Wix

What is Wix

Wix is a cloud-based platform that lets users create professional websites without needing to know how to code. Its main purpose is to provide an all-in-one solution for building and managing an online presence. The core of Wix is its drag-and-drop website editor, which allows for high levels of customization. Users can build everything from simple blogs and portfolios to complex eCommerce stores and booking websites. Founded in 2006 by Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami, and Giora Kaplan, Wix has grown into one of the most popular website builders globally. The company is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, and serves millions of users worldwide.

Wix Features

• Drag-and-Drop Editor: Easily move and place elements like text, images, and videos anywhere on your page for complete design control.
• AI Website Builder: Describe your needs in plain language, and the AI will generate a complete, tailored website for you in minutes.
• 900+ Website Templates: Choose from a large collection of professionally designed templates for various industries, which you can fully customize.
• eCommerce Solution: Build a full online store to sell products, manage inventory, handle shipping, and accept online payments.
• Booking and Scheduling: Manage appointments, classes, and services. Clients can book and pay directly on your website.
• Blogging Tools: Create and manage a blog with features for writing posts, adding categories, and engaging with readers.
• Portfolio Showcase: Display your work with various gallery layouts and visual effects, ideal for artists, designers, and photographers.
• SEO Tools: Access a suite of built-in tools to optimize your site for search engines like Google, including customizable meta tags and sitemaps.
• Marketing and CRM: Run email marketing campaigns, create social media posts, and manage customer relationships from a single dashboard.
• Wix App Market: Extend your site's functionality by adding third-party apps for marketing, sales, and more.

Wix Pricing Plans

Wix offers several pricing tiers to fit different needs. There are plans designed for personal websites, which remove Wix ads and allow you to connect a custom domain. For professionals and freelancers, there are plans that offer more storage, bandwidth, and business applications. The highest tiers are for businesses and eCommerce, providing advanced features like online payment processing, abandoned cart recovery, and selling on marketplaces. Each plan builds upon the previous one, offering more advanced tools and fewer limitations.

Wix Free Plan

Wix has a free plan that allows you to create and publish a fully functional website. The free plan includes access to the website editor, all templates, and hundreds of apps from the Wix App Market. However, it has some limitations. Your website will have a Wix-branded domain name (e.g., username.wixsite.com/sitename), and Wix ads will be displayed on the top and bottom of your site. Storage and bandwidth are also limited, and you cannot use the eCommerce features to accept payments.

How to use Wix

Getting started with Wix is a simple process:

1. Sign Up: Create a free account on the Wix website using your email or a social media account.
2. Choose a Creation Method: You can either use the Wix AI builder by answering a few questions about your business or select a designer-made template to start with.
3. Customize Your Site: Use the drag-and-drop editor to change layouts, colors, fonts, and images. Add new sections and pages as needed.
4. Add Content and Apps: Write your text, upload your photos, and add features like a contact form or a blog using the built-in tools or apps from the Wix App Market.
5. Optimize for SEO: Use the Wix SEO Wiz to get a personalized checklist for improving your site's visibility on search engines.
6. Publish Your Website: Once you are happy with your site, click the 'Publish' button. With a free plan, your site goes live immediately on a Wix domain. To use a custom domain, you need to upgrade to a premium plan.

Pros and Cons of Wix

Pros:

• Very easy to use: The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive and great for beginners.
• All-in-one platform: It includes hosting, security, and business tools in one place.
• Large template selection: Hundreds of modern and customizable templates for any industry.
• Extensive App Market: You can add many new features to your site with third-party apps.

Cons:

• Cannot change templates: Once you choose a template and build your site, you cannot switch to a new one without starting over.
• Difficult to migrate: Moving your website content from Wix to another platform is not a simple process.
• Performance: Sites with many elements or high-resolution images can sometimes load slower than sites built on other platforms.
• Free plan limitations: The Wix ads on the free plan are very noticeable.

Wix integrations

Wix integrates with hundreds of third-party applications through the Wix App Market. This allows you to connect your website to other services you use. To add an integration, you simply search for the app in the App Market and add it to your site with a few clicks.

• Google Analytics integration: Track your website traffic and user behavior by connecting your Google Analytics account.
• Mailchimp integration: Add signup forms to your site to grow your email list in Mailchimp.
• Facebook Pixel integration: Track conversions from Facebook ads and build targeted audiences.
• PayPal and Stripe integrations: Accept payments on your eCommerce or booking site through major payment gateways.
• Zapier integration: Connect your Wix site to thousands of other web apps to automate workflows.

Wix Alternatives

• Squarespace: A popular alternative known for its award-winning, design-focused templates. It is less flexible than Wix's editor but ensures a professional look.
• Shopify: A leading platform focused purely on eCommerce. It is more powerful than Wix for online selling but less suited for other types of websites.
• WordPress.com: A hosted version of the world's most popular CMS. It is excellent for blogging and content-heavy sites and offers more flexibility, but can have a steeper learning curve.
• GoDaddy Website Builder: A simple and fast builder that is good for creating basic websites quickly, but with fewer customization options than Wix.

Wix API

Wix provides extensive APIs for developers through its Velo by Wix platform. Velo is a full-stack development platform that allows you to build custom web applications on top of Wix. It lets you add custom functionality, connect to external APIs, and work with Wix's business applications programmatically. You can get API keys and manage them within the Wix Dev Center after creating an account. The platform uses JavaScript and provides a serverless environment, so you don't have to manage infrastructure.

Example of using a Wix Data API with Velo:

import wixData from 'wix-data';

// ...

// Query a collection named 'MyCollection'
 wixData.query("MyCollection")
  .find()
  .then( (results) => {
    let items = results.items;
    console.log(items);
  } )
  .catch( (err) => {
    let errorMsg = err;
    console.error(errorMsg);
  } );

This code snippet shows how to query a database collection within a Wix site using Velo's data API.

Wix Affiliate program

Wix has an affiliate program that allows you to earn commissions by promoting Wix and referring new premium users. To join, you need to apply through the Wix Affiliate Program page. Once approved, you receive a unique affiliate link to share on your website, blog, or social media channels. You earn a commission for every visitor who clicks your link and purchases a Wix Premium Plan. Payouts are typically made after you reach a certain earning threshold. The program provides marketing materials and a dashboard to track your clicks, referrals, and earnings.