I Swore I’d Never Use a Page Builder Again
WordPress Tools & Tips
June 11, 2025
Wednesday, 11th June 2025 | Written by: T.S. (Recovering Divi User)
Let me tell you about the time I nearly gave up on websites forever.
It started, like most traumatic tech stories, with a page builder.
Divi. Elementor. WPBakery. Pick your poison.
I’d spend hours dragging and dropping blocks that didn’t behave, padding that ghosted me, and headers that vanished like my will to live. I’d open my site and scream, “Why does this look like a 2008 MySpace profile?!”
But then... I found a theme. The theme.
Minimal. Fast. Clean. Like the IKEA of the WordPress world, but without the missing screws.
Let me tell you about the time I nearly gave up on websites forever.
It started, like most traumatic tech stories, with a page builder.
Divi. Elementor. WPBakery. Pick your poison.
I’d spend hours dragging and dropping blocks that didn’t behave, padding that ghosted me, and headers that vanished like my will to live. I’d open my site and scream, “Why does this look like a 2008 MySpace profile?!”
But then... I found a theme. The theme.
Minimal. Fast. Clean. Like the IKEA of the WordPress world, but without the missing screws.
The DIY Website Breakdown (And Breakthrough)
Stage 1: Denial
“This free theme will be fine. I just need a simple site.”
Stage 2: Anger
“Why is everything in Comic Sans? Why can’t I change the footer? WHY IS THERE A SLIDER?!”
Stage 3: Bargaining
“Okay, I’ll buy the pro version if it just lets me remove that random shopping cart icon.”
Stage 4: Depression
googles ‘how to start a Wix site’
Stage 5: Acceptance (and Sniffing)
- Load the site
- Enter Wordpress Site
Click Search - Boom. Theme name spotted.
The Theme That Saved My Sanity
Turns out, the theme I fell in love with was GeneratePress. Lightweight. Customisable. Actually makes me look like I know what I’m doing.
Also found a few others during my sniff relapse:
Neve – For speed freaks and performance junkies
Blocksy – For those who pretend to code but actually just copy-paste
Hestia – For portfolio peacocks who want to show off
Why Page Builders Broke Me (and Might Break You Too)
Let’s be honest:
Page builders are like frozen pizzas. Great at 2AM, but do you really want to serve it to guests?
Modern themes and Gutenberg blocks? That’s a home-cooked meal. Faster load times. Less bloat. More SEO juice than a green smoothie.
And with tools like our Whats Hosting Theme Detector, you’ll never have to go back to builder purgatory again.
Bonus: Are You a Theme Sniffer or a Theme Hoarder?
Signs you might be both:
You’ve bought 7 premium themes and used 1
You inspect your competitors’ sites more than your own
You refer to ThemeForest like it’s a second home
Don’t worry. No shame here. We’re in this together.
T.S., signing off (with a lightweight theme and a lighter heart)Whats Hosting Theme Detector
Want to know what theme that site is using?
Our is free, fast, and only mildly addictive.
The DIY Website Breakdown (And Breakthrough)
Stage 1: Denial
“This free theme will be fine. I just need a simple site.”
Stage 2: Anger
“Why is everything in Comic Sans? Why can’t I change the footer? WHY IS THERE A SLIDER?!”
Stage 3: Bargaining
“Okay, I’ll buy the pro version if it just lets me remove that random shopping cart icon.”
Stage 4: Depression
googles ‘how to start a Wix site’
Stage 5: Acceptance (and Sniffing)
- Load the site
- Enter Wordpress Site
Click Search - Boom. Theme name spotted.
The Theme That Saved My Sanity
Turns out, the theme I fell in love with was GeneratePress. Lightweight. Customisable. Actually makes me look like I know what I’m doing.
Also found a few others during my sniff relapse:
Neve – For speed freaks and performance junkies
Blocksy – For those who pretend to code but actually just copy-paste
Hestia – For portfolio peacocks who want to show off
Why Page Builders Broke Me (and Might Break You Too)
Let’s be honest:
Page builders are like frozen pizzas. Great at 2AM, but do you really want to serve it to guests?
Modern themes and Gutenberg blocks? That’s a home-cooked meal. Faster load times. Less bloat. More SEO juice than a green smoothie and with tools like our Whats Hosting Theme Detector, you’ll never have to go back to builder purgatory again.
Bonus: Are You a Theme Sniffer or a Theme Hoarder?
Signs you might be both:
You’ve bought 7 premium themes and used 1
You inspect your competitors’ sites more than your own
You refer to ThemeForest like it’s a second home
Don’t worry. No shame here. We’re in this together.
T.S., signing off (with a lightweight theme and a lighter heart)
Whats Hosting Theme Detector
Want to know what theme that site is using?
Our is free, fast, and only mildly addictive.
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