So you need to build a website for your business… great! That’s an excellent move to make, especially right now. Currently, a lot of business owners are shifting their business presence online, making it easier for everyone to access their services/products. It just makes sense. But what’s the best way to get a website going? We’ve got two very popular options for you that we’re going to compare: Wix and WordPress.
The two big Ws in websites today, Wix and WordPress are both excellent tools for building your site. But let’s break down some features to see which one comes out on top.
PERFORMANCE & DESIGN –
Wix is certainly better and faster for beginners and non-coders but the ease of use definitely has drawbacks. It has limited features created by a private development team and a set number of templates to build from that all other Wix users have access to use as well. Wix also comes with premium monthly fees that can grow and escalate over time. Not a great long-term solution for a business planning to scale. WordPress sites are built with themes which are more like a tool box, or completely from scratch, allowing you to customize your site down to every last detail with complex features. With over 55,000 plugin options, it relies on open-source software meaning that it is a collaborative effort within the WordPress community to write and share code for plugins and themes. This can take more time to sort through what you want to add but, as with most things, taking your time to get it right is worth it. Knowing how to code is definitely a plus but you can still build a very professional and powerful site with most of the bells & whistles without being a techie. We think WordPress pulls ahead as far as performance and design goes.
ECOMMERCE –
Both have options for ecommerce to help you bring your products and services online and into the hands of your customers. WordPress has plugins for ecommerce with more choices and flexibility. Wix has built-in sales features but these are not designed to run a business online full-time. This is better for small businesses with occasional sales, not for those that are looking to have online-only shops. Both are good options for selling your wares online, just depends on how much you’re relying on internet sales.
SUPPORT –
Wix pulls ahead a little with the support platform when it comes to a beginner. They have a dedicated team of people on hand to help you out with your site. WordPress is a DIY platform across the board and that’s no exception when it comes to tech support. However, there are handy forums and online guides where you can easily find someone else who has overcome your current issue or ask a question to those who are 95% likely to be able to walk you through a solution. This may take more digging and more time than Wix but it’s a supportive community and you are most likely to find your answers online. Imagine an entire community of people who have been there before, dedicated to helping you out. Oftentimes, some of the plugin developers are also in these groups and can give you great support there too. But again, this is more in-line with someone with some experience.
COST –
Comparing the cost of these two is a bit harder to calculate. Wix has premium, monthly-billed pricing plans, a tiered system based on available features and including a year of domain. WordPress is a bit more build-your-own pricing. You can spend as much as you want to purchase a theme, buy plugins (many are free), and pay for your domain name each year. If you don’t want to do it yourself, you could always hire a developer, like Metro Nova Creative to help you out for a fee. When you factor in the time and headache saved from hiring a pro and knowing that your result is going to be done well by experts, the cost of hiring a developer pretty much levels out with the mid-range Wix tiers. The money lost by costly mistakes and sometimes months of trying to build your site can sometimes outweigh the money spent to hire a pro from the start.
Hopefully this helps with your decision of where to turn if you’re in need of a new website! We love WordPress and use it daily with our clients but we also appreciate the ease with which a Wix site can be thrown together by someone who isn’t exactly tech savvy or in a financial situation to hire a pro for WordPress. If you have any questions about building a website or you’re interested in getting help starting one, please contact us!
