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In this ongoing series, we sit down with leaders in the different departments here at 51���� and talk about what they do, what they’re working on, and discuss upcoming new features.

In our latest episode of Let's Talk!, Jeremy (our VP of Product) and Court (our VP of User Experience) talk about the in-depth thought process that led to our complete rebuild of 51���� pages.��

This segment was filmed as part of our live launch event. to watch the full replay.

Here's what they cover:��

• What is the purpose behind 51���� Pages? (1:20)
  
• Asking the question: "What is going to make our customers more successful?" (2:10)
  
• What truly matters on a landing page (3:28)
  
• What the other page builders get wrong (4:24)
  
• Why we avoided the "drag-and-drop" style editor (6:44)
  
• Code vs. No Code (7:32)
  
• Use Case #1: Content-Forward (8:12)
  
• Use Case #2: Design-Forward (9:10)
  
• Use Case #3: Development with no compromises (9:19)
  
• What are we going to upgrade next? (10:52)

"What is the purpose behind a page?"

As we went back to the drawing board, we started with this central question.��

The purpose of a page doesn't revolve around any particular suite of features. Instead, it's about the outcome our users have with the page.����

At 51����, our take is different from other page builders on the market, and that's an intentional choice.����

Other page builders focus on what goes on the page, and we wanted to ask the question, "What is going to make our customers more successful?"

That's why we re-built 51���� pages in a way that is not only flexible (so that you can build exactly the page you want), but also streamlined and straightforward so that your page gets out into the market at a blazing fast speed.����

That's a page's central purpose: showcasing your message to your audience so that you can measure the response and get feedback that is vital to growing your business.��

It's the content that truly matters on a landing page, and the more our users can showcase their content on beautiful pages in a way that is simple and painless, the more successful they will be.

Where do other page builders get it wrong?

As we examined other page builders, we found that they made one of two mistakes.����

Mistake #1: Treating everyone like a designer. They put the look of the page first and pack in as many complicated tools and features as possible. Because more is always better, right?��

The complexity of these page builders stops a lot of users in their tracks when they sit down to build a page.����

Mistake #2: Rigidity. They swing the pendulum entirely away from design and make things so rigid that users have no freedom to customize.����

These pages come out so cookie-cutter and bland that it's impossible to tell your brand from someone else's.����

With 51���� Pages, we focused on finding an equilibrium between the two. We put content first, design second, but with a focus on empowering you to execute both in a way that is quick and clean.��

“You're not a designer. You're an entrepreneur.”

��But with 51���� pages, you get to be both. Your page will come out looking like you paid an expensive professional, and only you will know how quick it was to build, all by yourself.��

The problem with "drag-and-drop."����

People ask us why 51���� Pages isn't a drag-and-drop editor.����

The phrase "drag-and-drop" has somehow become synonymous with simplicity, but in our experience, it's the opposite.����

“Drag-and-drop is fun... as long as you don't have to drag and drop anything.”

There is too much room for error. You can accidentally drag and drop something without meaning to and break your entire page. You are dependent on the "undo" button in these instances, and it doesn't always work out. Who wants to build like that?��

We wanted everything in 51���� pages to be intentional, with no room to break your page by accident. We never want our users to be stuck asking, "What did I just do?"��

Code vs. No Code.

��For a long time, we've understood that when it comes to interest in coding, our 51���� user community falls into two basic camps:����

First, there are no-coders, aka users who want to run their online business without touching a single line of code. It's a relief for them to let 51���� handle all of the technical hurdles standing between them and success online.��

Then there are the coders, users who aren't intimidated by code and prefer to have the ultimate control to shape their online presence. They want 51���� to remain as flexible as possible, while still saving them time inside their business.����

Recently, we've expanded our thinking beyond just these two camps.��

That's why we built 51���� pages with three different use cases in mind:��

Use Case #1: Content-Forward

This use case is close to our hearts because it touches directly on the primary purpose of pages: getting your message out there.����

These are the users who just want to get it built and get back to their business.��

Perhaps they've already gone down the frustrating path, spending monumental amounts of time using other software to build pages before ever putting their message out into the market in even a small way. They come to us looking for a way out of this.��

We know that the sooner you can get your ideas out there and validate them, the more successful you will be. That's why 51���� Pages allows you to build a page for maximum impact with minimal effort required.����

Use Case #2: Design-Forward

These users care about content as well, but they're also concerned with representing their unique brand. They want to make the page their own. Templates can feel stifling to these users who want more control over design.��

That's why we designed 51���� pages to give more control to these users, with advanced design tools that allow you to customize every aspect of the page.��

Use Case #3: Development with no compromises

“If you've seen it on the internet, you can build it with 51���� pages.”

Some users want to go even farther with customization. These are the coders we talk about above.��

To give these users even more freedom, we've added the option to add custom code blocks into your 51���� Pages.����

If you're into the custom development side of things, you won't have to make any compromises here, and you'll avoid the hassle of dealing with plug-ins, hosting, etc. Enjoy all of the freedom with none of the drawbacks.����

What's next with 51���� Pages?

This latest release is just the beginning of upgrades we're making to pages and more inside 51����.��

We're taking everything we learned from re-designing 51���� Pages and bring it over to websites.��

Now, some of you may be wondering, what's the difference between a page (aka a landing page) and a website (aka a home page)?����

Simple: A landing page usually serves one specific goal (collecting opt-ins, housing content, etc). A website is often a more comprehensive, all-around hub with multiple functions and robust navigation.����

Do people use landing pages as home pages? Absolutely, all the time (and we've even got themes to support this). It's just not their primary purpose.��

We're looking forward to expanding the power of 51���� Pages over to full websites explicitly designed to be the anchor of your online presence, and also to other areas like pipelines and email templates.����

Our mission is to continually improve your experience with 51����. So get inside the app, experience the ease and flexibility of 51���� pages for yourself, and let us know what you think!

Leave a comment and let us know what you think below…