WordPress is the best platform to build a website on. It offers the most range of creativity and functionality. WordPress has a steeper learning curve than Squarespace and Showit, but it’s my choice because it’s powerful and highly customizable.
Once you decide to build with WordPress, your next step will be choosing a page builder. Elementor and Divi are two of the most popular WordPress page builders on the market. You can build a website from scratch with either of these page builders and you don’t need an advanced degree to use them!
What is a WordPress page builder?
A WordPress Page Builder is a plugin or theme component that allows you to structure and design pages on your website with minimal effort and technical knowledge. They let you create, edit and customize your website without writing a line of code.
Essentially they add an editor interface to your WordPress website. Most WordPress users are familiar with the text view versus the visual preview of the content in the editor. A Page Builder plugin is an enhanced version of this. They make customizing a page layout faster and easier.
Page Builders are designed with drag-and-drop functionality, making them easy to use and a more straightforward transition from other web hosts like Squarespace and Wix. They also typically come with predesigned templates, layouts and design elements for you to use immediately. They also allow you to preview the appearance of a page as you edit.
If you’re building a website yourself, a Page Builder will simplify the process with its built-in elements and intuitive features. If you are switching from another host with drag-and-drop features, the learning curve in WordPress will be shortened with the use of a Page Builder. Many Page Builders come with prebuilt page layouts to serve a variety of projects and purposes, which makes building a site much easier than building it from scratch with code.
When choosing a Page Builder for your WordPress site, there are lots to choose from. Look for one that is intuitive and has a user-friendly interface.
Two of the most popular Page Builders are Divi and Elementor.
What is Divi?
Divi, a product of Elegant Themes, is one of the first WordPress Themes and Page Builders on the market. Elegant Themes, known for their stunning themes and an extensive library of plugins, led the market in intuitive page builders with Divi. For a long time, Divi was the industry standard. And for a good reason!
Divi offers a simple drag-and-drop solution for page building. You can see your changes live, and the design has lots of flexibility. Out of the box, Divi includes an extensive library of modules to use to design your website, pre-built layout templates to customize and tons of drag-and-drop elements to personalize your website.
The Divi Page Builder works seamlessly with the Divi Theme but can also be used as a plugin with other themes. And with its newest release, it supports theme building.
What is Elementor?
Elementor is quickly becoming the industry leader, with over three million websites using Elementor as its page builder. Elementor is a plugin for your WordPress site. It works with every theme, and unlike Divi, you won’t lose your design if you switch themes. Elementor replaces the basic WordPress editor with a live front-end editor. That means you see live updates as you edit your website,
With Elementor, you can create dynamic and unique pages and posts for your website with no coding skills required. It’s intuitive, and there are tons of tutorials online to help you when you get stuck. Elementor allows you to design your website by starting with a blank canvas, or you can start with one of their beautiful templates and then customize it to make it your own.
Elementor is available to install for free. You can upgrade to a paid Pro version if you need more features.
Why I choose Elementor as a Professional Web Developer
Divi and Elementor are both excellent products. And these are only two of the WordPress Page Builder options. It might feel overwhelming to try and choose.
Here’s why I choose Elementor for every build as a professional web developer.
1. It’s faster. And speed is essential when building a website. A slow-loading site destroys your SEO score and makes visitors very unhappy. Elementor’s code is lean and efficient. It only loads what you need, so excess elements and code don’t slow down your site.
2. Elementor is easier to customize over Divi. In the Elementor editor, you get a fixed sidebar with all the elements and modules you can add to a page, such as text, a button, spacers, an image, etc. On the right side of the page is the live visual editor. You simply drag and drop elements from the sidebar onto the page you are editing. It’s as simple as that in Elementor!
3. Elementor does not use shortcodes. Shortcodes are abbreviated shortcuts that represent coding for a specific function on a webpage. For example, I would use the shortcut gallery] to add a photo gallery to a webpage. Shortcodes are an easy way for people who don’t know complicated coding to add features to a web page. They are linked to embedded code within a theme that does the behind-the-scenes technical stuff. Shortcodes are great, but if you disable the plugin or change themes, the shortcodes are deactivated.
Elementor doesn’t use shortcodes. If you change WordPress themes, you don’t have to worry about things breaking like you would in Divi.
WordPress is my specialty. And as a professional, I choose Elementor as my Page Builder. It is fast, easy to use and builds dynamic and unique websites. There are lots of page builders to choose from. And Elementor is my recommendation every time!
You don’t need a master’s degree in coding to build a beautiful website for your brand. You just need the right tools and guidance from pros you can trust! Check out my Instagram, where I post Elementor tips and tricks almost daily! You too can build websites like a pro!
