Building a website on your own is an overwhelming process. Setting up an online business is easier with the new online tools that are convenient and cheap. Therefore, many website owners choose SquareSpace, Weebly, and Wix to set up their websites. These tools are very simple and straight forward, but there are some shortcomings in these tools as well. If you want to scale and grow, it will cost more and you may not have the control that you think you have.
If you are a business owner, thinking about using Wix to set up your business website, here is why you shouldn’t use Wix. You must have known about Wix through an ad because Wix has a strong advertising presence. No wonder, it is so popular online.
It Might Cost More Than You Think
Wix offers three-tier plans that start at $11 per month. It may seem that these plans are very inexpensive compared to the benefits it gives you. But if you compare it with other service providers such as GitHub Pages or Netlify, you’ll notice that with Wix you’ll be paying much more annually.
If you want to keep using it for free, you’ll not only be stuck with a Wix.com subdomain, but they’ll also be displaying Wix ads on your business website. To unlock the functionalities and get rid of the ads, you’ll have to pay for premium plans that range from $11 to $29 per month.
Branding
To give your website visitors a clear idea of your brand, the website’s colors, themes, and layout has to be consistent with your products, services, and idea. Wix, unfortunately, does not allow advanced customization options.
Also, creating naked URLs is not possible with Wix. Most website owners prefer a non-www domain, but Wix only creates www-type URLs. Customers prefer non-www URLs, as they are simple and easy to remember, and access.
Ecommerce Is Not Free
To run an e-commerce website, there are several plugins that you can use to create your own online store and sell anything you want. But with Wix, you cannot use plugins unless you purchase a paid package. However, other website-building platforms such as WordPress allow you to use server-free plugins.
Wix Owns Your Website
Wix owns the website you set up using the platform. The Wix website, and design when you sign up for the Wix services. So Wix has the authority to control your website. Even if the company never goes bankrupt or is taken down, they can still remove or change certain features, functionalities, and templates at anytime
Even if you like the current version of Wix, once you create your website using Wix and start using their services, you won’t be able to export it later if you are unhappy with an update. As a business, you don’t want to rely on a company that allows you little or no control of your website.
White Labelling
When you build your website using Wix, it will appear on the website that it was built using Wix. Even the URL contains wix.com.
They can also use your website to advertise their business services. Website builders market their business by showing inside your website that it was built using Wix, which bothers some individuals. Even if you do try to white label as much as you can, you will still have an issue with WIX - they do not offer white labeling but try to get you to become an affiliate.
Low SEO Optimization
Wix was never designed for SEO and is probably the biggest drawback of using a Wix website. It allows basic SEO such as meta description, but technical SEO optimization is impossible.
In the digital age, your business growth is highly dependent on how many people click on your website. Websites that rank on the first page on Google get 71% of the total traffic. To strengthen its online presence and make more sales, your website needs the exposure, that it can get on the first page of Google SERP.
Although Wix has taken out many new features and improved the SEO options, it is still not up to the mark.
Speed and security
How many times have you closed a website that was taking a long time to load? Almost always right?
When visitors have to wait more than 10 seconds on a website, they are more likely to close it and open another website that loads quickly. Wix's servers load websites slower than compared to HTML websites. If you build your website using Wix, and it loads slowly, it might also get penalized by search engines for providing a poor user experience.
Expansion or Transfer is Difficult
When your business outgrows the platform, you will want to expand to other platforms. Even if you decide to move to another platform for some reason, the transfer is not going to be easy. Wix doesn’t allow a Wix website to be exported to another site because the Wix website, according to Wix Center, is hosted exclusively on the system's servers and, thus, cannot be exported anywhere.
The cost will be far more of having to build a new website when you want to expand instead of building one from the onset that has the capabilities for growth.
Scaling is Difficult
As your business grows, you might want to use third-party apps with your website for SEO, content management, and add more functionality. But Wix websites are difficult to scale and even transfer. Therefore, you won't be able to either export or embed files or websites created with the system editor to any external platform or host. You are very restricted to only the apps that wix will allow.
Bottom Line
Wix is undoubtedly one of the easiest website builders on the web. It is the reason more and more professionals are using Wix to create websites. It takes only a few hours to set up your customized website, and you have all the tools you need.
However, these tools work perfectly for bloggers, and hobbyists only. If you are a small-to-medium size business owner, you need a website that suits your business needs. Your business website needs cheap SEO, flexibility, ownership rights, much more.
If you need a robust website that aligns with your business needs and is scalable with your business, you need to avoid using Wix. Instead, use a different website builder that lets you own your own website and where you can export your website easily. You can also hire a professional to create your website that can be hosted on any hosting platform of your choice.