Choosing The Right Website Platform for Your Business
Choosing the right website platform for your business can be confusing. With so many different options available, it can be hard to know the right one for your needs.
In this post I will be comparing the most popular website platforms I get asked about, so you can compare them all at once and know once and for all which platform you should choose for your business. This post is a detailed comparison of Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress, and Wix. I’m going to highlight the pros, cons, cost, how to get started on each platform, and much more.
Squarespace
DESCRIPTION
Squarespace is an all-in-one content management system. With a single subscription, you can make a website, host your content, register your own custom domain name, sell products, track your site's analytics, and much more. Unlike WordPress you’re able to do your hosting and domain purchasing through Squarespace to keep it all in one place.
PROS
All-in-one solution, which includes hosting
Easily purchase and manage your domain, email and newsletter subscriptions in one place
Create a blog or e-commerce shop with the touch of a button
Support + updates included in the price
Great for SEO + tracking analytics
CONS
Not as robust and flexible as WordPress or Shopify
Limited options to customize the design
E-commerce is limited
WHO SHOULD USE IT
Solopreneurs or small business owners. Great for those who are looking for an easy-to-use platform with beautiful templates. Many well-known brands and businesses use Squarespace successfully, it is best for those looking to make most content updates on their own.
COST
$16-$49/month – depending on how much traffic, support, specializations you need.
EASE OF USE
Beginner: Squarespace is fairly easy to set up if you have limited website experience.
HOW TO GET STARTED
You can start a free trial by going here.
WHY I RECOMMEND SQUARESPACE
As a Squarespace user myself, I like Squarespace because it’s a platform geared towards the DIY user, meaning you can easily update content and information yourself as you grow. Squarespace also handles all updates so you don’t have to worry about updating themes, apps or plugins. And you can easily add a blog or e-commerce store with the touch of a button, you can easily use their built in newsletter subscription service or add your own. And the most intuitive and easy to use SEO and analytics tracker I’ve used. I like that everything website related is kept under one roof in the squarespace dashboard, for me simplicity is best.
Shopify
Shopify unifies all of your commerce onto a single platform. With Shopify, merchants can build and customize an online store and sell in multiple places, including web, mobile, in person, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops and across multiple channels from social media to online marketplaces.
PROS
Choose from a number of free and paid templates
Create your own themes and sections from scratch using their backend coding editor
Sell across multiple channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay
Over 100 payment options, as well as providing their own gateway, Shopify Payments
CONS
Not as easy to use as other platforms
Overly-reliant on apps, has fewer built-in features than other platforms
More expensive than it appears. Transaction fees and additional apps, can hike up the monthly cost of running your store
WHO SHOULD USE IT
Best for small to large businesses that want to create a true online shop instead of merely building a website with limited e-commerce functionality. You can sell both physical and digital products in your Shopify store.
COST
$51-$517/month – You can try Shopify free for 14 days, no credit card required. After your trial expires, choose a plan that suits the size and stage of your business.
EASE OF USE
Intermediate: It's not the easiest platform on the block but it's still fairly straightforward. You won't get a site live in five minutes, but Shopify manages to combine powerful ecommerce tools with an easy-to-use dashboard.
HOW TO GET STARTED
You can start a free trial by going here.
Wordpress
DESCRIPTION
WordPress is an open-source software and content management system that you can use to create a website or blog. Open source means that is maintained by its community of developers, rather than one developed and owned by a single company, meaning you are more likely to find help with a google search than other platforms. WordPress is used by almost 40% of all websites on the internet as of April 2023. That’s a lot of websites!
PROS
Freedom of design and flexibility
Limitless functionality and extensibility options
E-commerce compatible with woocommerce
Great for SEO
CONS
You need to purchase hosting separately. While using the WordPress platform is free, you cannot purchase a domain or hosting through WordPress itself
Slight learning curve of language and use for beginners
Your website can easily slow down if you’re adding too many plugins, and because of its oversaturated databases, and codebases
WHO SHOULD USE IT
Anyone that is looking to start a website (blog, online shop, membership site, etc)!
COST
The cost of WordPress itself is free but you will need to purchase a domain and host for your website, along with some additional costs for plugins you may need.
EASE OF USE
Intermediate: WordPress is fairly easy to learn, but you're bound to have questions when you first start. Fortunately, the internet is full of resources to help you master this popular CMS. Just make sure the resources you’re using are fairly recent.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Purchase a domain and select a host. I recommend WP Engine or Bluehost if you’re looking for fast and reliable hosting.
Wix
DESCRIPTION
Wix is a drag and drop website builder platform that is geared toward beginners.
PROS
It’s free & user-friendly
Very easy and intuitive to use
No coding knowledge needed
CONS
Limited designs and functionality
Not as robust for SEO
No control of your hosting
You can’t switch templates once you've picked one
WHO SHOULD USE IT
Wix is best for hobbyists and local businesses who primarily get their business from foot traffic don’t heavily rely on SEO to get more website traffic.
COST
$5-$25/month.
EASE OF USE FACTOR
Beginner: Wix is very easy to understand if you have limited website experience.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Explore Wix’s monthly plans here.
WHY I DON’T RECOMMEND WIX
While it may be easier to set up at first, for the long run it is not the best option for running a business because of its limitations. Wix is not the best platform to choose if you are a serious business owner. Wix has limited growth capabilities and if you’re building a long term business I would not recommend Wix.
Final Thoughts
When choosing the right website platform, there are a lot of options to consider. Ultimately, I favour Squarespace for small - mid businesses compared to all other website management platforms. In terms of setting up websites for my clients, Squarespace allows them to independently make content updates and track success on their own without having to call me (or another developer) anytime business growth or site edits come up.
Shopify and WordPress are best for mid - large businesses looking for a fully customized layout. They both have a bit learning curve if you’re not tech savvy, they are versatile and are able to flexibly grow with you as your business grows. With Shopify and WordPress you may need to call a developer more often, so budgeting for that should also be considered into cost.
I’m not a huge fan of Wix as you can’t customize very much but if you're looking for a cost effective and easy to use platform to test the waters on your new business then it could be ideal. But once you start growing you may find yourself moving to a more dynamic platform like Squarespace or Shopify.
The possibilities are endless. Whether you’re running a blog, online shop, or sell services, Squarespace, Shopify and WordPress are able to grow along with you. So they remain my top three recommendations and which is better for you really depends on how large your business is and how much you want to be able/willing to do on your own.
If you’re looking to start your next web project, check out my custom website build service and reach out on my inquire page.
Happy Building
