Every business needs a website. Even if you are an Instagram shop, you will eventually grow to the point when operating via direct messages is no longer viable. And you need something bigger.
A custom website can significantly boost your business’s online presence. If you are concerned about the technical aspects of creating a website, we have a solution for you: WordPress.
WordPress is the most popular website builder and content management system (CMS). In January 2023 it accounted for 43.2% of platforms used for creating websites.
But why exactly WordPress? We compared it with the most popular website builder and outlined its strong and weak sides. Spoiler: WordPress wins.
Benefits of WordPress:
- Widely supported and has a big knowledge base
- Cost-effective
- Optimized for SEO
- Highly customizable, gives you freedom to design without restrictions
- Extensive library of plugins for added features
- Mobile-friendly
Of course, there are some trade-offs, but at the end of the day, WordPress will bring you the most benefits if used correctly.
Should you use WordPress? We say yes. To be sure let’s find out more about its pros and cons.
WordPress vs. Wix: Flexibility and Customization Compared (+ SEO)
Wix is another website builder similar to WordPress but with certain differences. It uses drag-and-drop editing, which makes it simpler and doesn’t require you to have development skills; the platform manages maintenance for you and is suitable for small website development. Wix has a subscription-based system for using their platform.
WordPress is more complex and has more technical aspects to manage, but it’s highly customizable and compared to Wix, it’s free (except for hosting expenses).
Feature | WordPress | Wix |
Website Builder | Allows to build websites from scratch | Ready to start building. Drag-and-drop system |
Customization | Unlimited with themes/plugins | Limited to Wix templates |
Scalability | High | Limited |
SEO Optimization | Advanced | Basic |
Data Ownership | Full | Limited to the Wix ecosystem |
What is very important when it comes to the platforms you launch your website on is data ownership. Wix doesn’t allow you to own your website. So, you can only use it while using their platform and cannot transfer content to another place. Plus, your website is hosted exclusively on Wix’s servers. WordPress on the other hand gives you full control over your website, which is hosted on 3rd party platforms like Flywheel.
Wix vs WordPress SEO
SEO is vital if you want to be seen on the web. A platform you use for building your website can significantly impact your visibility by search engines and hence, search ranking.
According to a 2023 Ahrefs study, only 0.6% of websites built on Wix receive 100+ monthly organic visits, compared to WordPress with 8.26%. Back in 2019 they analyzed 6.4M domains and found out that websites on WordPress get 46.1% organic traffic, while websites on Wix get only 1.4%.
It doesn’t mean Wix is that bad. Website SEO’s effectiveness comes from the knowledge of the website owner or marketing team. But obviously, WordPress is much more technically suitable for SEO thanks to its customization capabilities.
Why WordPress Wins in SEO:
- Has plugins made specifically for SEO
- Easy metadata management and image optimization
- Fast load time
- Optimized for mobile
To sum up, if you need to launch a small website and want to do it quickly without bothering about the technical part, Wix is your choice. If you want to build a website that will serve as a strong foundation for your future marketing endeavors, WordPress is the way to go.
For businesses aiming for growth, WordPress is the clear winner in the Wix vs WordPress debate.
WordPress vs. Squarespace: Which Platform Scales with Your Business?
Like Wix, Squarespace is an easy solution for creating a website literally in a few clicks, without coding skills required. But with simplicity, you lose flexibility and customization. Let’s look at the differences between Squarespace and WordPress in terms of launching a website for business.
Ease of Use
- Squarespace:
- Designed for beginners, offering a drag-and-drop interface.
- No coding knowledge is required.
- All-in-one platform with hosting, design, and tools integrated seamlessly.
- WordPress:
- Higher entry threshold and learning curve, especially for new users.
- Requires some technical skills to fully customize or optimize.
- You need to manage hosting, themes, and plugins independently (unless using WordPress.com).
Design and Templates
- Squarespace:
- High-quality, modern, and responsive templates.
- Limited customization beyond the pre-designed templates.
- WordPress:
- Thousands of free and premium themes are available.
- Greater design flexibility with page builders like Elementor or Divi.
Customization and Features
- Squarespace:
- Limited to the built-in tools and features provided by the platform.
- Less suitable for businesses needing highly specific or advanced functionalities.
- WordPress:
- Highly customizable with over 60,000 plugins for features like SEO, e-commerce, forms, and more.
- Open-source, allowing developers to modify code for custom solutions.
E-Commerce
- Squarespace:
- Built-in e-commerce tools for small to medium-sized online stores.
- Limited payment gateway options and less scalability for larger stores.
- WordPress:
- WooCommerce, a powerful and flexible e-commerce plugin, enables advanced store customization.
- Works with multiple payment gateways and supports scalable growth.
SEO
- Squarespace:
- Basic SEO tools built-in, such as meta descriptions and sitemaps.
- Limited control over technical SEO (e.g., schema markup, site speed optimization).
- WordPress:
- Advanced SEO capabilities with plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math.
- Allows complete control over site structure and optimization.
Cost
- Squarespace:
- Fixed pricing starting at $16/month (annual plan).
- Includes hosting, SSL, templates, and most tools in one price.
- WordPress:
- Free to use the core software, but costs vary based on hosting, premium themes/plugins, and additional tools.
- Overall, can be cheaper or more expensive, depending on the level of customization.
Scalability
- Squarespace:
- Best suited for small to medium-sized businesses.
- Not ideal for websites that require complex integrations or handle large traffic.
- WordPress:
- Can scale with your business by adding new functionalities, hosting upgrades, or custom solutions.
As you can see, when it comes to scalability and flexibility, WordPress is totally superior to Squarespace.
WordPress vs. Drupal: Balancing Complexity and Usability
Many well-known organizations rely on WordPress or Drupal for their online presence. Here’s a closer look at their usage, advantages, and differences.
Notable Websites Using WordPress
WordPress powers a significant portion of the web, and its users include globally recognized names such as:
- Whitehouse.gov
- Sony Mobile
- University of Washington
- Mercedes-Benz
- TechCrunch
- The New Yorker
Notable Websites Using Drupal
Launched in 2000, Drupal has established its place in the web development world, powering 2.3% of all websites and holding 4.6% of the CMS market. Some notable users of Drupal include:
- University of Colorado
- State of Colorado
- The Economist
- NASA.gov
Advantages of WordPress
- Ease of Use: WordPress is user-friendly, making it accessible even for beginners. It features a simple interface and a quick learning curve.
- Extensibility: With thousands of themes and plugins available, WordPress can be easily customized without requiring coding knowledge.
- Community Support: A large global community provides extensive resources for assistance and troubleshooting.
- Lower Costs: WordPress offers affordable solutions, thanks to its ready-to-use options and a vast pool of developers.
Advantages of Drupal
- Custom Content Types: Drupal provides greater flexibility for managing complex content structures.
- Advanced User Permissions: It includes detailed controls for user roles and permissions, allowing for more granular access management.
- Multilingual Support: Unlike WordPress, Drupal has built-in support for multilingual sites.
- Taxonomy for Large Data: Drupal’s taxonomy system is highly effective for managing extensive datasets.
Ease of Use
- WordPress: Ideal for beginners due to its easy setup and intuitive interface.
- Drupal: Requires developer expertise because of its custom themes and more complex interface.
So, WordPress is ideal for smaller projects that prioritize simplicity and affordability. In contrast, Drupal is better suited for large, complex projects that necessitate customization and advanced features. Choose the platform that best aligns with your project’s needs, your technical skills, and the required scalability.
WordPress vs. Shopify: Finding the Best Fit for E-Commerce Success
Shopify gives you an out-of-the-box solution for creating an e-commerce website. It’s ideal if your focus is only e-commerce and you want a quick launch with ready infrastructure. Right now, more than 4,900,000 websites are running on Shopify.
If you already have a WordPress website and want to use it to run your shop, you can install WooCommerce and start selling your products or services.
So what’s the big difference? WordPress gives you more flexibility. Because Shopify is solely focused on e-commerce, it sets constraints to other modifications that you may want to make.
Differences Between WordPress and Shopify
Shopify | WordPress | |
Ease of Use | Beginner-friendly with no coding required | Requires some technical knowledge, especially for advanced customizations |
Customization | Limited to themes and apps available in its ecosystem | Highly customizable with thousands of plugins and themes |
Hosting | Hosting is included in the plan and managed by Shopify | You need to choose and manage your own hosting provider |
E-commerce Features | Built-in tools for inventory, shipping, and multi-channel sales (e.g., TikTok, Amazon) | Requires WooCommerce or other plugins for e-commerce functionality |
SEO | Basic SEO tools provided | Advanced SEO options with plugins like Yoast SEO |
Multilingual support | Available through third-party apps | Offers comprehensive multilingual support with plugins like WPML |
Cost | Fixed pricing plans with hosting and support included | Costs depend on hosting, themes, and plugins used |
Multisite Capability | Does not support multisite setups | Allows multiple sites under one account with the Multisite feature |
In the end, your decision between Shopify and WordPress will depend on your business requirements and long-term vision. Shopify is primarily suited for straightforward, e-commerce-focused online businesses. On the other hand, WordPress offers greater flexibility, allowing you to customize and develop your site beyond just e-commerce. It’s important to evaluate your current needs as well as the technical knowledge and steps required for future growth.
What Business Owners Should Know About Custom WordPress Development
WordPress is a great tool for building a website, but it requires technical skills to make it efficient for your business. Luckily, there are plenty of companies that can develop WordPress website for you.
If you are going to order custom WordPress development services, there are 4 key things you need to consider:
- Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve with your website. Is it sales, leads, brand awareness, or something else?
- Budget: Custom development can be more expensive initially but offers a better ROI in the long term.
- Timeline: Custom development takes longer than pre-built themes, so plan your launch date accordingly.
- Developer Expertise: Work with experienced developers who understand WordPress best practices and your industry.
Choosing the Right Custom WordPress Development Company
In today’s highly competitive online landscape, selecting the right custom WordPress development company is crucial for creating a website that attracts clients and drives sales. Whether you represent a retail business, healthcare provider, tech startup, or wholesaler, our tailored solutions ensure optimal functionality and design.
Key factors to consider when choosing a WordPress development company:
- Identify your needs
- Check the company’s portfolio, case studies testimonials
- Look for custom solutions to reach your goals rather than fixed proposals
- Compare pricing
We specialize in building WordPress websites that align with your objectives, ranging from developing feature-rich e-commerce platforms to designing comprehensive informational business sites. Read more about our WordPress development solutions here.
Enhancing Content Management with WordPress CMS Development Services
Managing your website shouldn’t be a hassle. That’s why we provide expert WordPress CMS development services that simplify content updates, streamline workflows, and boost efficiency. Our solutions include:
- Custom dashboard creation: Tailored interfaces that make content management intuitive for your team.
- Advanced access controls: Ensuring the right people manage the right parts of your site.
- Data migration: Seamlessly transitioning from your old platform to WordPress.
Whether you’re running a blog, an enterprise portal, or an online store, we ensure your CMS is robust, secure, and easy to use.
Crafting Unique User Experiences with Custom WordPress Website Design
Your website is often the first interaction customers have with your business. With our custom WordPress website design services, we focus on delivering:
- Responsive designs: Ensuring your site looks perfect on every device.
- Custom graphics and animations: Elevating your site’s visual appeal while staying aligned with your brand identity.
- Optimized navigation: Making it easy for users to find what they’re looking for.
For example, we’ve worked with healthcare companies to design patient-friendly portals and retail businesses to create engaging online storefronts that drive sales. Our custom WordPress web development approach combines design creativity with technical excellence to create user-centric solutions.
Building Your Brand with WordPress Theme Development
Your website’s theme is more than just a design – it’s the essence of your brand. Our custom WordPress theme development services go beyond cookie-cutter solutions, offering:
- Custom themes: Built from scratch to reflect your brand’s identity. We keep up with the latest trends to ensure your theme aligns with modern design standards.
- Industry-specific designs: Tailored to meet the unique needs of your business sector.
- Optimized performance: Fast-loading themes to enhance user experience and SEO rankings.
According to BuiltWith, the top 1M websites in traffic use 179,000+ WordPress themes. That’s a clear sign that custom WordPress theme development is worth investing in.
Extending Functionality through WordPress Plugin Development
Off-the-shelf plugins might not always meet your needs. WordPress boasts over 60k plugins with 190,000+ used in the top 1M websites. Using these add-ons gives you much more flexibility and features on your website. Our custom WordPress plugin development services are aimed exactly on creating such solutions. We specialize in:
- Feature-rich plugins: Adding functionalities like booking systems, custom forms, or membership portals.
- Integration-ready solutions: Connecting your WordPress site with CRMs, payment gateways, or third-party tools.
- Performance optimization: Ensuring plugins run smoothly without slowing down your site.
Our expertise as a custom WordPress plugin development company ensures your website is equipped to meet both current and future demands.
Revitalizing Your Site with WordPress Website Redesign
Your website should evolve as your business grows. Our WordPress website design services breathe new life into outdated websites by offering:
- Complete upgrades: Transforming old websites with modern design and performance improvements.
- Improved UX/UI: Crafting user-friendly layouts that enhance visitor engagement.
- SEO-driven redesigns: Incorporating on-page optimization for better search engine rankings.
- Enhanced branding: Updating your site’s look to reflect your current business identity.
Whether you need a full refresh or a focused update, our WordPress development solutions ensure your website stays ahead of the curve.
To Sum Up: 10 Reasons to Use WordPress
- WordPress is the most popular CMS platform and is open-source
- It’s highly customizable
- Friendly community and support
- WordPress is focused on SEO
- WordPress is fast and mobile-friendly
- It’s scalable thanks to thousands of plugins available for almost any purpose
- Offers a variety of themes
- WordPress lets you own your website
- It’s relatively easy to learn
- Supports high-security standards
Choosing the right platform is the first step in building a website, and this decision will significantly impact your business’s online presence. Whether you opt for WordPress, known for its flexibility and user-friendly features, or Drupal, which offers advanced customization options, having the right development team by your side is crucial.
At Devurai, we specialize in custom WordPress development, we provide tailored solutions to meet your business needs. Our services include custom WordPress website design, plugin development, theme customization, and complete website upgrades. If you’re considering launching a WordPress-powered site, leap with the Devurai promise of success. Let us help turn your vision into reality — contact us today!