YOUR WEBSITE. YOUR WORKFLOW. · THE NOVATIONLAB GUIDE
Moving on from Wix?
Do you need
another builder?
Looking for a Wix alternative, running into limits with Hostinger Website Builder or spending too much time maintaining WordPress plugins? You may not need a new editor. You may need a better way to develop and maintain your own website.
01 / THE REAL PROBLEM
Your website needs a change.
It should not take over your day.
A new service, another language, a better product page: your website should grow with your business. If small changes keep getting stuck on templates, extensions or missing knowledge, it is worth reviewing the whole setup.
Search for a Wix alternative and you will quickly find another website builder: Jimdo, Squarespace or Hostinger Website Builder. One of them may be right for you. Switching alone does not answer how your team will work with the website afterwards.
A reliable workflow still needs to be designed.
Wix and Hostinger offer AI features too. Our approach is therefore about more than using AI: it combines your own website files with a clear structure, traceable changes and a practical handover to your team.
02 / WORDPRESS IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION
A WordPress alternative?
When a simpler setup fits.
We work with WordPress users too. Especially when a straightforward company website has become a maintenance burden: too many plugins, unclear responsibilities or changes that nobody on the team feels comfortable making.
WordPress is an open-source content management system, not a closed website builder. It already supports control over your files, a choice of hosting and custom development. The question is therefore which level of complexity your website actually needs, rather than whether WordPress is inherently good or bad.
Consider a leaner setup
Company pages, services, case studies, editorial articles and catalogues without complex transactions can be a good fit for a statically generated website.
Review existing systems carefully
An established WooCommerce shop, member accounts, bookings or complex editorial permissions call for a closer look. Improving the current system may be the better choice.
For Hostinger Website Builder, we also assess the specific product. Changing how a website is built does not automatically mean moving its domain, email or hosting.
03 / HOW IT WORKS UNDER THE SURFACE
AI assists with changes.
Architecture keeps them coherent.
A website without a builder should not be a collection of unchecked AI outputs. For suitable projects, we use a structured, statically generated website, for example with Astro. Pages are prepared as HTML before publication. Interactive features are added where they serve a purpose.
Separate content from presentation
Text, images and metadata have defined fields. Shared components control the layout, so a new product page does not need to be designed from scratch.
Make changes traceable
Git version control records what changed. A preview allows review before approval, while previous versions remain traceable.
Check before publishing
Build and content checks help identify missing required fields, broken references and technical issues. People also review language, appearance and functionality.
Give search engines a clear structure
Descriptive page titles, canonical URLs, language references and appropriate structured data belong in the setup. They help explain the content but cannot guarantee rankings or AI citations.
For your team, this means: describe a change or edit content, view the preview, check the result and approve publication. We adapt the workflow to your experience and practise it with you. It is not necessarily a drag-and-drop editor, and technical support may still be useful.
04 / OUR OWN PROJECTS. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.
Real organisations.
Two different challenges.
Ocean Material and Moana Earth are projects from our own business environment. They show how different requirements can be translated into a clear technical structure.
OCEAN MATERIAL / INTERNATIONAL COMPANY WEBSITE
A sophisticated material platform.
A website managed in-house.
Ocean Material connects international supply chains for marine and circular materials with material, technology and product development. Its website needs to make this expertise accessible, from a material catalogue to applications and multilingual technical content.
Founder Toni Kienberger built and developed the website himself with AI assistance. That practical experience informs NovationLab’s approach: subject expertise stays within the company, supported by a prepared technical setup.
Technical foundation: Astro, separate content files, reusable page components, language references and version-controlled releases. Content and URL checks support ongoing maintenance. The setup provides a foundation for working on content with the team and developing the site through a controlled process.
The transferable lesson: a complex offering does not need to be squeezed into a rigid page template. Clear content architecture combines individual presentation with repeatable workflows.
Explore Ocean Material ↗
MOANA EARTH / INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION
More room for stories.
A shared technical foundation.
Moana Earth is an independent English-language publication about oceans, materials and planetary connections. Its central task is editorial: accessible stories, visible sources and a consistent reading experience.
Technical foundation: Astro with structured article collections. Titles, descriptions, publication dates, categories and other fields are validated against a content schema. Shared layouts connect articles, metadata and navigation; a dedicated SEO title can differ from the editorial headline.
The transferable lesson: a publication does not need new technical work for every article. The structure supports the editorial team. Checking sources, interpreting evidence and deciding what to publish remain human responsibilities.
Explore Moana Earth ↗05 / COSTS AND MIGRATION
Less overhead.
No promise of zero costs.
For suitable websites, builder subscriptions or some paid CMS extensions may no longer be needed. Setup, domain, hosting, any AI access, additional services and ongoing maintenance still need to be considered together. A static website is not automatically cheaper: scope and operation determine the total.
Before quoting, we review your existing website, required features, content, languages and preferred workflow. We then agree a manageable project with a defined scope, price and outcome.
Existing search URLs, your domain and email belong in the migration plan.
We inventory existing pages and important search traffic, map target URLs and plan any permanent redirects. Titles, internal links, the sitemap and language references are also reviewed. After publication, we check the accessible pages; indexing and search performance need ongoing observation. Existing rankings cannot be guaranteed.
Domains, web hosting and email are separate services. We assess what can stay in place. A website change is no reason to disrupt email accounts that already work.
06 / FAQ
Your questions.
Clear answers.
What is a good Wix alternative for a small business?
It depends on the features you need. A builder can work well if you want a ready-made editor with integrated services. If you want a tailored company website with your own files and a practised maintenance workflow, an AI-assisted, statically generated website is worth considering.
Can a static website replace my WordPress website?
For many information-focused websites, yes. Shops, logins, bookings, search and special integrations need separate assessment. We first check which functions must be preserved and whether switching makes sense at all.
Can our team maintain the website without coding skills?
A prepared setup with AI assistance can support agreed content changes. It includes guidance, a preview and approval. New functionality or major structural changes may still need technical support.
Will this automatically make the website visible in Google or AI answers?
No. Accessible HTML, a clear page structure and useful content provide a technical foundation. Google decides what to index and display; mentions by other AI services cannot be guaranteed either.
What should we prepare for an initial conversation?
Send us your current website, its essential features and two or three changes that take too much time today. It also helps to know who on the team will maintain it in future.
START WITH ONE REAL TASK
Your next website should give you
more room to work.
Show us your website and the task that keeps getting in your way. We will assess whether a migration, a simpler workflow or an improvement to your existing system makes sense.
Discuss your website