New Toy Alert Part 1: YCode

There are many things I am not good at. MANY! But I feel very grateful that my nerd brain seems to have an aptitude for a variety of CMS tools. On a daily basis it’s not uncommon for me to switch between Squarespace, WordPress, Wix and Shopify; with GoDaddy and Weebly making the occasional (unwelcome) guest appearance.

I find that most designers specialize in one tool. I love that for them and I certainly have tools I enjoy more than others. Sorry, Wix. But I think I’d be bored if I worked with the same CMS every day. I enjoy the challenge and I advocate that not every tool is right for every client. For example, WordPress is highly customizable (without code) and great for SEO but some clients don’t want to have to deal with updates or the added expense of support and Squarespace is the bomb but it’s not 100% customizable on mobile without loads of CSS. I guess I haven’t met the perfect one size fits all solution and I remain hopeful.

So why another CMS tool? Well, why not? Webflow has been on my to-do list forever but it seemed so complex that I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. (Spoiler Alert: I was wrong) Enter YCode…

YCode was not on my radar at all. Honestly, I’d never heard of it. When I did a Whatcms search it didn’t show up but I was able to track it down via code inspect. Of course, I immediately had to setup an account to see what it was like and OMG I’m smitten.

Pros:

• The backend is SO DIFFERENT from other CMS tools but felt surprising intuitive.

• There was a variety of pre-built blocks that are highly customizable to streamline the process.

• The transition to other screensizes is surprisingly good with less than normal adjustments required. Mostly font size.

• Pricing is competitive. Average $15-25 monthly if paid annually.

Cons:

• While the design tool was intuitive to me I question a client’s ability to maintain on their own. Definitely seems a bit more technical knowledge would be required.

• Some elements are a bit hard to find for example SEO.

Overall, I’m 2-days in and have designed 2 simple mockup sites to get to know the tool and I have to say I love it but… Stay Tuned for Part 2.