So, you need a website. And whether it’s for business or personal use, you need it to look good, be relatively easy to set up, and most importantly, not cost a fortune. Somewhere along the way, you heard of the website builder known as Wix. This probably happened through one of their ads on YouTube or elsewhere across the internet. But your question now is, “Is Wix worth it?” Or, “Is Wix for websites a good option?”
Well, don’t worry, because I’m going to answer all those questions in this full Wix review. Because I also wanted to know if Wix was a good website builder or if it was just marketing hype. So, I’ve done a lot of digging and real-world testing to figure out exactly if you should use Wix, or go with another website builder.
Want to skip to the chase and know the conclusion right now? Okay then! Yes, Wix is a great website builder for most people. Thanks to its ease of use, customizability, and affordable pricing I can fully recommend Wix for personal or business websites.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide.
Table of Contents
Wix Review: The website builder
With over 7 million active Wix websites worldwide, Wix is one of the most popular website builders out there. And it’s not just a website builder, it’s an all-in-one website solution. This includes domain services, web hosting, and marketing tools to name a few of its features.
The main selling point of Wix comes down to its easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder. There is no required knowledge of HTML or CSS. You just choose a premade template and start editing to change the appearance just about however you’d like.
Pricing (without any Wix ads or branding on your site) starts at $8.50 a month and goes up to $35 a month for their Business VIP plan.
Pros and cons of Wix
While Wix is great at many things, there are still some shortcomings. These are some of the most obvious pros and cons to using Wix:
Pros:
- Very easy to use
- Competitive pricing
- A large array of templates to quickly get started with
- Serious depth when it comes to customization
- Huge amount of built-in features
- App marketplace with many add-on apps
- The perfect solution for most simple websites
Cons:
- Not the best option for professional bloggers
- Lingering questions around blog post SEO
Who is Wix best for?
Wix is probably the best website builder for most people and small businesses. Why do I say this? Because it’s just so simple to use and performs just as you’d expect in almost every way. So, essentially, Wix is best for…
- Anyone whose website needs aren’t overly complex.
- Most people who need a website for personal use.
- Most small to medium-sized businesses requiring a website to provide information to potential customers.
- Local businesses such as service businesses, shops, bars, restaurants, etc.
- Professionals
- Freelancers and job seekers
Who might Wix not be ideal for?
While Wix is a great website builder and platform for the majority of users, there are reasons why you may want to choose another option. Here are a few examples where I wouldn’t recommend it as my first choice (even though it could probably still work in a pinch):
- Large Ecommerce stores – For those who are serious about selling online, Shopify edges out Wix when it comes to functionality and their app marketplace.
- Professional bloggers – WordPress (with hosting) is still the number one CMS (content management system) for blogs.
- Large businesses or any business needing highly specific functionality, such as hotel chains, for example.
To get a better idea if Wix can meet your website needs, keep reading this guide.
Related: The Best Website Builders For Small Businesses In 2022
Wix Review: Starter templates
Wix boasts over 800 professionally designed website starter templates. These cover a ton of different website niches.
So, whether you have a restaurant, landscaping company, or need a professional resume / CV website, you’re sure to find something you like.
Here are a few of Wix’s starter templates:
Keep in mind, any template can be completely customized with your own images, colors, text, layout, and more.
Wix plans and pricing
Pricing for Wix is pretty straightforward. Plans start at $4.50 a month and go up to around $35 a month for the Business VIP plan.
Note that for the $4.50 a month plan, your website will feature Wix ads at the top and bottom of each page. Unfortunately, these cannot be removed unless you upgrade to the Combo plan or higher.
To figure out which plan will be best for you, expand menu that includes all of the included features for each plan.
Also, don’t think that you need to get the most expensive plans. I recommend the Combo or Unlimited personal plans, as well as the Business Basic or Unlimited plans.
The only plan I would say avoid is the cheapest plan because of the included ads. It won’t look professional at all displaying these Wix ads on your website in my opinion. I can’t really think of a decent argument for choosing that plan unless you’re really on the tightest of budgets. Even in that case, I think there are probably better alternatives out there.
The Wix website editor
The Wix drag and drop editor is famous for being easy and intuitive. But it’s also crazy powerful.
Unlike some website builders where you are very restricted in how you can move things around, Wix is the opposite.
You are able to drag, stretch, move, and alter just about everything on the page. And it’s not hard to figure out at all.
The only problem with this is making sure you’re design choice doesn’t screw up the functionality of your site.
For instance, messing with things like the menu bar too much may cause the design on desktop or mobile to end up wonky looking.
But if all you are doing is changing images, adding your own text, and changing a background color, this won’t be an issue at all.
You can see how easy it is for me to add my own text and change an image.
The editor is probably my favorite feature and one of the biggest selling points of Wix in my opinion. I just haven’t found anything that’s as easy and fun to use.
I’m serious. It’s actually super fun to get in there, mess around, and experiment with the design of your site. I would even encourage you to play around with a dummy site or two and just explore the builder to see what’s possible!
Wix Ease of use
Compared to any other website builder I’ve ever tried, Wix is very easy to use while being more powerful and capable than others. Pretty much any function you will need is easy to find and use.
Is there a learning curve if you’ve never worked with any kind of drag and drop editor? Sure, a little. But, if you can learn how to use a tool like Canva, for instance, you should be able to master Wix very quickly.
Compared to any other website builder I’ve tried, the Wix platform just seems intuitive. It really seems designed for the common person – not for highly skilled techies and developers.
This is not to say that designers and developers can’t use Wix. Far from it! This drag and drop editor will be powerful in the hands of a skilled visual artist or technician.
Simply put, Wix is very intuitive and easy to use, while being very powerful.
Wix features
Where do I begin with all of the different features Wix is packing?
There are a ton!
To start, there’s the Editor, which we’ve covered. It’s great.
Aside from the Editor, you can also choose Wix ADI, which is an automated way to build a website.
All you have to do is answer a few questions and the system will create a nice looking website for you. Well, that’s easy!
Here are a handful of professional features Wix offers:
- Custom domain name
- Professional email
- Free hosting* (well, you’re already paying for it, aren’t you?)
- Analytics
- Contact management
- Member login
- Live chat
- Social tools
- SSL
And here are some of their Ecommerce features:
- Well-designed storefront
- Order tracking
- Inventory management
- Product pages
- Multiple payment methods
- Coupons and discounts
- Worldwide shipping with custom tax and shipping rules
For those needing to handle bookings through their website, Wix offers these features:
- 24/7 bookings
- Accept payment online
- Private and group services
- Google calendar sync
- Auto-email reminders
- Wix mobile app
To promote your website, wix offers these features:
- Personalized SEO plan
- Adavanced SEO tools
- Email marketing
- Visitor analytics
- Social tools
- Subscriber opt-ins
Additionally, wix has features specifically for:
- Musicians
- Photographers
- Video creators
- Event organizers
- Restaurants
Wix for eCommerce
As you’ll see in the next section where I cover the app marketplace, Wix does feature a slew of ecommerce apps. These bring it closer to being on par with the #1 website builder for online stores, Shopify. Notice, I sad closer, not matching or exceeding.
You see, Shopify is still far and away the #1 platform for ecommerce for most businesses. The reason? There are many. But it starts from the ground up.
Whereas Wix is very good at many different things and for many different types of customers, Shopify is designed for one thing: online stores. From the overall functionality of the platform to their app marketplace, they are just the best.
Although, Shopify is generally more expensive.
Having said that…! Wix is a very capable platform for people who have a few items to sell online, or just don’t want to get as serious as Shopify.
Wix websites offer all the basic features that a business will need to list your products, take payment, etc.
So, if your number one mission is to build the very best online store possible, I’d recommend Shopify instead of Wix.
But, if you just plan on having a relatively simple online store selling a handful of items, Wix should work absolutely fine for you. And it’s less expensive!
You can learn more about Wix ecommerce features on their site.
Wix app market
Like other top website builders these days, Wix features an app marketplace. This is where you’ll head when you want to add extra functionality to your website. These apps are both Wix-made and third party.
Many apps are free but some require paid subscriptions to use.
(the app market homepage)
(above are the business apps)
(above are the Ecommerce apps)
(adding print on-demand integration is as simple as clicking “Add to Site”)
All in all, I’m pretty impressed with the app market here. Having the right apps on your website can do so much to improve functionality. From collecting email addresses, to adding something like a forum to your site, you’ll want to take advantage of apps.
Thankfully, Wix delivers in this department.
Wix SEO
Wix features a handful of advanced SEO tools to boost your website’s ranking in Google.
And for the most part, your Wix website will have no problem ranking with the best sites on the internet. This is assuming you put all the best SEO practices into practice.
Having said that, search engine optimization has been a problem in the past for Wix. I know this first-hand because I originally created an older version of this blog with Wix back in 2017.
The problem with my old website was that the blog articles weren’t showing up in Google. What I mean is that if I searched for the title of my blog post and even added my website name, the posts didn’t show up in the results.
That was a very big problem for me because my blog was the main focal point of my website.
Fast forward to 2022 and the general consensus is that Wix has improved SEO A LOT.
I have seen plenty of articles and examples showing how Wix websites have absolutely zero problem ranking in Google. A Google employee even said this directly.
So, Wix websites including homepages, product pages, and most other pages, will rank in Google totally fine.
But I would still be cautious when it comes to blog post rankings.
Although, there is a totally doable workaround. Instead of publishing articles as blog posts, publish them as separate pages. I can’t think of a reason why this wouldn’t work for most people.
To summarize my thoughts on Wix SEO, if you know that blog articles will be a central focus of your SEO and content marketing goals, avoid Wix and go with a Wordpress.org blog.
But for almost all small websites including CV/portfolio, local service businesses, event pages, etc… Wix is still the best choice and is my recommendation!
But if you do happen to be a professional blogger or plan to heavily focus on content marketing, go with WordPress.org.
Customer support
Wix features a giant help center area full of articles and guides should you have any questions.
The topics here cover just about anything you could think of including:
-Getting started guides
-The Wix editor
-Domains
-Billing
-Marketing
-And so much more!
However, if you still need to speak to someone, thankfully you can. Wix offers 24/7 customer support via live chat and telephone.
To get connected with a support representative, you’ll first meet a friendly bot who will try and help you. If that doesn’t solve your issue, you’ll be given the option to start a live chat or request a callback.
It’s great to know Wix does provide live chat and phone support for its customers.
Here’s how to get in touch with Wix customer support.
Example Wix sites
We’ve talked about Wix features, templates, and a whole lot more. What about real-world examples of websites made with Wix?
Here are a few real, good-looking websites that were built with Wix.
As you can see, many different kinds of websites can be designed with Wix. It’s really versatile in terms of what you can come up. Between using the templates and getting your hands dirty with raw creativity, the possibilities are just about endless.
Related: 45+ Stunning Websites Made With Wix
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a relatively simple website for personal, business, or nonprofit use, Wix is a great option.
In fact, it’s my #1 recommendation for those wanting an easy-to-use website builder.
Wix is very intuitive and easy to use. But don’t let that fool you. It has a powerful drag-and-drop website editor and a ton of other features.
So, the only question left is why wait?
The best time to start a new business, project, or website is when the inspiration strikes!
Head over to Wix to start building your website today.
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P.S.
As I’ve said earlier in this review, if you are a professional blogger (or hope to become one), I’d recommend looking beyond Wix and starting with WordPress.org instead.
The same advice goes for those wanting to focus on content marketing through blog articles.
I know it would be perfect if Wix was also the best at blogging. But, the reality is that WordPress is still king in that department due to it’s features (including SEO) designed perfectly for blogs.
If this sounds like you, head over here to my recommended WordPress hosting provider, DreamHost to get started on your new WordPress website.
In a nutshell, Wix is awesome at just about everything! But for specific use cases (blogging), WordPress.org with DreamHost is the champ!
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wix free to use?
Wix does have a free plan! But it is limited in some key ways. You won’t be able to add your own domain and their will be Wix advertising on your website. This means it’s mainly useful while you’re learning to use the platform. Click to start your free Wix website.
Wix vs. Squarespace – which is better?
Wix and Squarespace are two of the most popular website builders today. But they are very different in both style and function. Both will allow you to create a modern looking website that ranks highly in Google search. Squarespace relies on a more sleek asthetic which is better for style-centric websites in my opinion. Whereas Wix is more flexible, customizable, and has more features for businesses. While they are both good platforms, I think Wix is better for the majority of users. Squarespace is great for artists, photographers, and fashion-oriented websites.
Wix vs. WordPress – how do they compare?
Wix is the complete package that includes your templates, drag-and-drop builder, hosting, and many other features. You pay one price a month and get all of that bundled together. WordPress.org on the other hand works very differently since it’s an open-source content management system. With WordPress, you pay for your own hosting, then install third-party themes and plugins to add functionality.
While they both excel at what they do, they do it in very different ways. Wix is much easier to use and is the perfect choice for most people, in my opinion. However, for blogging and content marketing (through blog posts), I still recommend WordPress over Wix.
Wix vs. Shopify – which is better for Ecommerce?
Shopify has been the champ when it comes to Ecommerce for several years now. The reasons is that Shopify is exclusively focused on online stores. So, everything about it is designed to take that to the next level.
Having said that, Wix has added a lot of Ecommerce features in the past few years that make it an excellent choice for creating a smaller online store. If you just need a basic store without a lot of the fancy (and more expensive) add-ons, a Wix Ecommerce store should work great for you.
Is Wix good for SEO?
Wix struggled in the past with SEO but have made many improvements over the recent years. So, you won’t have to worry about your Wix website showing up in Google search results. However, I still have some concern over how blog posts are structured in Wix as it relates to SEO. If you want the best website builder for blogging, I still recommend just using WordPress with DreamHost hosting.
How much does a Wix website cost?
Wix websites start at Free and then go up to over $500 a year for the top of the line eCommerce plan. However, most individuals should choose the $8.50 or $12.50 a month plan. For businesses, I recommend the Basic or Unlimited plans at $17 to $25 a month.
