Website builders are no new thing. As far back as the early 1990s, the likes of GeoCities offered internet users the tools they needed to build (admittedly rudimentary) websites without too much technological know-how. Of course, these early versions are a far cry from the best website builders we find on the market today.
Until recently, the majority of website builders focused on offering customers an alternative to working with a website agency or freelancer. Providing a simple and affordable no/low-code platform that those with little technical knowledge could use to create stunning, functional websites.
Although website builders certainly still serve this purpose, we are increasingly seeing agencies, designers, and developers leveraging website builder platforms to simplify and speed up website building processes.
Leading website builders have recognized this trend and are now rolling out advanced website builder solutions targeted specifically at agencies, developers, and designers - these include everything from enhanced website hosting options to powerful design tools.
Wix is one such platform, launching Wix Studio in 2023, offering users advanced design capabilities. This has helped position Wix as one of the best website builders for agencies. We spoke to Michal “Bigi” Bignitz, VP of Partners at Wix about the challenges that professional website creators are facing and how new solutions, such as Wix Studio, can help them overcome them.
Michal “Bigi” Bignitz serves as the VP of Partners at Wix. Since joining Wix over eleven years ago, Bignitz has headed Wix Product Management, Wix International Growth, responsible for the company’s growth in all non-US markets, the Wix App Market - Wix's distribution platform for web apps, as well as other strategic projects in Wix, among them Wix Blog and Wix Events. Prior to joining Wix, she worked as a software developer at several startups and leading companies including Microsoft. Bignitz is experienced in recruiting and managing large-scale teams and leading highly strategic products.
What are the current challenges that professional web agencies, designers, and developers are facing when building websites?
In the dynamic field of web design and development, professionals face a range of challenges that shape their approach to building websites. One primary challenge is striking the right balance between creating complex and dynamic projects while maintaining efficiency in the execution.
Agencies and freelancers aspire to create innovative, complex projects that align with clients' visions, but dedicating excessive time and resources to these endeavors can impede efficiency and hinder business growth. The key lies in finding tools and methodologies that offer a balance between customization and efficiency, leveraging programs that provide out-of-the-box solutions while still allowing for coding when wanted.
Another significant challenge is navigating growth in an increasingly saturated market.
With the increase of web development platforms and a surge in agencies and freelancers, competition has intensified.
To overcome this hurdle, professionals must strategically diversify their approach. Expanding their client portfolio and pursuing projects previously deemed out of reach to broaden their market presence. Concurrently, optimizing efficiency through streamlined processes and innovative tools maximizes productivity without compromising quality, facilitating scalable growth. Furthermore, embracing new business models, such as recurring revenue streams, fosters long-term sustainability and cultivates enduring client relationships.
Which innovative strategies are you seeing designers and developers use to overcome these challenges?
Designers and developers are employing innovative strategies to overcome challenges in the industry.
This collaboration expands client portfolios and enables professionals to take on more clients collectively than they could alone, fostering growth and scalability.
To overcome the challenge of creating dynamic and complex projects efficiently, AI for web design can be utilized by providing a starting point for projects without replacing the creative process. Tools like responsive AI and text-to-image solutions offer jump-starts, allowing professionals to focus their time on areas that make their projects more unique.
Additionally, the industry is moving towards the use of reusable assets like templates, UI libraries, and code widgets. Teams within agencies are building and sharing their own assets, providing starting points for projects, and speeding up development.
Community collaboration is another key strategy for growth. Agencies and freelancers participate in communities where they share knowledge, inspiration, and collaborate on projects. This collaboration expands client portfolios and enables professionals to take on more clients collectively than they could alone, fostering growth and scalability. Additionally, flexible team structures allow for adjustments in workload based on project demand.
Client relations also play a crucial role in growth strategies. Many agencies are shifting from one-time fees to recurring monthly fees, emphasizing long-term relationships with clients. This necessitates adjusting services to provide ongoing value and maintaining client satisfaction. Building strong client relationships is essential for sustaining this business model, ensuring trust and loyalty over time.
How significant is the shift towards low-code or no-code interfaces and are traditional web development methods still popular amongst website agencies, designers, and developers?
Every project an agency works on is unique, with different requirements and challenges.
Some aspects may require extensive customization to meet specific client needs, while others can be addressed using out-of-the-box (low code no-code) solutions. There is no need to choose either one; you can find a platform that allows for both. Agencies need a platform that allows them to have this choice and flexibility to decide the best approach for each project.
As the website building landscape continues to change, which challenges do you think agencies, designers, and developers will face in the coming years?
Clients increasingly seek comprehensive solutions that encompass all aspects of their online presence.
As the website-building landscape evolves, agencies, designers, and developers are likely to encounter several challenges in the coming years.
One significant trend that is emerging is the shift towards a centralized approach, where clients increasingly seek comprehensive solutions that encompass all aspects of their online presence.
Clients are increasingly looking for integrated solutions that offer a seamless experience across various aspects of their online presence, including website building, e-commerce, marketing, and customer relationship management. Agencies will need to adapt by offering comprehensive platforms that fulfill these diverse needs under one roof.
Which specific tools and technologies do you think agencies, designers, and developers should be watching and testing to help them prepare for future challenges and opportunities for revenue growth?
I know I'm biased, but when we created Wix Studio, this is exactly what we did.
We thought about all the current and future challenges and needs, and we combined them under one platform that would be the ultimate solution. Wix Studio is an end-to-end platform for agencies and freelancers. On top of the new advanced Studio editor, we built a whole new workspace for agencies and professionals to create, manage, and grow at scale. This includes managing teams, clients, hundreds of domains and subscriptions, and monetization opportunities. We even integrated a strong community aspect into Wix Studio, as I’ve spoken above how important it is to have a strong community for growth.
All of the features in Studio have different layers of complexity, yet they are all intuitive and offer out-of-the-box capabilities. At the same time, users can decide how deeply they want to customize them and how advanced they want to get. The same goes for our out-of-the-box business solutions, where developers can fully tailor flows and logic based on best-in-class, out-of-the-box business solutions.
