• Website builder. What is it?
• Tilda. What is it and who is it for. Аdvantages and disadvantages
• Readymag. What is it and who is it for. Аdvantages and disadvantages
• MVP is a way to quickly test an idea
• Varieties of MVP
• Stages of creating an MVP
• Conclusions

Website builder. What is it?

In the modern world, even a small business must have a website on the Internet, otherwise, it becomes uncompetitive. As a result, thousands of new sites appear every day around the world. Naturally, with so much work in demand on creating sites, the industry of template site constructors is developing. These sites have both advantages and disadvantages. Let’s figure out whether the website builders are suitable or not, and who is going to like them.

The website builder is a complete web development tool. With the help of the website builder, it is convenient to test a business idea: you can start with a fast website and check the demand for your product. The constructor is an alternative to the full cycle of web development when you need a simple site in a short time. In the article, we will analyze two constructors: Tilda and Readymag.

They are suitable for the development of landing pages, simple corporate websites, and even basic online stores. In addition, a designer can help with the evaluation of a rough visualization of the site for further testing and revision.

Do you have an idea that needs its own website ASAP and at the same time, you do not own large resources? You are not an expert in the field of web design and development? A toolkit called the website builder can help you. The website builder is an online platform that allows you to develop and manage websites (one-page and multi-page, business cards, blogs, etc.) in the most accessible and simple way. 

The website builder is similar to Lego on principle. A finished site is created from a set of individual elements such as text fields, forms, sets of buttons, menus, etc. All you need is to simply assemble a ready-made page from this set, customize the elements used (their appearance) and fill the text blocks and fields with the necessary information.

Site design, functional modules, design elements – everything is formed by the constructor based on a set of standard templates with limited (to varying degrees) possibility of personalization. At the same time, the development process takes little time and does not require knowledge of programming languages, since the system itself will perform all the routine work, and all the subtleties and difficulties (like SEO optimization, adaptation for different user devices, etc.) of the site builder modules are usually already taken into account.

Now let’s take a closer look at Tilda and Readymag.

Tilda

What is it and who is it for

Tilda is the website builder designed to create landing pages and simple web resources, including even the simplest online stores. Initially, Tilda was positioned as a platform for journalists, writers, bloggers, as it is convenient to collect landing pages and arrange longreads on the constructor. It has been cut out exactly for this.

However, the web-market has looked at this platform from a different angle, and now you can create a product that is suitable for your business using this resource.

Tilda suits you if you need to create:

• Company website and landing page. If you need a website presentation of a product or service, a landing page with feedback forms – Tilda is a perfect choice.
• Longreads and Portfolios. On Tilda, you can construct portfolio sites and personal webpages for specialists, or publish an article.
• Websites for events and promo pages. For events, it is possible to create a ticket selling platform or add a registration form.
• Small online store. This option is for you if you have a specialist who can manage the store because there can be really a lot of manual work on the store. However, if you have a few products as a single-product store, that will not appear to be difficult to manage with several simple modifications.

Tilda’s advantages and disadvantages

Аdvantages:

• Price. Tilda allows you to develop a website with a minimum investment. You can use either a free version or buy an access to a fee-charging plan. And even if you do use the fee-charging plan, the price will be several times lower than ordering a freelance site or the one from an agency.
• Simplicity of working with the constructor and the ability to create a unique design. You don’t have to be a specialist or a professional designer to put your website together. On Tilda there are no ready-made templates for the entire site, on the basis of which you can make your own, but there are collections of individual blocks, which you assemble your site from, as if it is the toy constructor. Each of the blocks can be modified and customized within a certain framework. Plus, there is a Zero Block tool, using which you can create your own block from scratch, without choosing a block from the library. In addition, you can take a rough draft of the website part and transfer it to Zero Block, where you can fully control it. You can use Tilda to specifically focus on typography, and you can truly say so, as its possibilities feel like they have been created precisely for this purpose.
• Technical support and an abundance of educational materials. Any questions, difficulties and failures are solved by technical support, which responses really quickly. Also on Tilda there are many articles and tutorials on creating a website from scratch and they are well-written and illustrated, so that any user can figure it out.
• Development speed. A Tilda developer is a programmer, layout designer and web designer in one. The project does not need to be transferred from the hands of one specialist to another in different stages, and since everything will be done by one person, this will save time significantly .
• Adaptive design. The final product perfectly adapts to the resolutions of all devices and looks attractive both on a desktop and on a smartphone. As for zero blocks, they are adapted by a specialist, and in the end, you get a convenient and selling product.
• Self-service content management. You can add new products or blog articles yourself.
• Its own CRM system and payment and notification systems integration. Tilda allows you to view analytics from the built-in CRM system. All leads that came through the site are available. In addition, you can connect your own tool (for example, AMOCRM, HubSpot, Bitrix24, and so on). In addition, the product is compatible with all popular online payment services.

So, a website can be created quickly, inexpensively, with an acceptable speed of work and in the absence of a hired programmer. What are the negative aspects of such website builders?

Disadvantages:

• Low hosting space. Under the terms of use, you are provided with only 1 GB per resource, so be prepared if at some point a new article couldn’t be uploaded onto the page.
• Restriction for online stores. Not for everyone, but still. The lack of item filtering and the limited to the most necessary blocks shopping cart functionality make the usage of the website highly exasperating. We can only agree with one thing – it’s true that you can’t create a client personal account (for now!).
• Inability to connect your domain. Unfortunately, it is impossible to connect your domain name for free.
• Lack of integration with 1C. Tilda will not suit you if you work with 1C and you need to synchronize the showcase and warehouse balances.

Readymag

Readymag is an online graphical editor which you can create web publications with. One of the main features of Readymag is animation. You don’t need to know how to code to work in Readymag, but you need to have a basic knowledge of graphic and web design. In addition, Readymag has few templates, unlike Tilda. Readymag is cut out for non-standard solutions, as it provides a blank canvas and a tool and thus makes embodying any ideas possible.

Readymag is suitable for you if you need to create:

• A landing page with minimal information of any topic.
• Portfolio. Readymag has project templates for portfolios. It allows you to quickly and easily assemble a template project, which is convenient in the early stages of mastering the tool or if you have no time.
• Small website.
• Multimedia longreads with a magazine-like layout. Multimedia longreads differ from other works of Internet media by their special visual design. In most cases, the material in the form of text is a kind of “canvas” where multimedia elements are laid out in the right places. The story is advanced by scrolling the mouse, and video and audio are often launched in auto-start mode, not by click. The main difference of Readymag is the large number of elements that can be placed on a slide. In addition to familiar text, images, shapes, and videos, you can add a Google Map, a live Twitter feed (which will automatically update), and Facebook elements. With a frame, you can insert almost any content using code. Voila, your magazine is ready! 
• Interactive presentations. These include slides and navigation through them, the scrolling animation and many more other perks that make Readymag really suitable for presentations, a detailed story about a project or case.

Readymag’s advantages and disadvantages

Аdvantages:

• A large number of projects. Even in the free version, an unlimited number of projects is available, each of them can consist of a maximum of 10 pages. Using fee-charging plans you can add your own domain, remove navigation and Readymag logo, and much more.
• A large number of functions. Of course, with the upgrade of the plan, the number of available features increases, but even in the free version there are many decent tools.
• Wide range of possibilities for customization – you can customize everything, from landing pages and longreads to animated presentations. You can practically not limit yourself to anything, as far as it is generally possible in this kind of constructor.
• Good animation capabilities. In Readymag, you can literally animate ANY element.
• Educational materials and technical support. There is also a lot of useful information: video tutorials, instructions, presentations, etc.

Disadvantages:

• You can’t remove the logo for free. Removing slide navigation from the screen (which is appropriate for a presentation, but is not suitable for longreads and websites), as well as attaching your domain and hiding the Readymag logo is only possible in the paid version.
• An extended version of the tools is available in a paid version.
• There is no adaptive design version. By default, Readymag is not responsive, even when using its own templates. But if you want to make your website responsive, then you have to do it manually and contact a specialist.
• Integration of payment and notification systems. There is no way to add many popular services to Readymag. There is integration with some marketing tools such as Google Search Console, Facebook Pixel, Pinterest Pixel.

From all that has been written, it is clear that website builders can be an ideal solution when several conditions coincide at once. As a result, you get a ready-made solution, whether it’s a business website or an online store.

But what do you need to do if you have an idea and its implementation requires much more effort, but you need it now? How to properly test an idea using a finished product and how to understand what kind of functionality is needed to maximize hitting the target? This is where MVP comes in.

MVP is a way to quickly test an idea.

Today, when the world is developing at a crazy speed, and the market is replenished with new products every minute, MVP saves you time and brings your idea to the market as soon as possible.

Minimal Viable Product is the version of the product that has the most necessary minimum of features to test the viability of an idea on the market. At this stage, there are still no additional or secondary functions, but only thing that’s left is the essence of the product itself. This kind of product must be of sufficient value to users.

The main advantage of MVP is that you can spend little resources on design and development, while it is still allowing you to quickly get feedback from your target audience. There is no need to spend years on product development, MVP helps to make sure that the product is in demand or to abandon a losing idea in a timely manner.

The key idea behind an MVP is that you create a real work product that can be offered to customers. This could be a one-page site or a seemingly fully automated service that is actually done manually. And then you watch the reaction to it and modify the solution taking into account the preferences of consumers, supplement or change the product. That way, the company won’t start creating a product that customers will not want to buy.

The main goal of an MVP is to reduce the time and effort for testing an idea before developing a full-fledged product.

What are the benefits? MVP allows to:

• Test the viability of an idea based on real data.
• Reduce losses if the product fails.
• Competently approach the development issue: weed out unnecessary functions, use those that are suitable for a specific product.
• Identify previously neglected customer needs.
• Organize an initial customer base.
• Enter the market quickly and attract potential investors and potential clients.

Varieties of MVP

There are many approaches to creating an MVP. Let’s take a look at the main types.

The Wizard of Oz

This type of MVP, in line with the illusions creator called Wizard of Oz, only seems to be fully functional. In reality, a startup does all the work manually instead of using automated software. In this type of MVP, the underlying software is missing, but there is an idea and product concept that have to be tested.

The method was confirmed by Nick Swinmurn, founder of Zappos (an online shoe and clothing store). He launched the site only by posting a photo of the goods on it, and after receiving the orders, he bought the goods ordered by the users at the necessary points and sent it. When he became convinced of the relevance of the project and its urgency, Mr. Swinmerg updated the site’s functionality. Thus, he tested the viability of the idea of ​​selling shoes via Internet, while initially he did not invest a lot of resources in renting a warehouse and purchasing products, he simply imitated their availability.

Concierge MVP

This type of MVP is more suitable for online services, the ultimate goal of which is to automate the solution of a consumer’s request. At the initial stages of product implementation, the service is provided manually. Often the Concierge MVP helps in generating new ideas that later make the final product better.

This model was used by Chuck Templeton, the founder of the service for online reservations for restaurants, tickets and more. Before investing huge amounts of money in the technical implementation of the service, he manually booked tables for other people in restaurants. In this way, he tested the viability of the idea, understood who was ready to pay, how much and what for. In addition, this is how he defined his client.

An important difference between a Concierge MVP and the Wizard of Oz type is that it is aimed at generating ideas about the future of the product, providing service, and communicating with the client.

Scattered MVP

The idea behind a Scattered MVP is to communicate the value of using existing tools instead of creating a unique solution. The product prototype looks like a complex product. This type of MVP makes it possible to use simple software and add the necessary functionality after receiving feedback.

A great example of a scattered MVP is Groupon, a service that provides coupon codes. Its founder, Andrew Mason, launched a WordPress site where he manually hosted food images every day. He generated proposals as PDF documents using AppleScript and emailed them via Apple Mail. Thus he confirmed Groupon’s hypothesis.

Product with one parameter

This type is most often used when there is a finished product with a minimum set of functions (usually one). The release of a product with one function (parameter) allows you to narrow the target audience, get feedback and analyze it. MVP can be real software with a minimum set of features required to validate. This product helps to identify the target audience, get feedback and conduct product analysis.

Stages of creating an MVP.

Before you start developing a product, you need to assemble a team of specialists that understands what and why you are doing. Since MVP implies minimum resource consumption, each team member must work for maximum results.

At the pre-training stage, you and your team must clearly understand the value of your product, what value does it carry and what global goal is set for it and the team. Now is already the time when you should have an idea about the channels of promotion and sales, your target audience.

Step 1. Solving the problem

What problem does your product solve? The answer to this question is the basis for your next steps. Describe its value in a few sentences. Firstly, it is useful for your and the team’s own good; secondly, in the future it is going to help creating a unique sales proposal, landing page and advertising campaign.

Step 2. Target audience

As much as one would like to believe the creators of the product, their product cannot solve the problems of ALL people, that is a wide audience. It is necessary to focus on a specific target audience – a narrow segment.

Visualize a customer who needs your product. Draw his portrait in detail: gender, age, social status, income level, needs, habits. The more precisely the portrait is drawn, the clearer your strategy for the future will be.

Step 3. Competitors

It is unlikely that your product is unique, therefore, you have competitors in the market. Identify key market players and find out everything you can: company policy, business strategies, study the sales process (prices, cost, profitability).

The official websites of competitors, their reports, documents that are in the public domain will help you with this. Pay attention to their advertising campaigns, information distribution channels. In addition, study information materials about competitors (articles about them, interviews, etc.). Be critical of this information, because the truth is not always broadcast.

Step 4. SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis results describe the internal and external factors that influence the company’s success. It is a table consisting of four blocks: S – Strength, W – Weaknesses, O – Opportunities, and T – Threats. Do state your points in there, but do not allow them to become an essay. They should be short and understandable for the team.

This analysis is best done by the whole team. This will help to objectively evaluate each of the parameters. The purpose of the SWOT analysis is to identify strengths and opportunities in order to focus your work on them in order to minimize the negative consequences of weaknesses and threats.

Step 5. User flow map

How to use your product? Why is it needed? If you yourself cannot answer these questions, then your user is definitely not going to understand what to do. To avoid such an outcome, it is necessary to create a User flow map – what the user does when interacting with the product. You must understand what requirements the audience has for content, design and interface.

Step 6. Functionality and development

Previously you have identified the main user interactions with the product, now it’s time to describe the specific functions for each one. Prioritize all the functions. We’ve put the most popular ones (which are used most often) at the beginning of the list, rarely used ones – at the end.

Read how to find the right functionality here.

At this stage, define a few basic functions the project will not be able to exist at all without, since there will be no sense from it. All features that are not fundamental to selling your product can be added to subsequent MVPs.

Step 7. Testing

It is better to test MVP in short iterations: alpha (use within the team) and beta testing (admission of the first users to the MVP). This will take one to two weeks. You have to do a couple of such tests for better results. 

After each testing, analyze the received reviews, statistics of visits, analyze the entire data array. This way you will find out what needs to be improved, what can be removed, and what, on the contrary, needs to be added urgently. Several test runs will help you prepare the optimal first version of the product for launch.

Conclusions

To make a landing page, you need a designer, technologist and marketer. But they can cross swords with each other, debating and thus delaying the project, reducing its effectiveness or making it ineffective at all. And what if you need to make it quickly and without fighting? You can build a landing page using the constructor. This option is convenient, it saves time and does not require you to know the layout editing.

Let’s answer the main question: is it worth it to create websites using website builders, considering their advantages and disadvantages? Yes, it’s worth it if you:

• Are ready to work alone on a project;
• Have no development experience;
• Your budget is small, there is no way to pay for web studios;
• There is no time and the site has to be done yesterday.

Website builders are simply tearing apart the tasks of creating business card sites, portfolios, landing pages, and mini-stores.

And MVP plays the role of a safety cushion. It allows you to predict the commercial and technical potential of a product, as well as its implementation. MVP allows you to make technical and business decisions based on facts, not assumptions. Therefore, testing a concept or product on the market is the main goal of creating an MVP.