Wix is a popular website builder that helps businesses easily create high performance websites that are up to the minute with the latest technical requirements. All the technical factors are handled by Wix, enabling businesses to focus on what they do best.
In addition to helping businesses create websites without dealing with the technical part of it, Wix has recently introduced a developer friendly headless iteration.
Wix really is changing how websites are built and it may be useful to pay attention to what is going on.
About this Interview with Wix
This article was initially conceived as a single article comparing Duda, WordPress and Wix.
But as I wrote the article it became apparent that each website building platform were really good at what each did and, to a certain extent, there was very little crossover.
In other words, each is a winner as a website builder platform in the area that they choose to compete in.
Additionally, there is so much to say about each of them that the resulting article would have been thousands of words long, too unwieldy to be meaningful as a standalone article.
So the article was split into three articles (one about Duda and another about WordPress). That way it is easier to understand what each platform excels at.
This is the article devoted exclusively to Wix, a website building platform that is used by over 200 million customers.
Could Wix be the best website builder for you?
What is Wix?
Wix is a website builder platform that comes in a free and premium version.
It’s a SaaS (software as a service) solution, which means that there is nothing to download and nothing technical to deal with.
Building a website is as simple as answering a series of questions or using an easy drag and drop interface where you choose different parts of a webpage and click done.
Most importantly, not only does Wix make it easy to create attractive and professional websites, they are also up to date with the latest SEO standards and requirements.
For example, if Google makes a change in structured data requirements that enable a site to feature prominently in the search results, Wix is behind the scenes rapidly responding so that every website conforms to the changes.
Wix is aimed at business owners and individuals who want a high performing and professional website but don’t want to hire an IT staff to make it happen.
Wix makes that happen so that businesses can focus on doing what they do best.
Now that Wix has a context, hopefully the interview will fill in other blanks as to why Wix is a website builder platform to consider.
Interview with Wix
I had the pleasure of interviewing Yoav Abrahami, Chief Architect and Head of Velo at Wix.
1. What kinds of merchants benefit most from a closed-source solution like Wix?
“While open source solutions are primarily built for developers who possess the requisite skills to install and implement them, closed source solutions can be beneficial for merchants who have limited technical expertise or resources to maintain and update their software.
Although some open source projects offer support and implementation services through various agencies, these services may not be accessible to non-developers.
Closed source solutions often come with dedicated support teams, regular updates, and security features, which can be helpful for merchants who cannot afford to invest in their own technical support or security measures.
Wix provides a comprehensive range of services that include implementation, optimization, SEO tools, performance, business applications, security features, and more. Additionally, merchants can take advantage of Wix’s user-friendly editor, and Content Manager, enabling merchants to streamline managing their website (i.e. adding new content, changing the design, adding new tools as the business grows), without any prior programming knowledge.”
2. Can Wix scale with a business, if a business takes off and becomes wildly successful?
“Definitely. Scaling a business can involve a variety of different factors such as traffic, content, registered users, and business growth.
As a managed service, Wix has the capability to support businesses across all of these vectors and more.
Whether a business needs to handle increased traffic, add new features or functionality, or expand its online presence, Wix can provide the tools and resources necessary to support that growth.
Wix’s infrastructure and scalable plans allow businesses to easily upgrade their website and add new features as needed.
Wix’s plans range from basic website builder options to more advanced plans that include features such as eCommerce capabilities, global payments, custom branding, and much more.
Wix also offers integrations with third-party applications that can further extend the platform’s capabilities.”
3. Can affiliate sites benefit from a platform like Wix?
“Yes, Wix provides a wide range of features and tools that can help affiliate sites create professional and engaging websites, attract visitors, and generate revenue through affiliate marketing.
Firstly, Wix’s editor and customizable templates make it easy for affiliate sites to create a visually appealing website that accurately represents their brand and engages their target audience.
Secondly, Wix offers a variety of built-in marketing and SEO tools that can help affiliate sites drive traffic and improve their search engine rankings.
For example, Wix’s SEO Dashboard provides Wix users with SEO tools, insights, and reports from Google Search Console, aiding users through the process of optimizing their website for search engines, while Wix’s integrated email marketing tools can help affiliate sites stay in touch with their audience and drive repeat visits.
Finally, Wix’s eCommerce capabilities make it easy for affiliate sites to earn revenue through affiliate marketing programs.
For example, affiliate sites can use Wix’s built-in e-commerce tools to create product pages, manage affiliate links, streamline payment processing and shipping.
In most cases, this can all be done without the help of a developer.”
4. What is the cost-benefit of a platform like Wix versus hidden costs inherent in others (such as development fees, hosting, premium plugin, and theme subscriptions)?
“When comparing the cost-benefit of a platform like Wix versus open source solutions, it is important to look at the total cost of ownership of each option – both the upfront and ongoing costs associated with each option.
This includes the initial cost of building the site, the cost of hosting including the domain, and the cost of ongoing maintenance.
Wix has a huge advantage over open source platforms when it comes to upfront costs.
Wix is a fully integrated solution out of the box, and most open source solutions require the installation of plugins, integrations, and customizations.
In addition, the Wix Editor allows designers to build websites independently of a developers, reducing costs and improving time to market.
Another major cost of ownership factor is the ongoing maintenance of the site.
Websites require regular updates to stay secure, perform well, and stay up-to-date with the latest technology and design trends.
With an open-source solution, ongoing maintenance may require additional development fees to update plugins, themes, and software versions.
Hosting costs may also increase as the website grows in traffic and resources.
In contrast, with a solution like Wix, most, if not all, of the maintenance developer hours are eliminated.
Wix provides a managed platform that includes hosting, security, and maintenance, and the costs are simply the Wix subscription fees.
This means that businesses can easily budget for their website expenses and avoid any unexpected costs for upgrades or security vulnerabilities.
It is important to note that the only exception to this is for sites that require custom development using Velo, in which case businesses may need to work with a development partner.
However, even in these cases, the amount of effort required for maintenance is greatly reduced because of the managed nature of the Wix platform.”
5. Is Wix a good fit for developers, agencies, in addition to different kinds of businesses?
“Wix caters to small business owners, to agencies, enterprises, and developers.
For users without coding knowledge, our business solutions provide them with everything they need to build, run, and grow their businesses.
Users can create a fully customizable and professional-looking website with comprehensive management tools, multichannel integrations, best-in-class security, and more.
Our offerings are designed to help users save time, streamline processes, and improve the customer experience.
With coding knowledge, Wix allows you to do a lot more.
Wix’s open platform enables a developer to expand Wix websites, Wix business applications, or even build their own applications on Wix.
For example, professional users can use Velo by Wix, a full-stack development platform that empowers users to rapidly build, manage and deploy professional web applications.
They can use the Wix Editor and then add custom functionality using standard JavaScript and Velo APIs in the built-in IDE to instantly build more dynamic sites with more control and flexibility.
Professional users can also use Wix Blocks, which enables the creation of highly customizable and reusable applications and widgets.
Lastly, using the combination of the above tools, professionals can build customer-facing enterprise business applications.
Most recently, we launched Wix Headless, enabling developers to use Wix’s business APIs for integrating eCommerce, Bookings, CMS, Events, and more, from anywhere.
This is the first time Wix has opened its backend to work outside the Wix platform, creating an even more robust portfolio of solutions designed for developers.”
Building a Successful Web Presence
There are many ways to create a successful business online.
Wix offers an easy click to build solution as well as the ability to leverage their technology to build more complex websites.
This is not to say that one platform is better than another. The goal of these articles is to present what options are out there.
Each platform has their own merits, so it can be useful to give each an audition and figure out which one is best for you.
Read more:
Read an interview with the Executive Director of WordPress
Featured image by Shutterstock/Asier Romero
