State of Advanced Website Builders

Most businesses today need more than a baseline website, but there are a lot that don’t. If website builders can automate coding and deliver the same value as custom websites, the market will notice. Why would a consumer pay more and wait longer to get the same value?

As “basic” web development moves towards commoditization, businesses will look to advanced web development to stand out. Creating platforms for businesses and/or their customers is another opportunity.

I’m using the term platform to include website builder platforms, content management systems, account and project management portals, and similar web-based products. They could be customer-facing or internal, but they all help people accomplish tasks.

Code is just one part of a website. Custom development typically comes with expertise in other areas, including business consulting.

That’s why the builders are dangerous. They won’t make better websites than we do, but they only need to make websites that are good enough.

Website design has shifted in the last few years. There was once a focus on creativity and brand experience, but now there is a general emphasis on usability, familiarity and compatibility.

The dashboards are more like SaaS dashboards — beautifully designed and usually offering overview metrics, business insight and intelligent content suggestions (in addition to upselling). The value for the business goes beyond the ability to update their content.

That’s the message. This is a truly exciting time for the web industry, and it’s a great time to honestly evaluate what our clients want and need. More importantly, it’s time to acknowledge the competition from advanced website builders and to understand the things they’re doing right. We don’t have to use templates, charge pennies and answer clients at 3:00 am, but we do need always to provide more value than we cost and to put our clients’ needs before our own.