There are three essential qualities that every website we create at Square 205 must have: compelling aesthetics, user-friendliness, and the ability to drive real results. For many of our projects, particularly smaller, visually rich websites, Elementor has become our go-to page builder. It’s fast, intuitive, and highly customizable, making it a favorite for our team and clients.
We met with one of our developers, Tyler Tamplin, to discuss where Elementor excels and when it’s the best choice for a project.
When Elementor Shines
Elementor is a drag-and-drop website builder for WordPress that’s both user and developer-friendly. From its pre-built templates and blocks to its customization features and responsive design, it’s a great option for anyone looking to create a professional and easy-to-update website without breaking the bank.
It’s a particularly great fit for visually driven, low-data websites. According to Tyler, “It’s best suited for projects on the smaller end that aren’t bogged down with large amounts of content, complex databases, or a very unique custom design.”
Think marketing sites, restaurant pages, event spaces, or other small business websites where aesthetics and ease of use are more important than advanced data structures. Elementor makes it easy to build these sites quickly and beautifully without sacrificing usability.
For larger projects, we offer custom-designed WordPress websites. You can learn more about those here.
That’s not to say Elementor can’t handle bigger projects, but there are trade-offs. “It’s not great with larger, data-rich sites,” Tyler notes. “Elementor comes with many built-in code file libraries, which can weigh down site performance when you add too much content or too many custom features.”
What Developers Love About Elementor
One of the biggest advantages of Elementor is its intuitive interface and workflow. Tyler describes it as a “very intuitive visual editor” that allows developers and designers to move quickly and efficiently. The drag-and-drop UI is especially helpful for getting client feedback in real-time, with changes being reflected instantly.
From a development standpoint, Elementor is also extremely customizable. While it offers a wide array of pre-built widgets and design options, Tyler prefers to write his own CSS styles in a central stylesheet and apply class names within Elementor. “They behave like a charm,” he says.
This combination of visual design and developer control gives our team the best of both worlds: rapid prototyping for clients and tight control over the final look and functionality of the site.
How Elementor Stacks Up on Speed, SEO, and Code Quality
One of the most common concerns developers have about page builders is performance, and Elementor is no exception.
“Speed can be an issue due to the number of built-in code libraries used to support its flexible interface,” Tyler admits, “but Elementor is getting better at allowing users to block unused assets, which helps.”
From an SEO perspective, Elementor integrates seamlessly with popular plugins like Rank Math and Yoast, allowing for easy optimization of titles, meta descriptions, and schema directly within the editor. This makes it a strong choice for small businesses or marketing teams who want visibility in search without needing to dig into the backend.
When it comes to code quality, there’s room for improvement. “It’s quantity over quality in terms of CSS classes and HTML,” Tyler says. However, he acknowledges that this is somewhat inevitable, given the near-endless layout and functionality combinations that Elementor supports. For many, the convenience outweighs those drawbacks.
Simplifying Client Updates
One of the biggest benefits of Elementor is that it simplifies the client hand-off process. Once a site is built, it’s incredibly easy for clients to make routine updates. Think editing text, swapping out images, or updating links.
“I’ve hardly ever received a request to make simple updates after a client has been given an Elementor usage rundown,” says Tyler. That level of autonomy saves time for both our team and our clients. It’s especially valuable for businesses that frequently update menus, blog posts, or event info.
The ease of use is what makes Elementor such a powerful long-term solution for our clients. We aren’t in the business of building sites that only look good on launch day. Instead, we create and deliver sites designed to stay fresh, relevant, and functional over time.
Real-World Examples: Venu and Blue Mesa Grill
Two recent web design and development projects, Venu and Blue Mesa Grill, showcase how we use Elementor in different ways.
Venu.live is a great example of building a custom design from scratch. The site’s clean layout, striking typography, and seamless interactivity were all built using Elementor. “It really shows how powerful Elementor can be in crafting unique visual experiences,” Tyler explains.
Blue Mesa Grill, on the other hand, demonstrates Elementor’s ability to replicate and elevate an existing design. The original site was built on a different platform, but we were able to recreate its look and feel in Elementor, incorporating added responsiveness and improved user navigation.
In both cases, the final product is fast, functional, and easy for the client to manage, which is exactly what we strive for.
Is Elementor Right for Your Project?
Elementor isn’t the perfect tool for every situation. For massive websites with complex data needs or very strict performance requirements, a more lightweight, custom-coded solution may be the better route. But if your project prioritizes web design, usability, and ease of content updates, Elementor might be exactly what you need.
From our perspective, it’s a powerful tool in the hands of the right developer. As Tyler puts it, “With a smart build approach, Elementor can be both beautiful and efficient. And it makes life easier for our clients, too.”
If you’re considering a website redesign or new build and want something that looks great, loads fast, and puts you in control, reach out to Square 205. We’ll show you what our team and Elementor can do for your business.
