Why this matters
Site builders appeal because they remove complexity. You log in, drag blocks around, publish, done.
The trade-off is control. When you outgrow the platform, changing direction can become expensive and slow.
What people mean by the trap
The trap is not the platform existing. It is the gap between what you think you own and what you can take with you.
- You own the domain, but not the system that powers the site.
- You can edit pages, but you cannot control how pages are built.
- You can add features, but only within the platform’s limits.
- You can leave, but you cannot export a clean site.
Hidden costs that show up later
Ownership and portability
- Export is partial or messy, and you lose structure.
- Content comes out as blocks with platform-specific markup.
- URL control is limited, and redirects are hard to manage.
- You lose features when you leave because they are platform-only.
Performance limits
- Platforms ship global scripts you cannot remove.
- Page weight is harder to control because the builder output is fixed.
- Third-party scripts stack up because it is easy to add them and hard to audit them.
- Layout shift increases because widgets and banners load late.
Accessibility limits
- Accessibility depends on the platform’s components, not your intent.
- If a core component is flawed, you may not be able to fix it.
- Custom patterns become difficult, so teams accept broken journeys.
- Editors can be encouraged to publish inconsistent headings and semantics.
SEO limits
- You have limited control over technical aspects such as structured data and advanced metadata.
- Redirect management is limited, which creates future risk during migrations.
- Platform constraints lead to thin pages and duplicated patterns.
Checks to run before you commit
Export and exit
- Ask what export format looks like. HTML, JSON, CSV, or a proprietary format.
- Check whether you can export all pages, blogs, and media in one usable form.
- Check whether you can keep the same URLs after a move.
- Check whether you can manage a full redirect map.
Performance control
- Check how much script and style the platform loads by default.
- Check whether you can control image formats and responsive sizes.
- Check whether you can remove features that add weight, such as animations, sliders, and embedded widgets.
Accessibility control
- Test keyboard navigation on a template and on a form.
- Test at 200% zoom and on mobile.
- Test any complex component you rely on, menus, modals, tabs, and forms.
SEO control
- Check control over titles and descriptions per page.
- Check control over canonical URLs and robots meta.
- Check sitemap control and indexing rules.
- Check support for structured data where it matters.
How to use a builder without getting trapped
If you need speed of launch, you can still reduce risk with basic rules.
- Keep the content model simple. Pages, posts, and reusable sections.
- Avoid heavy add-ons and unnecessary widgets.
- Keep URLs clean and stable from day one.
- Keep a redirect map document, even if you never use it.
- Own your domain and keep DNS access.
When to move off a builder
- Your site speed is limiting marketing results.
- Accessibility blockers affect enquiry, donate, or checkout journeys.
- Editing constraints block better content and better structure.
- Features you need are available only through awkward add-ons.
- You need more control over SEO, tracking, and structured data.
Next step
If you suspect you are outgrowing a builder, start with an audit focused on your top journeys and your heaviest pages. You get a clear recommendation on whether to improve in-place or plan a migration with minimal SEO risk.