A WordPress page builder is a tool that helps you design websites without coding. It’s a plugin or feature in WordPress that allows dragging and dropping elements, like texts, images, buttons, galleries, icon boxes, etc. They give you control over your website’s look and functions.
With a WordPress page builder, you can create almost any type of website. Want a simple blog? You can do it. Need a complex online store? Page builders handle that too. You can customize colors, fonts, and layouts easily. They let you make your site unique without stress.
And the good thing about this is that you can do all these things without coding. However, if needed, you can add custom CSS to specific elements for advanced customizations. In this article, I will discuss the Pros and Cons of WordPress Page Builders. Get started!
Pros of WordPress Page Builders
WordPress page builders offer numerous advantages that simplify and enhance the website creation process. They’re perfect for individuals who want professional-looking sites. These tools save time and effort for beginners and experts alike. Let’s take a look at the good sides of WordPress page builder plugins.
1. Drag-and-Drop Functionality
Drag-and-drop functionality is a game-changer in page builders. You can move elements like text, images, or buttons anywhere on the page. Just pick an item, drag it, and drop it where you want. No coding skills are needed. This makes designing fast and fun. It’s like arranging blocks on a canvas. Tools like Elementor or Divi make this super smooth.
This functionality is perfect for non-tech users. You don’t need to understand HTML or CSS. You can experiment with layouts easily. If you make a mistake, just drag the element back. Although these plugins have a learning curve, once you become familiar with them, you can design stunning pages from wireframes in a relatively short time.
2. Comes with Numerous Widgets and Features
Page builders come with tons of widgets. They are small design blocks that add specific content or functions, like text, images, buttons, or forms, to a web page. You can drag and drop these widgets to create and arrange different parts of your site without coding. For example, page builders like Elementor currently have over 100 widgets.
But if you count all the addons of Elementor, the total number of widgets may cross 500. Widgets are also known as modules in some page builders, like Divi. Features are options that allow you to stylize your content in various ways, like layout, padding, margin, animation, z-index, cross-domain copy-paste, etc.
The more knowledge you have of features and widgets, the easier it becomes for you to create a complex web design.
3. Lets You Develop Custom Themes
Page builders let you create unique themes for your website. You can design every part of your site from scratch. This gives your site a special look that matches your brand. You can tweak colors, fonts, and layouts with ease. Besides, building custom themes saves money and time. Because you don’t need to use or depend on any premium WordPress theme.
Page builders give you creative freedom. You can experiment until you love the design. This is great for small business owners or freelancers. Custom themes also help with branding. They make your website feel personal and memorable to visitors as you want.
4. Great for Designing Complex Websites
Page builders are awesome for creating complex websites. You can build multi-page sites with advanced layouts easily. You can add columns, grids, or animations without trouble. Tools like WPBakery or Elementor simplify the process. You can create pages with multiple sections or interactive features. Want a photo gallery or a video section?
It’s easy to add. You can organize content neatly and make navigation smooth. This is perfect for anyone wanting a detailed, polished website. This flexibility saves time and makes your website look high-end, even if you’re a beginner.
5. Offers Extensive Customization Options
Page builders give you endless ways to customize your website. You can change fonts, colors, or spacing with a few clicks. Want a unique button style or background? You can do it easily. This helps your site match your brand perfectly. As already said above, you can experiment until the design feels right.
Tools like Divi or Elementor let you adjust every detail visually. You can tweak small details like shadows or borders. If you change your mind, it’s easy to undo. This is ideal for creative individuals seeking a distinctive appearance. Customization makes your site stand out from others.
6. Extremely Flexible for Designing
Page builders are super flexible for designing any layout. You can create minimal or bold designs with ease. Want a single-page site or a multi-page one? You can do both. This makes them great for all kinds of projects. You can rearrange elements to fit your vision. If you change your mind, tweaking the design is simple.
With page builders, you’re not stuck with rigid templates. You can move things around as you like. Want a unique header or footer? You can design it with their theme builder. As a result, you can try out new ideas without stress.
7. Great for Designing Complex eCommerce Websites
Most of the people who want to do business online today with WordPress need to build a WooCommerce-friendly website. All the popular page builders available on WordPress are fully compatible with the WooCommerce plugin and able to create extremely beautiful eCommerce websites.
You can customize every part of your eCommerce site, for example, product pages, shopping carts, checkout pages, product slider, discounts, popups, etc. They make your store attractive and easy to navigate.
8. Has a Good Collection of Pre-Designed Templates
Page builders, like Elementor and Divi, offer a great collection of ready-made templates for quick starts. These templates are designed for blogs, businesses, or portfolios. You can pick one and customize it to fit your needs. You don’t need to start from scratch. This saves hours of design work.
Templates are also great for inspiration. If needed, you can customize those templates to make them look exactly how you want them. Thus, you can create fully professional websites with very minimal effort.
9. Easy to Design Dynamic Landing Pages
A dynamic landing page is a web page that changes its content based on user actions, data, or location. For example, it can show different messages for returning visitors, display products based on search history, or pull live information from a database. This makes the page more personal and relevant.
Page builders like Divi and Elementor make this process simple. You can connect the page to your WordPress database, custom fields, or eCommerce data. Some of the most popular custom form builder plugins are ACF and Pods. By integrating them with Elementor and Divi, you can craft wonderful, dynamic landing pages easily.
10. SEO-Friendly Options
Page builders today are extremely SEO-friendly, so your site ranks better on Google. You can add meta tags, alt text, or optimize page speed. This makes your site more visible to search engines. It’s great for driving traffic. Many builders work well with plugins like Yoast SEO. You can fine-tune content without tech skills.
Good SEO means more visitors to your site. This is crucial for blogs or online stores. Even beginners can handle SEO tasks. Page builders simplify the process with clear options. You can track results and tweak as needed. This feature helps your site grow and succeed online.
11. Great for Handling Freelance Clients’ Projects
Page builders are a lifesaver for freelancers. You can build client websites quickly and efficiently. Clients love seeing their site come to life fast. This helps you take on more projects and earn more. You can show live previews as you work. Tools like Beaver Builder make changes easy. This impresses clients and saves time.
As a result, you can deliver professional sites on tight deadlines. They’re perfect for managing multiple client projects. You can create stunning designs without stress. Want to tweak a design? It’s done in minutes. This keeps clients happy and builds your reputation.
12. Real-Time Support
Support is crucial when you’re learning or facing problems. Page builders like Divi offer detailed guides and live chat. You can ask questions and get answers instantly. This is perfect for non-tech users. You don’t need to wait days for help.
Good support makes designing easier and more enjoyable. It ensures you can finish your site without delays. Support teams are often available 24/7. Tools like Elementor have helpful communities and tutorials. You can find answers to common issues quickly.
13. Lots of Addons
An addon is an extra tool or extension that adds more widgets, design elements, or functions beyond the default features. Suppose the core page builder plugins don’t have a specific design option that you immediately or your client need. What would you do then? Only addons can save you in such situations.
Tools like Elementor have at least fifteen powerful addons. So does for Divid, WP Bakery Builder, Beaver Builder, etc. Not only premium but also many free addons are available on WordPress.org.
Explore the pros and cons of the Gutenberg Block Editor of WordPress.
Cons of WordPress Page Builders
While WordPress page builders are powerful, they have some drawbacks. These can affect your site’s performance or user experience. It’s important to know these before choosing a builder. Here are the main cons to consider.
1. Performance Slowdown
Page builders can slow down your website. They add extra code to create fancy designs. This makes pages load slower, especially on mobile devices. Slow sites frustrate visitors, and they may leave. Search engines like Google also rank slow sites lower. This hurts your SEO and traffic. Heavy designs with lots of widgets are often the cause.
You need to optimize images and use caching plugins. Tools like Elementor offer speed-up features, but slowdowns are still common. It’s a trade-off for the design flexibility page builders provide. To avoid slowdowns, you must monitor your site’s speed. Use tools like GTmetrix to check performance.
2. Bloated Code
Page builders often create bloated code. They use shortcodes or extra scripts for drag-and-drop features. This makes your site’s code messy and heavy. Bloated code can slow down your site and cause errors. It’s a problem if you care about clean coding. Developers often dislike this about page builders.
If you switch builders or themes, the code may break your site. Cleaning it up takes time and skill. Tools like Divi try to keep code cleaner, but bloating is still an issue. This can frustrate advanced users or developers. If you’re not tech-savvy, fixing code issues is tough. You may need to hire a developer, which costs money.
So, once your site is designed with a page builder, don’t switch to another page builder overnight, so your site doesn’t break.
3. Learning Curve
Page builders can be hard to learn at first. They’re user-friendly, but the many options can confuse beginners. You might spend hours figuring out widgets or layouts. This feels overwhelming if you’re new to website design. Each builder has their own way of working. For example, Divi’s interface is different from Elementor’s.
With practice, you’ll improve, but it requires effort. Watching video tutorials, exploring how-to blog posts, and reading documentation posts can help you a lot. Start with basic designs to build confidence. The learning curve can be steep, but it’s worth it for the results.
4. Overwhelming Options
Page builders offer so many features that it can feel overwhelming. Too many widgets, templates, or settings can confuse users, especially beginners. You might waste time choosing the perfect design. This slows down your work, especially if you’re a beginner. It’s easy to get lost in all the choices.
For example, Elementor has hundreds of options for styling. This can make designing harder than expected. You may feel stuck deciding what to use. Too many options can make simple tasks feel complicated. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, start with simple templates. Add features slowly as you learn.
5. Maintenance Requirements
Page builders need regular maintenance to work well. You must check for plugin updates, compatibility, and bugs. If you ignore this, your site might break or slow down. This can be a hassle for busy users. Updates sometimes cause errors, so you need to test them.
Without maintenance, your site can face serious issues. For example, outdated plugins can cause errors or security risks. You need to back up your site often. This protects you if something goes wrong. Some builders offer automatic updates, but you still need to check.
Best WordPress Page Builder Plugins
You will currently find over a dozen page builder plugins in WordPress repositories. Besides, many more developers are also trying hard to develop some brand new page builders and join the competition.
Below, I have listed the best page builder plugins for WordPress at this moment that I personally know.
1. Elementor
2. WPBakery
3. Divi
4. SeedProd
5. Beaver Builder
6. Thrive Architect
7. Brizy
8. Visual Composer
Here, you’ll get a detailed discussion regarding the best drag-and-drop page builder plugins for WordPress.
Conclusion
From blogs to eCommerce stores, page builders provide flexibility and save time. However, they come with challenges like performance slowdowns, bloated code, and maintenance needs – all of which we have mentioned and discussed above.
With confidence, we can say that, if you can choose a suitable page builder, its Pros are enough to outweigh the drawbacks. The default WordPress editor hasn’t been developed enough yet to let you create stunning website designs on its own. You will still need to rely on a page builder.
To choose and use a page builder wisely, follow some best practices. Pick a trusted builder like Elementor, Divi, or Beaver Builder for reliability and support. Check compatibility with your theme and plugins to avoid conflicts.
