Building a website is one of the most crucial steps in establishing your brand online. For many business owners and entrepreneurs, website builders like Wix seem like the easiest and cheapest solution. While Wix offers convenience, it often falls short of delivering the professional, unique, and brand-specific designs that businesses need to stand out.
In this article, we’ll delve into the pitfalls of using Wix to build your website and highlight why hiring a professional web designer is the best investment for a truly exceptional online presence.
Table of Contents
1. The Appeal of Wix: Why It’s So Popular
At first glance, Wix is incredibly attractive. With its drag-and-drop editor, pre-designed templates, and low starting costs, it promises an easy way to create a website without technical skills. For hobbyists or very small personal projects, Wix can get the job done.
However, for businesses looking to make a strong impression, Wix’s simplicity quickly becomes a limitation. What seems like a quick and affordable option often results in websites that are forgettable, unoptimized, and poorly aligned with your brand’s goals.
2. The Hidden Downsides of Wix
Generic, Limited and Poor Designs
Wix provides a selection of templates, but these templates are widely used and not tailored to individual brands. As a result, your website can look generic and fail to stand out in a crowded online space.
Furthermore, once you choose a template, you’re stuck with it. Redesigning or switching templates often means rebuilding your site from scratch—a huge time drain.
You Still Need a Designer
Although Wix provides some awesome tools, they don’t suddenly turn you into a designer. Otherwise, I’d give you a paintbrush and you would be able to paint the Starry Night by Van Gogh. Tools won’t help you create a beautiful website if you aren’t a designer.
So you’ll still need to hire a designer if you want your website to look gorgeous and cohesive but you’re just adding extra fees with Wix.
Poor Branding Capabilities
A website is a key representation of your brand, yet Wix’s templates often lack the flexibility to fully integrate your unique branding elements. Custom fonts, intricate layouts, and dynamic content can feel clunky or outright impossible to implement.
SEO and Performance Issues
While Wix advertises built-in SEO tools, these tools are limited compared to professional-grade solutions. Many users find that Wix websites perform poorly in search rankings due to slow loading speeds, messy code, and inadequate customization options.
Lack of Scalability for Growing Businesses
As your business grows, so do your website needs. Unfortunately, Wix lacks the scalability required for complex projects or larger businesses. Features like custom integrations, advanced ecommerce functionalities, and intricate backend systems are often out of reach.
Ongoing Costs Add Up
Although Wix appears affordable at first, the costs can spiral quickly. Adding necessary premium apps or features often results in a higher monthly fee than expected. Over time, the “cheap” DIY solution can cost as much as—or more than—hiring a professional designer.
They Trap You – High Switching Costs
Wix and other website builders like Squarespace and GoDaddy work to lock you onto their platforms. Making it difficult to move out once you’ve settled in. When you’re in they can continuously squeeze money out of you for as long as you’re with them so why would they make it easy to leave?
Limited Professional Guidance
Wix offers tools, not expertise. It cannot advise you on best practices, create a user experience that converts visitors, or provide a cohesive strategy for your online presence.
3. Why a Wix DIY Website Hurts Your Brand
Your website is often the first impression your customers have of your business. A poorly designed, cookie-cutter site can communicate the wrong message: that your brand is unprofessional or not invested in quality, leaving a bad first impression. And first impressions are hard to shake.
DIY websites often lack:
- Uniqueness to set your brand apart.
- Strategic design to guide users through your site effectively and leave a lasting impression.
- Advanced features that improve functionality and engagement.
When visitors encounter a website that doesn’t inspire trust or meet their expectations, they’re unlikely to stay—and even less likely to buy.
4. The Case for Hiring a Professional Web Designer
Customized Designs That Reflect Your Brand
Unlike Wix templates, a professional web designer creates a site tailored specifically to your business. They’ll ensure your branding—colors, fonts, imagery, and messaging—is seamlessly integrated into the design, leaving a lasting impression on visitors.
Strategic Planning and Expert Advice
Web designers don’t just build websites; they solve problems. A good designer will analyze your goals, target audience, and competitors to create a site that aligns with your business objectives.
A designer, like myself, may even advise against a website if it isn’t your best option at the moment. A great designer is like a trusty guide to point you in the right direction.
Cost Efficiency in the Long Run
While hiring a designer may seem like a bigger upfront investment, it pays off. You’ll avoid the hidden costs of Wix and benefit from a site that’s built to grow with your business.
You Own Your Website – It’s 100% Yours
You hire a web designer and they’ll create a website that you own—forever. It’s a one time payment for something you own versus a recurring payment for the rest of your life.
Everything made in Wix owned by you but Wix holds the keys and they have full rights to your website, as outlined in their agreement. Which they also use to train their AI so more websites can look like yours.
Better SEO and Performance Optimization
Professional designers build websites with clean, optimized code that loads quickly and ranks higher on search engines. They’ll also implement SEO best practices, helping you attract more organic traffic.
Scalability for Future Growth
A designer can future-proof your website by creating a scalable foundation. Whether you need to add ecommerce capabilities, new features, or integrations, your site will be ready to grow alongside your business.
5. How to Choose the Right Web Designer
- Look for a designer with a strong portfolio of projects similar to your needs.
- Read reviews or testimonials to gauge client satisfaction.
- Choose a designer who listens to your goals and communicates clearly.
- Ensure they offer a transparent pricing structure and timeline.
6. Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring a Web Designer
Q1. How much does it cost to hire a web designer?
Costs vary, but expect to invest anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000+ depending on the complexity of your site.
Q2. How long does it take to build a website with a designer?
Most websites take 4–12 weeks, depending on the project’s scope. I usually build a nice, simple one in about 1-2 weeks. With it being longer as we get more custom and detailed.
Q3. Will I be able to update my site myself?
Yes, many designers offer user-friendly platforms or training to help you manage updates. I personally teach you how to use your own website and make things as easy as possible for you. I’m always available for help if you get stuck. And if you don’t have the time, I offer a subscription plan to keep your website maintained.
Q4. What platforms do web designers use?
Common platforms include WordPress, Shopify, and custom-coded solutions, chosen based on your needs. I use WordPress because of it’s flexibility, cost effectiveness and vast ecosystem. Nearly 43% of all websites use WordPress.
Q5. Can I migrate my Wix site to a professionally designed one?
Unfortunately, Wix sites cannot be migrated. However, a designer can replicate your content and improve upon it on a better platform. This is one of the issues with Wix and other website builders like Squarespace and GoDaddy. Their goal is to lock you into their platform and get you invested so it becomes too much of a hassle to leave.
Q6. Will hiring a designer improve my website’s SEO?
Yes, professional designers ensure your site is technically sound and cover the basics to be optimized for search engines. However, most of the impact for ranking higher with SEO involves work that isn’t related to design; like writing articles, building backlinks from other websites, etc. I do the basic SEO work on my end but don’t offer the SEO services to guarantee top ranking for multiple search terms. That requires an full fledged campaign and tons of content being produced consistently.
7. Final Thoughts: Why It’s Worth It
While Wix may seem like an easy, cost-effective solution, its limitations often lead to generic, underperforming websites that fail to represent your brand. Investing in a professional web designer ensures your site is not just functional, but also memorable, engaging, and perfectly aligned with your business goals.
Don’t settle for a website that looks like everyone else’s. Hire a designer to build a stunning, unique site that elevates your brand and drives results.
