Lost in the website editor
Many new R24 subscribers tell us about a scenario where they effectively got lost in their previous website builder or editor – with the result that, in the end, no one in their organisation was maintaining the content anymore.
What started as a simple attempt to change a small piece of text often turned into an overly complex drag-and-drop editor nightmare, suddenly confronting users with confusing design and layout tasks.
What appears to be a simple text edit becomes almost impossible for users without technical or design training. The risk of accidentally breaking the layout is simply too high. As a result, updating content is anything but enjoyable.
The result is websites that eventually take on a strange life of their own. Buttons lead nowhere, spacing shifts overnight, and the contact form only works under very specific conditions. People avoid touching the site altogether, worried that moving a heading might accidentally send the legal notice into oblivion. At some point, the team quietly agrees: let’s just leave it as it is. The website may still be online, but in reality, it has entered digital retirement.
The hybrid: a modular system
We, as designers and developers at R24, have built these kinds of disposable websites for years in agency environments – but with R24, we decided to change that. Instead of an open editor, we created pre-designed modules – we call them blocks. Our users stack them like building bricks. The blocks themselves consist of clearly structured, simple input fields. This makes it possible for anyone to update and rearrange content without external help.
By stacking blocks, entire pages can be structured at a high level. The finer details of the UI design have already been carefully defined by us within each block. This ensures that every possible combination results in coherent, consistent and visually appealing pages. And if the system ever feels too simple, users can go deeper and further customise individual blocks – again through intuitive input fields.
Long-term website maintenance
With this approach, we ensure the consistently high quality of Relaunch24 websites – even after years of use, across multiple team members and in several languages. Working on content becomes more enjoyable, which naturally leads to better long-term maintenance.
If you find yourself spending more time adjusting layouts than actually working on content – whether moving buttons or tweaking font sizes – it’s worth taking a closer look at our modular system. Because a website should not be an obstacle, but a tool that lets you focus on what really matters: your content.
