Making the Move to Webflow: An Intuitive WordPress Alternative

The Best No Code Website Builders & The Era of Code Free

Building a website today is far different than it was decades ago. The best no-code website builders have fundamentally changed website building as we know it. 

Code-free development allows programmers, web developers, designers, and non-programmers alike to build websites without knowing web code. Barriers to entry are removed, as technology is further assisting us to encourage creating websites visually. 

Some of the best no code website builders use drag-and-drop solutions to make your website stand out. Other popular website builders provide built-in SEO tools (search engine optimization), social media controls, and free domains (which have their limitations).

What are the benefits of Code Free Websites?

Imagine trying to assemble a car from scratch. Maybe a few of us could figure it out, but for the majority of people, it’s far too complicated, costly, and time-consuming. The same goes for building a website with no coding knowledge. 

Website-building platforms help solve that exact problem. You can drag and drop pictures and text sections for landing pages, and have your social media links and logos in key areas. 

To quote the co-founder at Github: “The future of coding is no coding at all”. - Chris Wanstrath

Benefits of using the best no code website builders also include: 

• Your company website can be built faster (in hours or days)
• Little to no coding language experience is required
• Able to make small changes to your website easily
• Open your website to numerous no-code possibilities in the future

Our Shortlist of The Best No Code Website Builders

Wix

Wix is known to be a popular all-around website builder for beginners. It’s fairly intuitive and simple enough for beginners like students, new solopreneurs, and more. It has many built-in apps and features for a good user experience overall. 

Wix: Pros & Cons

Pros

• Simplicity is great for beginners dipping their feet in website building 
• Decent level of creative control & customization
• Tools and apps available to enhance your website (eCommerce)
• Drag and drop editing tool

Cons

• SEO (search engine optimization) methods are outdated. May harm your search results. 
• Free version has Wix advertising
• Can’t switch your template without starting over (post-publishing)
• Cannot control web hosting, uptime, or web updates

Squarespace

Lots of artists choose Squarespace for visually-appealing websites. For this reason, this code-free website builder is popular with web designers and photographers. Thanks to a few recent updates, it’s more straightforward to use with email and social media button support. 

Squarespace: Pros & Cons

Pros

• Built-in SEO Tools
• Beautiful website templates for industries and market niches
• Marketing features

Cons

• Website editor is finicky
• Lacks autosave (possible to lose work progress unexpectedly)
• Less customizable

Webflow: The Best No Code Website Builder (our recommendation)

The best no code website builder by far is Webflow. 

It’s no secret that we’ve pitted Webflow against popular website builders like Wix and WordPress. The reasons why we believe Webflow is the better website builder are mainly because it has reliable performance, a high level of customization, and powerful web design tools for creating the most professional-looking websites.

Webflow’s a reliable hosting platform that’s powered by Amazon Web Servers. This ensures your website is always operating properly, granting you some of the most dependable servers in the world. 

Don’t forget to see our very own Webflow showcase of websites we’ve worked on in the past!

Webflow: Pros & Cons

Pros

• Rich with customizable features
• Best Performance: Powered by Amazon Web Servers 
• Built-in SEO tools
• Low Maintenance: Nothing extra to install or update

Cons

• Steeper learning curve to understand all of the features. 
• Costs slightly more to host.

Need Help With Business Website Building?

Do you want your website to be fully customized? Do you want your brand to be hosted professionally and reliably? 

Look no further than the team at Choquer Creative. 

We use Webflow to professionally host your website. We look to you - the marketers, stakeholders, and business owners - that want your brand to be communicated and portrayed the best way online. 

We offer tailored subscription-based website packages designed to grow your business. Contact us today if you’re interested in having a website built with the best no code website builder. 

• Cross Your T’s & Dot Your I’s: While this may sound basic, it is incredibly important to proofread and spell check your content. Finding unflattering typos can repel people from your brand and its messaging. If you’re a small business that cannot afford to hire a content manager for your site, you’ll probably have to deal with the leg work. But thank god for Grammarly. If you need well-crafted content, you may seek out a freelance writer on one of the several writers for hire boards all over the internet.
• Check On Your Favicons - At the top of your search bar, by each tab, you’ll notice the tiny icons that are usually logos or images about that website. They’re quite essential but they’re also one of the finer details that most people can sometimes overlook. Having fun seasonal, on-brand favicons is a great little detail to make your website stand out.
• Design A Custom 404 Page - A 404 error page shouldn’t be an inconvenience when it’s got the potential to be an awesome navigation tool. Encourage your viewers to stick around by having useful navigation buttons. It can make or break user experience so stop what you’re doing and get that done pronto if you haven’t!
• Design A Custom Mobile Menu - Mobile design is a BIG deal. Read our article about responsive design and nose dive into the wonderful world of breakpoints. Long story short, a great menu can be a massive asset. If your viewer can’t navigate between.
• Custom Social Media Previews - Your website is an essential part of your company’s digital trail and if a viewer wants to share your work, make that possible by all means. Ensure you create custom Facebook and Twitter previews as well. Oh, and don’t forget social images that are inviting and appealing.
• Create a Good Privacy Policy - If you’re offering newsletters or asking people for data to sign up for services, it is advised to have a well-rounded policy. While most people don’t read through T&C’s, people who know anything about GDPR will know that your site is just a gutsy DIY. While there’s nothing wrong with that either, it’s best to cover your bases and avoid setbacks.
• Ensure Your Footer Has A Copyright Declaration: While rules vary around the world, generally in Canada, the work you’ve created is automatically protected by copyright. But you can also register your work at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office where you will receive a certificate proving your intellectual property ownership. The copyright declaration usually consists of three parts: The symbol ©, or the word "Copyright" or "Copr."; The year of first publication of the website; and the name of the owner of the copyright.
• Don’t Forget Contact Info: While most websites have a contact us tab, its best to have a quick mention at the footer of your website. Don’t make contacting you a chore.
• Set Up Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a great free resource that can give you valuable insights on your website’s performance. You’ll be able to track the growth of your website and its online traction. While WordPress has a handy plug-in that sets up analytics, Squarespace has integrated analytics tools that can come in very handy.
• Check your links and CTA’s: Leave no stone unturned and leave no links broken. Ironing out your website before it goes live is crucial as it greatly affects user experience and search engines are quick to notice when users have a hard time on a certain website.
• Double-check your images: Test out webpages and see to it that your images translate well on all the platforms you’ve designed for. Optimize images on your website by avoiding BMP or TIFF images and stick to JPEGs. Make sure your images aren’t too bulky since that also affects load time. And we all know what happens when a page takes too long to load, you leave it to watch videos of cats on Instagram.
• Ensure You Have Alt-Texts In Place: Alt text lets a search engine know what your images are all about. This helps your site’s SEO massively. So gather your images and have it ready to go with alt texts that include relevant keywords. PS. You don’t have to write alt text for images that serve a design’s purpose. Pictures of your products or blog post images can benefit from alt text.
• Review Your Widgets: With all the crazy widgets you can add to your website on WordPress, Squarespace, etc, it's easy to get carried away. Remember that they take up a fair amount of real estate on your website. So you might want to reconsider having your twitter feed on your website when you only really tweet once a month. Get rid of random widgets and always make sure the ones you stick with serve a purpose.
• Leave Out The Fluff: People want clear, honest messaging. Nobody has the time for meandering content that serves no purpose. Place all your cards on the table and let them know from the get-go what your services and products are without it being gimmicky. Don’t bother sounding salesy. If you’re making claims about your product, nail down the facts, and provide relevant statistics or reinforcing proof to back it up. Your brand is loved by the locals? Add testimonials that stand out.
• Check Your Homepage’s Relevance: Your Homepage is the online face of your brand. First impressions are everything. Hence, you have to see to it that the content on your homepage is relevant and not stuffed with too many sections that overwhelm your visitor.
• Keep Your Contact Forms Simple: Nobody likes filling out lengthy forms especially when you’re on an unfamiliar website. Keep it minimal because with more information you ask for, the more you repel your visitor. They don’t trust you well enough to hand you that info. So don’t expect them to. Allow them to have a hassle-free experience with very few, nonthreatening fields to fill out.
• Formulate Your Unique Selling Point and Put It On Display: When people land on your website, they need to know instantly what makes you different from other companies before they scurry off into the internet’s abyss full of competition.
• Plan Your Outreach Before Launch: You have to get the word out there once your website launches. Grab hold of your friends and family to check out your website. If there’s something wrong, mother dearest would point it out instead of a ticked off customer/viewer. Additionally, look up bloggers and writers and organize pre-launch interviews. They can help you create great backlinks and buzz about your website.
• Set Up An Advertising Budget: Lay down these fundamental digital marketing practices and organize your ad schedules and budgets. Will you be doing pay-per-click campaigns? Paid Reviews? Youtube Ads? It’s best to make sure you have all of that planned out for when you launch.
• Set Up Your Marketing Arsenal: Ensure you have handy tools like Hootsuite, Mailchimp, or equivalent. Keeping track of your leads and ensuring timely communication is key in customer relationship management. MAnaging your brand does not stop at launching your website. This is only just the beginning.