Do WordPress End Users Really Need Page Builders?

I think most end-users–the sort of people who use WordPress.com or who hire people like us to build their websites–either just want to post content or don’t even want to do that much: they want sites they can forget about. BUT there is a large group of DIY and “prosumer” WordPress users who want to get their hands dirty. Maybe they are building sites for other people but lack some code skills.

I think these people–the ones who’ve maybe built a little side business specializing in making sites with Avada or something similar–are the real market for page-building tools.

The true experts with CSS and PHP will probably avoid them unless they can be convinced that the quality of the code produced is as good as their own. I’m what’s known as a “Google developer”–a person who searches for code snippets and applies them by trial and error, and I’M not convinced the code output is good enough. But there are enough WP consultants at or below my level of experience who will, and do, love these tools. And I can see someone who has graphic design experience but not CSS, HTML, or PHP skills trying them out, too.

So the end-user may not really want or need page-builders, but there seem to be quite a few other people who do, or we wouldn’t be seeing such a flood of new entrants into the market.

Disclosure: I’m not a fan of builders, but I have built a plugin that allows end users to design their Genesis site within a certain range.

I think the thing that gets lost in this argument is that we as developers and designers think have a say in what an end user should and should not do. I’ve fallen victim to that myself. But I need to remember that I don’t own their site. It doesn’t belong to me. I have exactly zero say in what is OK for them to do. While I can recommend people not use them (which I do) and promote better methods, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s simply not my decision to make.

It’s the “I know what’s best for you” attitude that alienates a lot of end users to begin with. Maybe they don’t know jack about design theory or development best practices. Maybe they will create the most hideous looking site ever displayed on the web. But that is their choice. And I’ve gotta respect that.

As Eusebiu noted, most people will say they want “full control” when asked. I mean, inside every human being is desire to be free. That might sound silly, but they’re definitely related.

But, if you pose the situation with different wording, you’ll find most people choose a different option. Given the choice between redoing all the plumbing in your house by trial and error, or having a skilled and knowledgeable professional plumber do it for you in much less time and with much less frustration, most people will choose the latter.

I think it boils down to an education problem. If a site owner has a job to do, they may buy a multipurpose theme with page builders and hundreds of options thinking that’s the best way to go. What kid didn’t fall prey to the featured packed gimmicks of Swiss Army knives? You can certainly put together an Ikea desk with one, using the rickety screwdriver tucked in next to the corkscrew, but it’s way easier to do it with a regular screwdriver that was built specifically for the job. The person may think the Swiss Army knife is better because at some point in the process they may need a blade to open that overly taped pack of screws. Teaching that person it’s better to have a single purpose knife and single purpose screwdriver will make their lives better. Who hasn’t wanted to kick a hole in the wall while putting together a desk? Now imagine doing it with a multipurpose tool that’s basically great at nothing. That ain’t no way to live. :)

Sallie noted there’s a market of people who fall somewhere in the middle who want to get their hands dirty. No doubt. And apparently there’s a good many of them. Most of the people I run into using these things don’t fit in that space though. They’re end users with no design or code skills whatsoever, who are just trying to get a website up and running. They get distracted by the shiny bells and whistles and forget what they set out to do in the first place. I’ve seen many people fumble with them for months, literally, before finally giving up. Needless to say most attribute the difficulty to WordPress itself – which is already hard enough for new users – instead of attributing it to the fact that they’re trying to do something they don’t know how to do with a tool that works about as good as a Swiss Army knife.

My beef with the page builder concept is that it proposes people should spend days and weeks trying to do a job for which they have no skills instead of focusing on what they’re good at and set out to do in the first place.

Good design solves problems. Good design requires making decisions, not shrugging off that responsibility by throwing 400 options at the customer, most of which they won’t use in the end. That makes lives harder. Not easier. Products should make lives easier. But as Norcross said, you have to respect that it’s their decision. When given the chance, I educate people on the upsides and downsides of these things when they ask for my advice. Sometimes they choose one way, sometimes another. Ultimately it’s their decision, and I did my part to educate.

This is a big topic, with a lot that can be said. There’s a lot of nuance. The conversation could go on for some time. We wrote about this at Array last year.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.