By
Emily Krings
Back in the Internet “Stone Age” of the late 1990s and early 2000s, most people could only build websites with HTML and CSS code.
Today, it’s still possible to build your own websites and webpages from scratch using code, but it’s a little like chopping all of your vegetables by hand instead of using a food processor – you can accomplish the same thing much faster using modern technology.
In this article, we will talk about what this modern website technology – the WYSIWYG web builder – can do for your business. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
- WYSIWYG Meaning
- Common Features of a WYSIWYG Web Builder
- Why WYSIWYG Web Building?
- WYSIWYG Video Website Builder
- How to Get Started with a WYSIWYG Builder
- Build Your Video Website With Maestro
WYSIWYG Meaning
WYSIWYG is an acronym that stands for “What You See Is What You Get.” In the context of web builders, this simply means that when you work on a webpage or a website, you can make changes to it with a user-friendly interface and see exactly how the end result will look while you’re designing it.
This sounds like a pretty simple concept – the functionality may even be easy to take for granted. But before the WYSIWYG editor was common, you had to build a webpage using code or clunky back-end editors and then load a preview of the page as it would appear on the front end to see what it looked like.
Even today, people may build pages with code in plenty of cases. Here’s a basic example of code used for embedding a video, appearing in the back-end for a modern WordPress page using HTML code blocks.
Notice that you can’t see what the final page actually looks like here – you can only see the code used to build the page. This is a perfect example of a non-WYSIWYG editor.
By comparison, below is an example of a WYSIWYG page builder.
Notice how you can click individual elements and make changes to them on the spot – and more importantly, you can see exactly how everything will look as you edit the content and design of your page!
The benefits of this are twofold:
- You don’t need to be able to understand or write code in order to build a nice-looking webpage
- You can save a lot of time switching back and forth between your page and your editor, streamlining the process of web design
We’ll go into more detail about what this specific page builder is in a bit, but first, let’s look at the typical features you can expect to see in a WYSIWYG editor.
Common Features of a WYSIWYG Web Builder
There are a few specific features that characterize a WYSIWYG web builder:
- The drag-and-drop interface. One telltale sign of a WYSIWYG editor is being able to drag and drop elements around on your page to place them.
- Pre-made templates. Most WYSIWYG builders streamline the process of building a layout for your page by providing templates.
- Responsive design. A modern WYSIWYG editor will be responsive, ensuring that the page looks good and works well on any device.
- Support for multimedia. A WYSIWYG builder should be able to embed all kinds of multimedia elements, including images, audio, and video.
- In addition to these common features, depending on what you’re trying to do with your page, you may also utilize SEO functionality, e-commerce capabilities, and tech integrations with other popular platforms on your WYSIWYG page.
Why WYSIWYG Web Building?
So, we’ve looked at WYSIWYG builders and how they work, but the real question is, why should you use them?
Well, it ultimately depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. For the vast majority of users who want to build their own website, blog, e-commerce store, or education portal, a WYSIWYG builder gives them enough flexibility to do whatever they need to do.
In the event it’s not quite enough, you can still use the WYSIWYG page as a strong foundation for your site and then get it the rest of the way using a small amount of coding or web development work.
The reality is WYSIWYG is ubiquitous across all kinds of web properties and instrumental for anyone looking to build an online presence. The WYSIWYG page builder tool streamlines the process of getting up and running online!
WYSIWYG Video Website Builder
We’ve touched on many of the different use cases for a WYSIWYG builder, from blogs to websites.
The site builder example we showed earlier in this post was designed for video content hosted by brands and creators who want control over the content they share with their audiences. The tool is called Maestro, and here are a few reasons why you should consider a video website-building solution like Maestro:
- Branding: Unlike third-party platforms such as YouTube or Facebook, Maestro offers a lot of in-depth customization options to make your site feel entirely unique and cohesive to your brand
- Monetization: There are diverse monetization options on Maestro, including ads, subscriptions, tickets, donations, and more
- Content Management: On Maestro, you can host, manage, and distribute both live and on-demand content for your audience – and you get to decide what the content is and how you want to monetize it (You maintain full control over your videos)
- Cost Efficiency: All of the website hosting, video hosting, live streaming, monetization, analytics, and performance you need are packed into one affordable tool – you can even start for free (This reduces the need to buy a lot of other software or pay for expensive web development work)
- User-Friendly Interface: Once again, Maestro is built on a WYSIWYG web builder, so you can easily customize it to your liking without needing a lot of technical knowledge
With so much flexibility, accessibility, and control built into Maestro, you can easily create an impactful branded website for your video content!
How to Get Started with a WYSIWYG Builder
Creating your own video website is exciting for any content creator or brand. If you’re ready to build your site using a WYSIWYG builder, there are three steps to keep in mind:
1. Define Your Goals
Any plan starts with understanding your goals for the site, including what sort of purpose your video content and website will fulfill in your overall business. If you want a fully featured website, you may opt for WordPress or something more elaborate – but otherwise, it’s advantageous to go with a simple video website that’s easy to build and use.
Next, ask yourself: What audience will you target? Have you defined your content strategy yet? What kind of content will you post, and how do you intend to promote it? Some sites use SEO, while others get traffic from social media, email marketing, or paid ads.
These are all simple questions, but they can completely change how you approach the strategy and which tool will work best for you.
2. Find a Hosting Platform
Once you’ve defined your goals, you must look for a reliable WYSIWYG platform to host your website. There are many different types of platforms out there, catering to different use cases. Maestro is dedicated specifically to video hosting and video website creation.
Note that not all hosting platforms are created equal. Some are built for giant enterprises, while others are totally free but offer limited customization options. You really want to find something that fits your business well.
3. Create Your Video Website
When it’s time actually to build your own website, you’ll be glad you chose a tool with WYSIWYG functionality. That will make it easy to select a template, move things around, upload images, adjust titles and body copy, and ensure that the site reflects your brand identity.
Once the structure of your site is in place, you can finally upload your videos and any other content! Before sending traffic to the site, be sure to put it through its paces, testing how it feels on both desktop and mobile.
Your final step is to start getting visitors to your new website by promoting it on owned channels like social, email, blog, and so on. For more on building your website, click the article link on how to create your own video website.
Build Your Video Website With Maestro
Ultimately, if you’re interested in finding a WYSIWYG website builder for your business, you should definitely take a look at Maestro!
Maestro is a video hosting service first, but it also doubles as a WYSIWYG web builder tailored for video websites. Used by the likes of Apple, Billie Eilish, and Tom Segura, Maestro allows you to host your video content (both on-demand or live streamed) on a custom-branded website – all included in one easy-to-use tool.
Are you ready to publish and monetize your own high-quality videos on Maestro with a user-friendly WYSIWYG page builder tool? Sign up today to get started for free.
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