I wish that someone had told me that I didn’t need to use WordPress when I built my first website. So I’m going to say it to you: you don’t need to use WordPress to build your first website. And considering how good DIY drag and drop website builders such as Leadpages are these days, you probably shouldn’t use WordPress.
As a digital marketing strategist and website designer that’s launched more than 100 websites and a website education blog, I know it’s taboo to say that you should use a drag and drop website builder to build your first website. But I wish that someone had said it to me when I was starting out, so now I’m saying it to you.
Here's why I think that Leadpages is the best web builder for beginners.
You don’t need WordPress to create a great first website.
While this isn't so much the case anymore, when I built my first website, most of the blogs and thought leadership pieces that I read insisted that I needed to use WordPress to have a “good” website instead of honestly evaluating the pros and cons of different platforms.
The argument was: WordPress is the best platform because of its open-source nature and extensive library of community-developed plugins.
But here’s the problem with that argument: obtuse open-source software with hundreds of choices (and hundreds of things that can go wrong) simply isn’t the best choice for someone who is DIYing their first website. Particularly if they’re a small business owner who is already juggling a million other tasks.
Early on in my business, I wasted a lot of time learning WordPress, sinking hundreds of dollars into themes, hosting providers, and plugins — all of which ensured that I wasn’t paying attention to what matters: creating great content and building out a basic sales funnel.
What actually matters for your first website.
As a new business owner building out your first website, you should be prioritizing speed, ease of use, and flexibility. You might not think so right now, but you will change your website a lot in the first couple of years — so you want a website platform that can keep up with the rapid pace of early business change and growth.
Drag and drop website builders like Leadpages Sites make it easy to try out new ideas and messaging and start building an audience online. Plus, their robust library of direct integrations means that your website will work with your other software easily.
The process to getting online with your first website here is simple: start with one of Leadpages’ proven (and gorgeous) website templates, customize it with your content and branding via the easy-to-learn drag and drop builder, and connect it with your preferred CRM.
Most importantly of all: don’t overthink it. When you’re first starting out, it can be tempting to get caught up in all the tools and technology that are available. But that’s a trap, so don’t you dare fall into it!
What matters to your customers isn’t what technology you’re using. What matters to them is that you can clearly communicate the value that your product or service provides.
Getting online as quickly and easily as possible should be your primary focus.
As a new business, getting your first website up and running should be priority #1.
Having a live website enables you to:
- Establish credibility with your customers (would you buy from a company that didn’t have a website? I didn’t think so).
- Start building your SEO (which takes a very long time to get started — so the sooner you have a live website, the better!)
- Clarify your messaging.
Using a drag and drop builder like Leadpages removes the friction of wrangling complicated software, messy code, and plugins while still creating a professional website that converts visitors to leads. It empowers you to be nimble, learn from early customer feedback, and change your website accordingly.
A few years down the road, when you have a more concrete grasp on your brand, messaging, and technology needs, at that point it makes sense to step back and hire a professional website designer/developer. A strategic website designer will be able to help you evaluate your needs and see if your current website platform is still meeting your needs or if it makes sense to re-platform.
Why Leadpages over other DIY website platforms?
DIY Website builders have come a long way, so there’s no shortage of options out there. Based on my experience though, Leadpages is the easiest to pick up for beginners and provides an incredible value for the price.
Simply put: Leadpages gives you the entire suite of tools that you need in order to build a professional website that converts — which is exactly what you need when first starting out.
Leadpages’ templates tend to be a cut above other DIY website builder templates that I've used (and they’re all free — which is a nice plus). Leadpages forms also integrate with just about every major email service provider and CRM. Considering everything that you can do with Leadpages and the number of softwares that it can replace, it's an excellent value for small businesses.
The verdict is clear: DIY drag and drop website builders are the best fit for most new businesses.
Given the advances that DIY drag and drop builders like Leadpages have made in the past several years, there are very few new business owners (if any?) that I would recommend DIY WordPress to.
From a time and budget perspective, going DIY with a drag and drop builder is objectively the best option. If you don’t personally have the time and have a moderate budget, hiring a professional website designer/developer is also a great option. Either way, it's a lot easier to get up and running with a professional website than it used to be.
Are you building your first website? Be sure to check out Leadpages’ free Website in a Weekend online course to take your vision from plan to published in a few days.
Whichever website platform you choose, remember that your website will change (and that’s okay) and that getting your first website online as quickly as possible is the first step towards building out your digital marketing sales funnel.
If you need help with creating your first website, feel free to reach out to our team of expert website designers to find the platform that’s best for your business.
