand a WordPress website, partially redesign it, upgrade it technically or add new functions.
When checking the backend, it turns out that it is a page builder-powered website – and the company wants to work with an agency because it is now too complicated to implement changes to the website in-house or using the services of a freelance programmer.
The reason for this is bugs, incompatibilities, security problems, slow loading times, bloated source code and operator errors caused by the page builder – and it has become so severe that even those who have been familiar with the website for months or even years can no longer handle it.
At this point, we can only offer to relaunch the customer’s website without a page builder, as it would not be economical to continue working with such a dysfunctional infrastructure. The problem: Companies that wanted to save on costs and have therefore installed a page builder generally do not include a website relaunch in their budget planning. Unfortunately, we cannot provide support if the client is not prepared to work with an agency to address this issue.
To summarize: In most cases, the attempt to save costs with a page builder fails, and it becomes more expensive in the long run than it would be without one.
At svaerm, we attach great importance to taking an unbiased and nuanced view of issues. It is rare for us to take such a firm position on a topic. However, sometimes there is a simple explanation. This is one of those times: In most cases, page builders simply do not deliver on their promise in the long term.
Alternatives to WordPress page builders
The following alternatives are available for companies that wish to use WordPress but do not want a page builder:
- Use one of the standard WordPress themes and refrain from customizing the design of your website.
- Learn HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript to program individual themes, or employ in-house developers who have these skills.
- Hire a WordPress agency that translates your CI into a customized theme and only programs the modules and design elements that your website actually needs. Make sure to work with an agency that does not use a page builder.
svaerm: (Your) Provider of WordPress Websites with No Page Builder
Here at svaerm, we program individual WordPress themes because we are aware of the pitfalls and risks associated with page builders. There are service providers that lure you in with grandiose promises and low prices, but later the error-prone infrastructure of the page builder turns out to be a money drain. In contrast, we will show you the advantages and disadvantages and advise you on cost-effective, long-term solutions that do not require a page builder.
In practice, this means that our customers can add and edit content on their website themselves, but changes to the design or technology are implemented by the agency. This form of cooperation has become well established and is appreciated by our customers.
ebsites built using custom themes instead of page builders are generally less error-prone, more user-friendly and faster. In addition, we can support our customers with a variety of services, such as blog editing, search engine optimization (SEO) and video production.
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