Let’s examine whether you should be using Gutenberg or Page Builders to achieve the website design you are looking to create.
It certainly goes without saying that there is a divided market in regards to what are the best website design tools with the ever increasing popularity of Gutenberg, which WordPress is hoping that all new websites will be designed with.
Gutenberg has certainly enabled plugin developers to create a wide array of block builders that offer a wide set of features.
Furthermore, it is what the co-founder of WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, is pushing. Currently WordPress powers nearly 47% of all the Internet.
However, in my experience using Gutenberg for simple websites up to complex designs, just doesn’t offer the flexibility and design tools as those provided by some of today’s top page builders such as Breakdance, Bricks, and even Divi.
While you can expand the possibility in your design process by purchasing block addons by outside developer to expand the capabilities of the Gutenberg Block Builder, it just doesn’t go far enough to create the sophisticated designs that drive many of todays top websites.
I would be not doing this article justice if I didn’t at least list some of what people think are the top features of using Gutenberg. So, let’s dive in and take a look at a few of them.
Needless to say, I’m sure there are plenty more that I did not list. One of the biggest arguments I hear when it comes to Gutenberg or Page Builders is about the time of development and the amount of code that is needed to display it both quickly and that meets Googles Core Web Vitals.
While the site you are reading this article on has been built using Breakdance, I do incorporate Gutenberg when it comes to writing my posts. I feel that is where it is best suited and optimized for.
I’m just not a fan of using it to develop sophisticated and engaging website designs. Needless to say, I will get some pushback from various people throughout the WordPress community.
But when it comes to using it from a developer standpoint, you may want to watch the video below that was produced by Kevin Geary, who is a strong developer in the WordPress ecosystem.
Page builders often offer more advanced customization options and a more visual, intuitive interface compared to Gutenberg.
They usually come with a wide range of pre-designed templates, elements, and styling options, allowing users to create complex layouts without extensive coding knowledge.
Additionally, many page builders are compatible with various platforms, not just WordPress, providing flexibility.
However, it’s essential to note that Gutenberg has improved over time and continues to do so. The preference between page builders and Gutenberg ultimately depends on individual needs, preferences, and the specific project requirements.
However, Gutenberg hasn’t made there design process in regards to a “Class First” design principle incorporated into their interface, thus making it nearly impossible to utilize and additional CSS to develop the level of design process needed.
When examining Gutenberg or page builders, it’s essential to weigh what things you need to bring your website design into fruition.
When you start to dive into creating more complex designs that require higher levels of functionality, this is where a page builder like Breakdance begins to shine.
You can create custom classes throughout to attach to various design elements, you can inject code such as PHP or JavaScript directly onto a page, and you can even take an element and further develop it out or even create your own elements that are specific to your design needs.
This is not possible if you’re going to merely stick to using a block based editor such as Gutengerg.
While I have seen a few block editor addons such as Qwicly, they still do not come close to the full page builder experience that can be found in some of the more mature page builders that are available on the market today.
As an small agency owner, looking at using Gutenberg or Page Builders is almost a no brainer for us.
We realize that not all websites are designed nor created equally. They are unique and specific to the specific owner of them and using them to meet specific online needs.
But if you truly want the best design, you want to leave room for growth over time to further expand on your website.
Getting back to a “Class First” design principle. When it comes to leaving room for quick modifications to making global changes to a website, using classes make this task much easier.
This is why create CSS classes and assigning them to specific elements make both quick changes and maintaining the overall look and feel of any website design so much easier.
As an agency owner, I am virtually unlimited in the design sets that we can create using the Breakdance Page Builder. I could ramble on and on about its amazing features. However, it would be much easier to just to provide you with a video overview of it.
As you can see in the video above, when having to decide between Gutenberg or Page Builders, I think the argument is fairly clear.
Using a page builder just provides you with so many more opportunities of creating that unique and BeSpoke website design you have been looking to achieve.
Needless to say, if you’re thinking of hiring a local website developer that understands the power of this tool, even better for you.
Below is one the most recent designs that our agency has released to the owner. Habitat for Humanity of Pope County, Arkansas.
They are dedicated to providing affordable housing builds to qualifying families.
It was a very clean site with several integrations for the organization to be able to collect information from potential home owners as well as those who are willing to donate their time and resources to the organization.
It was such an honor to be able to provide them with the tools that they needed to begin reaching more qualified potential homeowners as well as those looking to donate their time and resources to additional projects.
