Wix.com – website creation for creative people

The detailed assessment of the Wix.com website builder

Criterion	Rating	Comments
Ease of use		The editor is very easy to understand. If you are stuck, the FAQ section will help. Short introductory videos give instructions on the different functions.
Choice and flexibility of design (templates)		The designs look great and make a professional impression. But there is one decisive snag: you must decide at the start which one you wish to use. Thereafter it is no longer possible to switch to a different template.
Advertisement- free	no	Ad-free only from the premium plan “Combo”
Languages		The editor supports nine languages. Generally possible. More info here can be found with the search term “multilingual websites”.
Features
- Top-level domain (e.g. .com or .net)	no	Included from the premium plan “Combo” only. However, with the “Connect Domain” package it is possible to move your existing domain to Wix.
- Depth of navigation		A maximum of two levels are possible. A third level would be desirable.
- Widgets (small tools to add extra functionality)		Comprehensive app store to embed excellent image galleries, videos (YouTube), Facebook, etc. External applications can be integrated easily via the apps.
- Monetization	yes	Google Adsense cannot be integrated. However, it is generally possible to insert advertising.
- e-Commerce		An online store is included in the “eCommerce” package. You can also test the function in the other plans. Customers pay with Paypal or Google Checkout.
- Search-engine optimization (SEO)		Wix displays some weaknesses here. Page titles, meta description, alt tags can be added individually. Less ideal are the cryptic URL names and the fact that no SEO-friendly headers (H1-H6) have been used.
- Blog	no	There is no blog. Find out here why we believe a blog is so important.
- Visitor statistics		In order to access statistics, Google Analytics must be integrated in advance.
- Contact form	yes	There is a simple contact form. Those who want more functions should take a look at external form tools from third-party providers.
- Password protection	yes	Exemplary! Pages can be allocated an individual password, or users can be set up and managed with their own log-in.
- Add HTML Code	yes	Embed various widgets and other tools by means of an integrated app.
- Storage space	tariff-dependent	500 MB - 2,5 GB
- Forums	no	Can only by embedded via app.
Support	FAQ, Forum	The documentation is very detailed and clearly explained. If you get stuck, you can submit your question to the forum. Answers are usually prompt.
Fun factor		Starting  up is very playful and initial impressive result are achieved quickly. A nasty surprise can occur, however, if you get tired of the design. In that case, you will have to start again from the very beginning.
Overall rating		Starting  up is very playful and initial impressive result are achieved quickly. A nasty surprise can occur, however, if you get tired of the design. In that case, you will have to start again from the very beginning.

Conclusion:

The new website builder is to a large extent successful, but at a number of places it becomes apparent that it is still in the beta phase. HTML5 is the right direction, but at the moment it still has a serious disadvantage: many older browsers such as Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8 cannot display the smart-looking websites that have been built with Wix. This means that around 8% of all web users are currently lost (source), which is especially impractical if you wish to use the Wix online store. While this problem will solve itself over time, it is still very present right now.

In this respect you are better placed with Jimdo or Weebly, for example. Wix is suitable primarily for impressive presentation purposes. Artists, bands, wedding couples, etc are offered a platform on which they can present themselves wonderfully. Also of positive note is the excellent password protection, with which you can make some areas of your website exclusive.

In principle we like the fact that you can also set up a mobile website, but unfortunately this is not linked to the original site. This basically means that you have to maintain two websites. That is very impractical, especially in the case of frequent updates. It remains to be seen which areas of the website builder will be improved by Wix for its final version.
 

> Test Wix for free and  without  risk!

Updates

08 Apr 2013 - Review of Wix's new HTML builder. The review for the old Flash-based model can be found here.
14 Mar 2012 - Password protection information added
11 Apr 2012 - Initial review of Wix' HTML5 website builder
22 Nov 2011 - We have tested Wix' server performance.
07 Nov 2011 - Wix adds a blog module
20 Jul 2011 - Website builder for mobile websites reviewed reviewed, new eCommerce features added
17 Mar 2011 - General update
12 Jan 2011 - General update: support has not been reviewed this time.

 

Last updated: 08 Apr 2013 | Robert Brandl