Smart alternative to coding a theme: Launch faster with WPBakery and a reliable theme
You don’t need to be a coding expert to build a great WordPress website. Most people just want a site that looks good and is easy to manage.
In this article, you’ll find out how you can do exactly that – using WPBakery to design and run your site quickly and without any coding headaches.
Start Here: Are You Trying to Build a Site – or Build a Theme?
Before you get started, ask yourself what you really want: Do you want to create a custom WordPress theme from the ground up, or do you just need a site that’s easy to customize and manage?
Knowing your true goal will help you avoid getting stuck in complicated theme development when all you really want is a site you can run yourself.
What “Creating a Theme” Actually Means
Creating a WordPress theme is pretty technical – it’s something developers do, working with lots of code, templates, and build tools.
But if you just want a website that looks good and works well, you really don’t need to go that far. This level of complexity is often unnecessary for those simply needing a website.
The Faster Path for Non‑Coders: Choose a Theme + Use WPBakery
If you’re not a coder, there’s an easier way: choose a reliable WordPress theme and add WPBakery. This combo lets you customize your site’s look and layout visually – no coding needed.
With WPBakery, you can build landing pages, tweak designs, and manage your whole site quickly and easily.
The Standard Developer Route
Let’s take a quick look at what developers usually do: building a WordPress theme from scratch means dealing with lots of files, coding, and complex tools.
While this gives you full control, it’s often way more than most people need if you just want a great-looking, easy-to-manage website.
Theme Files, Template Hierarchy, and Build Tools – In Plain English
Theme files and template hierarchy control how your WordPress site looks and works, while build tools help with technical tasks like shrinking code. Developers need to know all this, but if you’re just building a site with WPBakery, you can skip these complexities and focus on designing your pages visually.
Why This Is Overkill for Most Small Businesses and Solo Creators
Building your own theme takes a ton of time, costs a lot, and you’ll still need to keep maintaining it. That’s why, for most small businesses and solo creators, using WPBakery with a good theme ends up being the simpler and more budget-friendly option.
The Visual Route: Create a Custom‑Looking Site with WPBakery
If you want a website that truly matches your brand but don’t want to mess with code, WPBakery is a great choice. Its drag-and-drop tools let you easily design pages, build landing pages, or showcase products – all visually and without hassle.
Why Pros Bundle WPBakery in Themes
A lot of professional WordPress themes come with WPBakery built in because developers know it makes life easier for their clients. With WPBakery, even people with no coding experience can easily tweak and update their websites. You don’t have to hire a developer every time you want to make a change – WPBakery’s visual builder puts customization right at your fingertips.
Drag‑and‑Drop Layouts You Can Actually Control
If you’re frustrated by theme templates that box you in, WPBakery’s drag-and-drop builder gives you real control. You can easily move things around, try different layouts, and make each page look exactly the way you want – whether you’re editing in the front end or back end.
Real Design Freedom vs. Rigid Theme Templates
With WPBakery, you’re not stuck with a one-size-fits-all template. You can personalize every detail of your site to match your vision, so your website truly feels like your own.
It’s Not Just the Front End: Admin Editing Experience Matters
A great website isn’t just about what your visitors see – it’s also about how easy it is for you and your team to manage and update.
WPBakery puts a strong focus on the admin experience, making it possible for anyone – even those without technical expertise – to keep content fresh and make changes with confidence.
This focus on usability saves time, reduces frustration, and helps ensure your website stays up-to-date and on brand.
Non‑Technical Editing Without Breaking the Layout
WPBakery is designed with non-coders in mind. Its intuitive interface and built-in “guardrails” help you edit content safely, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally messing up your site’s layout.
This makes it much easier to keep a consistent look and feel across all your pages – while also reducing support requests and the need for constant fixes.
Front‑End and Back‑End Editors, User Roles, and Safe Handover
With WPBakery, you get both front-end and back-end editing options, so you can work where you’re most comfortable.
Plus, you can assign user roles and permissions, making it easy (and safe) to hand off website management to other team members or clients.
These features help streamline your workflow and make responsibilities clear, so everyone can pitch in without risking your site’s design.
Optional: Use the Gutenberg Editor Element for Long-Form Writing
If you have pages with lots of content, you can use the Gutenberg editor inside WPBakery. This lets you enjoy the best of both worlds: easy layout design with WPBakery, and smooth content writing with Gutenberg blocks (“canvas within a canvas”). It keeps your layout and written content separate, so everything stays organized and manageable.
Future‑Proofing: Your Website Should Evolve After Launch
One of the biggest concerns for non-coders is whether their initial website setup will hold them back later.
The nice part is, with WPBakery your site can grow right along with you. You can add new sections, switch up templates, or make design changes whenever you want – without having to start from scratch.
This flexibility is key for keeping your website fresh and growing alongside your business.
Extend Pages with New Sections and Templates – No Rebuild Required
WPBakery makes it easy to expand your site. Want to try a new layout or section? Just duplicate existing pages, rows, or sections or save your favorite designs as templates so you can reuse them anywhere. This speeds up updates and lets you experiment without starting from scratch.
When to Call a Developer (And Still Keep Your Editing Flow)
Most day-to-day updates can be handled with WPBakery, but if you want custom features or advanced integrations, you can always bring in a developer. The best part: WPBakery stays as your editing layer, so you keep full control over content and layout, even if someone else customizes the functionality.
Keep the Site Fast: Lightweight Theme, Optimized Images, Fewer Plugins
Worried about speed? It’s usually bloated themes and too many plugins – not the page builder – that slow things down. Stick to a lightweight theme, optimize your images, and use only the plugins you truly need, and you’ll keep your site running smoothly.
The Business Case: Faster Launches, Lower Costs, More Control
WPBakery isn’t just about making things easy – it’s also a smart move for your business. You can launch your site faster, save money on development, and keep control over updates and changes.
Instead of waiting for a developer every time you want to tweak something, you can handle updates yourself and focus on growing your business.
Launch on a Smaller Budget – and a Shorter Timeline
With WPBakery, you don’t need a big budget or a long timeline to get your site online. By reducing your dependence on developers and making the design process more efficient, you can get your site up and running quickly, even if funds are tight.
Own Your Updates: No Retainers for Simple Changes
One of the biggest advantages of WPBakery is the independence it offers. Small teams can manage website updates without relying on web developers.
Once your site is live, you shouldn’t have to pay a developer for every little update. WPBakery lets you take charge of your edits and updates, saving you both time and money.
Lifetime License and Wide Adoption = Stability
Investing in WPBakery provides long-term stability and peace of mind. The availability of a lifetime license, combined with its wide adoption by over 5,800,000 websites worldwide, demonstrates its reliability and value. With millions of websites using it, you can trust that it will continue to be updated and improved for the long haul.
Quick‑Start: Build a Custom‑Looking Site Without Coding
As you could see, building a custom-looking website without delving into code is achievable with the right tools and approach.
WPBakery makes it simple to build a professional-looking website when you use it with a solid WordPress theme. Instead of getting stuck in the hassle of custom theme development, you can launch a great-looking site quickly-without writing a single line of code.
Pick a Reliable, Compatible Theme
Choosing a solid, lightweight theme that works well with WPBakery is the foundation for a fast, flexible site. Many themes are built to work seamlessly with page builders, so you’ll have plenty of options.
Install WPBakery and Set Your Brand Basics
Once you’ve chosen your theme, install WPBakery and set up your brand basics – like colors, fonts, and spacing. This gives your site a consistent look right from the start. WPBakery makes it easy to personalize things like headers and footers, so your brand shines through on every page.
Build Core Pages with Reusable Sections
Speed up your site-building process by creating reusable sections for key parts of your site – like hero areas, feature lists, testimonials, and calls-to-action. Save these as templates and use them across multiple pages to keep your design consistent and professional.
Add Long‑Form Content with the Gutenberg Editor Element
If you need to include long articles or detailed content, drop the Gutenberg editor element into your WPBakery layout. This lets you enjoy the flexibility of blocks for writing, while still using WPBakery for your layout and design.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Understanding these questions is crucial to know the potential of using a page builder in the right way.
Can I “Create a Theme” with WPBakery?
WPBakery is a page builder, not a full theme builder. You won’t be coding a theme from scratch, but you can create custom-designed pages within your theme that look and feel like a custom website – no coding required.
Will a Builder Slow Down My Site?
Many people worry that using a page builder will make their site slow. In reality, site speed is mostly affected by your theme, image optimization, number of plugins, and your hosting – not the builder itself. Choose a lean theme and keep things tidy for the best performance.
If I Change Themes Later, Do I Lose My Content?
No need to panic if you want to switch themes. Your WPBakery-built content will still be there – you might just need to adjust some styling to fit the new design, but your main content won’t disappear.
Do I Still Need a Developer?
For regular updates or adding new pages, you won’t need a developer. If you want advanced features or special integrations, it’s worth getting some expert help – but the great thing is you’ll still be in control of your site’s content and layout.
Conclusion: Think Bigger Than “Front End Looks”
When choosing how to build your WordPress website, it’s important to think beyond just how it looks on the front end. Consider how easy it will be to manage and grow your site over time.
Page builders are a practical solution for most people – they let you design visually, use drag-and-drop tools, and take advantage of pre-designed elements like templates, all without needing to dive into complex code.
With built-in features like responsive design, SEO optimization, and plugin integration, page builders like WPBakery help you launch and update your site quickly and efficiently.
While coding a theme from scratch gives you total control, it’s much more demanding and isn’t necessary unless you have advanced technical skills.
For most users, a page builder strikes the right balance between flexibility, ease of use, and long-term manageability.