What Is Wix & How Does It Work?

Dreaming about a new website? Whether it’s time to refresh an out-of-date site or create something brand new, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Wix. An all-in-one website builder that promises everything novices and pros alike will need, Wix offers a free and easy route to building your website.

Ultimately, Wix won’t be the ideal solution for everyone. However, more than 160 million users worldwide have relied on Wix for website creation. So the question is, will Wix prove to be right for you?

What Is Wix?

Wix is a cloud-based software company offering web development services. Its key appeal lies in both the base cost (free) and in an ease of use that lets even rookie web designers create a professional-looking site. You won’t need special knowledge or training to use the site’s drag-and-drop building options and free templates. More experienced users can add complexity, and users with deeper pockets can add options that include eCommerce, scheduling, and their own domain name.

Wix makes it easy to start with the basics and then add on later, if you choose to add complexity or increase functionality. If this is your first time designing a website, you won’t need to worry about becoming overwhelmed with options. Simply choose a template you like the look of, and then start adding your own text and images.

Read our full Wix review for more information.

What Is Wix ADI?

Wix has added a component that takes building a basic website from easy to, well, effortless. Use the Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) option and you can be up and running in minutes.

Simply answer a few basic questions about the site you want, allow access to your social media information, and then sit back and let the ADI build your site for you. Within minutes, and without any effort on your part, you’ll have a complete website built around your own images, video, and text content. It’s a completely automatic process that’s also very easy for you to edit and customize to make it look and function just as you want it to.

What if you do not already have a big online presence? The ADI also can search Wix’s huge database to come up with images and text that match the information you provide about your proposed website, placing them appropriately on your new webpage. In that case, you may need to spend some extra time customizing the content and images to more perfectly reflect your own unique situation.

The Wix ADI option is free to use, and if you don’t like what the ADI suggests for you, you’ll find it easy enough to backtrack, start again, and take another route to your ideal website.

How Does Wix Work?

With Wix, speed and simplicity work hand in hand to help users quickly create personalized websites, with no programming or technical skills necessary for success. Wix offers “off the shelf” templates that can be adapted for many different types of use (including blogs, self-promotion of products or services, online sales platforms, and more) and personalized to reflect your own individual needs and style.

In Wix’s case, “off the shelf” definitely does not mean that most of the end products look the same. You will find virtually endless opportunities to customize your content, including text, video, and images, within the large number of free standard templates available on the site.

Wix supports users before and as they build their sites through an in-depth Help Center that offers advice to assist as you:

• Identify your website’s purpose (selling products, for instance, vs. bringing in new customers) and design it accordingly
• Consider SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as you build your site, to drive traffic there once the site is live
• Choose the tools you need to build the site that’s right for you

How Much Does Wix Cost?

You won’t pay anything to sign up for a Wix account, and you don’t need to enter any credit card information to create your website or to take it live. However, you may find it hard to say no to some of the add-ons that come with price tags.

For example, a basic no-cost Wix website shows Wix in its domain name. So, for example, instead of YourBusinessName.com, your URL will contain your Wix username followed by wixsite.com/YourBusinessName. Wix ads will appear on every page of your website, too. You’ll be limited to 500 MB of storage, which may not be enough if you intend to include lots of photos and videos. And a free Wix site won’t allow you to accept payments online.

Add a premium plan, and those issues go away. Now you can use your own custom domain name, get rid of the ads, increase your storage, and access better Wix support options. On top of those items, Wix premium plans offer these additional tiered benefits:

• Combo: The least expensive plan will cost you $13 per month and bumps your storage capacity to 3 GB.
• Unlimited: At $17 per month, this plan offers 10 GB storage and gives you access to a visitor analytics app. You’ll also receive $300 in vouchers for online advertising on Google Ads, Bing, and Local Listings and have access to an app that helps drive traffic to your website.
• Pro: For $22 per month, this plan bumps your storage to 20 GB, adds an event calendar, and lets you use Wix’s logo tool to create a professional logo you can use on your site and elsewhere.
• VIP: Your $39 monthly payment gives you priority access to a special customer service hotline and in the online help forum.

If you want to accept online payments and see sales analytics, choose one of Wix’s tiered business plans.

• Business Basics: For $23 per month, this plan includes 20 GB storage, no ads, sales analytics, online payments, advertising vouchers, and visitor analytics.
• Business Unlimited: Bump storage to 35 GB for $27 per month, gain access to the professional logo maker, and access handy tools like a subscription function, automated sales tax, and more.
• Business VIP: At $49 per month, this plan adds priority support online and by phone.
• Enterprise: Your $500 monthly payment gets you all of the above, plus additional security as well as professional development support and consultation. Request a call from Wix to discuss the details before choosing this plan.

If you decide one of the premium plans is worth its price, be sure to look online for Wix coupon codes that can knock a few bucks off your final cost. You can also save significantly by paying annually or for two or three years at a time. Note: At time of writing, Wix was offering a three-day sale that cut all prices in half.

The Benefits Of Wix

Wix templates may be free to use, but they don’t look cheap. On the contrary, even a basic free Wix plan will give you a fresh and functional website that you can be proud of. And it’s so easy to use that you can start building your site and launch it on the same day.

• No cost for a basic website
• No expertise or experience needed to build an attractive, functional, customized website
• An array of features and functions available for those who want to pay for them
• Can be used on Mac or Windows platforms
• Sites automatically adapt for optimum viewing on computer screens and mobile devices

The Drawbacks Of Wix

While Wix offers a satisfying array of customizable templates, if you’re looking for something absolutely unique, you won’t find it here. Any other business, even a competitor, could design a site that resembles your own.  And if your main concern is cost, you may find that the free and lowest-cost options don’t satisfy you.

• Phone support is prioritized only for the top-tier plans
• Creating and editing currently not possible on mobile devices
• Free plans incorporate Wix advertising and include only limited storage
• Functions such as analytics, online sales, and calendars are available only with subscription plans

Who Should Use Wix?

It’s hard not to like Wix. It’s easy to use, affordable, and fast. Anyone looking to establish or burnish their online presence will find what they need at Wix.com. Freelancers and independent contractors, bloggers, nonprofits, activists, vendors, and everyone in between can build a basic website and go live today — even if they know nothing about website design.

Bottom line: Wix is a great starting point for anyone who needs a decent website fast, but doesn’t have the expertise or the budget to build a truly customized site. Wix can deliver quickly, with very little effort on your part and at no or relatively low cost.

How To Get Started With Wix

Wix makes it easy to dive into website creation. Simply visit Wix.com and sign up for a free account. All you need is an email address, though you will need to respond to a confirmation email to establish your account. You won’t even be asked to enter any payment information unless you decide to sign up for a premium plan.

Once you’re on the site, check out the help center for some useful tips and information. You can view others’ Wix sites to gain inspiration, read tutorials, or even watch some videos that will help you get started.

All you need is your own vision of your ideal online presence and purpose. Wix will take care of the rest.

Our Wix review tells a fuller story if you’re interested in learning more.