The Drawbacks of Visual Website Builders: Balancing Ease of Use with Performance
Visual website builders have revolutionized web development by enabling users to create websites without writing a single line of code. This democratization of web design has made it accessible to a broader audience, from entrepreneurs and small businesses to hobbyists and bloggers. However, this convenience comes with challenges primarily related to performance and sustainability.
The Technological Debt of Visual Builders
Visual website builders are versatile, allowing users to effortlessly generate various functions and design styles. While this versatility is impressive, it accumulates a form of "technological debt" that can affect a website's performance and long-term sustainability.
The Efficiency Dilemma
One significant drawback of visual builders is that they load a vast amount of pre-made code to accommodate the potential needs of any type of website. However, this approach is less efficient than loading only the code necessary for the specific website you intend to create. Let's delve deeper into why this inefficiency arises:
Back-End Overhead: Visual builders generate numerous server calls and modifications at the back-end level. These additional operations can result in extra costs, which you may have to bear as a website owner.
Front-End Challenges: Proficient builders should upload only the required code on the front end. Unfortunately, some builders inject unnecessary code, often called "garbage code." This surplus code includes numerous class calls that can overwhelm the Document Object Model (DOM).
CSS Conundrum: Furthermore, CSS files provided by visual builders tend to be extensive, even if you utilize only a fraction of them. This means that, despite your best optimization efforts, you may end up loading hefty CSS files that contain styles you don't use. A potential solution is to employ tools like Tailwind CSS with purging capabilities to trim down your stylesheets effectively.
Libraries and Plugins: Some builders introduce less efficient libraries like jQuery to achieve particular effects, such as sliders. While jQuery has a storied history and was initially designed to ensure cross-browser compatibility, today's web standards have evolved, making it less efficient than modern JavaScript alternatives.
Plugin Overload: When a visual builder is used to create a website, it often results in a web structure laden with plugins upon plugins, each contributing to an accumulation of additional CSS and JavaScript requests. Managing such a web environment can become a maintenance nightmare.
Mobile Optimization Challenges: Mobile optimization, a critical aspect of web development, may need to be more efficient in websites built using visual builders. Addressing this issue would require specific posts on each builder, given the variations in their capabilities.
Incomplete Coverage: Visual builders may not fulfill all website requirements despite being "simple and moderately intuitive" for many users. To compensate for these gaps, users often add more plugins that, in turn, introduce additional JavaScript and CSS.
The Unintended Consequences
In summary, websites created with visual builders may suffer from several issues, including potential crashes, poor performance, and excessive server requests. The problem arises when such websites are marketed as professional-grade and priced accordingly when, in reality, they may need to meet the standards of more experienced web developers.
It's essential to recognize that visual builders have their place, particularly for those who need a quick and accessible way to establish an online presence. However, understanding the trade-offs and potential challenges associated with visual builders is essential for users seeking high-performance and scalability. Ultimately, choosing between a visual builder and traditional web development methods should align with your project's goals and requirements.