Wix Vs. Strikingly Vs. BoldGrid: Which Is Best For Mobile Sites?

Ever since Google made the big change to their search results mid-2015, having a mobile site has become crucial to every business.

Before the change, which was named "Mobilegeddon" online, it was already known that having a mobile site was important. The number of mobile searches grows every day and people use their phones more often than their PCs to search for businesses and make purchase decisions online.

Google took it a step further and gave everyone a heads-up in 2015 by showing mobile users only mobile-friendly websites in search results.

That means that even if you have a great website with strong SEO and strong positioning in Google search results, you wouldn't appear at all if someone searched for your business and services on their mobile phone. That's a ton of lost traffic!

That is why it is not only important but crucial for every business to have a mobile-friendly or responsive website.

In this article, we'll go over three different website builder options: Wix, Strikingly, and BoldGrid, and the benefits of each one in this "mobile age."

Templates

Each site builder offers its own unique set of templates, and they are all different in the features they include and their design style.

Before you start looking at which design you connect to most in terms of visuals, it is important to look at how mobile-friendly or responsive the templates are.

When it comes to website builders, you need to understand the difference between mobile-friendly and responsive.

In most cases, when a site builder states that a template is mobile-friendly, it means that a different version of your site is created to fit mobile screens. This is called a "mobile site", and most website builders automatically update your mobile site when you make changes to the main site. It still requires two websites for you to monitor and optimize, which is something to consider.

A responsive website is built in a way that allows anyone with any screen size to view your website and the content will move and adapt to look its best. This means that you only work on one site and it will automatically adjust to all devices and screens. One is not necessarily better than the other - it is a matter of preference.

A responsive site requires less work because you can work only on one website, but a separate mobile site lets you control how your mobile viewers see your content without having to change the site on PCs.

Wix

Wix has great templates when it comes to designs and flexibility, and they are all mobile-friendly. A mobile site is created automatically when you start working on your new website, and you can edit it by changing the editor at the top of the screen.

If you choose to go with Wix website builder due to their excellent designs and high flexibility within their site builder, it is important to remember that you are dealing with two websites: your main site and your mobile site. Make sure to check how your website looks on different screens when you publish so that you can discover problems and edit them before your visitors see them.

Strikingly

Strikingly doesn't offer many templates and the designs look professional but they aren't as exciting as Wix. That being said, their templates are responsive and are very straightforward in their layout and design, which means that if you're looking to create a website that works on all devices with minimum effort on your part, this could be an excellent choice for you.

BoldGrid

BoldGrid is a WSYIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) site builder that is built on the WordPress platform, so the templates you can choose from are actually all of the available WordPress templates.

There are thousands of different kinds, including those that are responsive, mobile-friendly, and neither. It is very important to decide which type of template you want to use and make sure that the template you're buying and installing is actually optimized for mobile devices.

Remember that some templates are free while others are not, and usually the paid ones have better features, design, and support so if you're new to building websites, it may be a good idea to dig into your wallet and go for a paid template.

Social Media Features

Just because your visitors are accessing your website on their mobile devices doesn't mean they won't share or like your content.

In fact, people use their mobile phones more often than their PCs or laptops to access their social profiles. That is why it is important to add social features and test them out on different devices to see how they interact with the user's existing social apps.

Wix

Wix has a few default social features that you can add from the main "Add" menu. This includes basic things like social buttons that link to your different profiles and like buttons. Different templates may include different social features, but you can find everything you need in the Wix App Store. You'll find loads of different apps that you can add, some for free and others for a premium subscription, including social feeds, share buttons, Facebook comments, and more.

When editing your regular site, the social features that you add will automatically be updated in your mobile site. It is still important to check your site in the mobile editor to make sure that everything is positioned properly, and to check it on a mobile device.

Strikingly

Strikingly has fewer social features available than other site builders, but because their templates are responsive, they all work and usually look great regardless of the screen size or device in question. The available features include adding your social feeds, share and like buttons, and customizing which image appears when someone shares your site on Facebook.

BoldGrid

BoldGrid gives you access to all of the plugins in WordPress, but you need to know what you're looking for. If you choose to install social plugins, you have to make sure that they are mobile-friendly and work well with the template that you chose. The best option is to go with a paid template that already has all of the social features you want. This means that when you install it, it will automatically install all of the relevant plugins which you can be sure are compatible with the template.

Mobile Features

Besides simply being responsive or mobile friendly, there are other mobile features you can add, depending on the website builder you choose.

Wix

In the Wix app store, you can find a number of great apps for your mobile users, like a dedicated toll-free number so that your customers can call you directly from your website for free.

Strikingly

Strikingly has premium features called "Mobile Actions", which allow you to add mobile-specific actions to your site, like calling, finding directions, chatting, etc.

BoldGrid

There are a number of interesting mobile plugins you can use to enrich your website. For example, you can install a plugin that allows you to add a call-button that users can click/tap in order to call your business if they have questions or need assistance.

Whichever site builder and template you choose, remember that it is always of the utmost importance to test out your site on different screens and to make sure that you appear in search results in mobile phones.