Are you wanting to build your own website or have a professional web designer build one for you, but don’t know which platform will work best in your case? In case you’re unsure, or your web designer hasn’t consulted you on this topic, we will try to help you figure it out.
Before you try and make a decision, be sure to ask yourself the following questions
What Is Your Website Going To Do?
Although this is the first question, it is also the most important one in this list, too. Before you go out and hire a web designer or web developer to create you a brand new website or before deciding to take on the task of building it yourself, you need to have a clear idea of what exactly it is that you want it to do.
Will You Be Buying Or Selling Products Online?
If you have decided that you’re going to be launching an e-commerce business that involves you selling your own products online, then you have one to two reasonable choices (Note: there are several e-commerce platforms out there, but they are geared towards already established businesses) and those two choices are WordPress or Shopify.
Will You Be Drop Shipping Products?
You have probably heard of the term drop shipping, unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years. Either way, if you are considered utilizing drop shipping as your go to business model, then you probably want to think about learning more about Shopify because their platform has tons of tools already readily available that will make drop shipping your products of choice a breeze.
What Is Your Budget?
This seems like a no brainer question, but it is still one you should be asking yourself because it is extremely important. If you want a website that can be completely customized to fit your style and vision, then you might think about using either WordPress or Shopify rather than Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly. If you’re going to be strictly selling products and budget isn’t an issue, then click here to learn more about Shopify, but if you’re thinking about selling courses, memberships, or you just want to create a website for your online business, then click here to learn more about WordPress.
If budget constraints are an issue for you at the moment, or if you want to get a website up rather quickly, then I suggest you start contemplating on whether you will use Squarespace, Wix, or Weebly. All three of these platforms come with easy to use website builders that require no coding experience; however, they do have their limitations, so be warned.
Will You Be Blogging Or Uploading Content?
Are you thinking about branding yourself as a social media influencer, consultant, or industry expert? If that’s your angle, then you’re going to want to have a content management system that lets you publish content, post courses, and allow you to create a subscription payment system for your loyal audience. If this is the type of website you’re looking to create, then your go to platform will definitely be WordPress.
Static HTML Websites
Static HTML websites are starting to be used less and less as other more convenient website building platforms become available. For example, WordPress allows you to create online stores, launch blogs, sell courses, and just about anything else. However, if you’re into wasting countless hours on your computer coding HTML, CSS or Javascript, then a static HTML website might be right for you.
However, I did forget to mention that static HTML websites are great if you love experimenting with purely custom effects and if you’re looking to build a website with very few web pages. I say this because any time you want to add content or make an edit to one of your web pages, well you will have to actually edit the HTML source code which can be extremely painful and tedious if you’re inexperienced or if you don’t have much time on your hands.
WordPress Websites
Now, let’s get into the WordPress CMS for a bit (and yes I know some of you are going to say it isn’t a real CMS, but we all know that is debatable) and go over what this website platform can do. First of all, WordPress is great for people and business owners who are looking to utilize blogging as a tool to gain additional inbound web traffic.
Furthermore, WordPress is also a great platform for launching an E-commerce business, too. To be honest, there isn’t much that you probably can’t accomplish with WordPress, but that still doesn’t mean that it is the best platform for you.
Getting a professional web designer to build a WordPress website that looks stunning and has amazing functionality can be a bit more costlier than having a designer build you a website on Wix or Squarespace and you will most likely have to learn a thing or two about updating plugins and themes.
Shopify Websites
The Shopify platform is great for building and launching online stores and it comes with loads of plugins just like WordPress. However, if you don’t like paying monthly fees or if you don’t have an extra few hundred dollars in your budget every month, then you should probably think twice about building your E-commerce website on this platform.
That being said, yes, Shopify is a little pricey; however, it is still a solid platform to use when it comes to building your online store and it definitely has some great marketing tools that will help you reach your target audience. So, if you’re serious about starting an E-Commerce business, then you might want to weigh the pros and cons of Shopify.
Squarespace Websites
Squarespace tends to be a platform to use if you want a simple, run of the mill website that requires little management or development knowledge. However, I do want to point out that if you plan on building an extensive amount of pages or creating a blog to try and gain additional inbound traffic, then this platform is probably not for you.
This is a platform that is great if you’re working with a tight budget or if you want to try and build a website yourself. Most businesses and startups usually launch their first website using this platform, but eventually either outgrow it or decide they want to build something more custom to achieve their branding goals.
Wix Websites
As most of you know, WiX comes with their own website builder just like Squarespace does, but the same principle that applies to Squarespace applies to this website platform, too. If you want something quick, easy to manage, or if you’re on a tight budget, then you might also want to consider WiX as well.
I hope this recent post has helped you make a decision about what type of website you want to build or have designed and if you have any additional questions regarding this topic or want to share your thoughts, please feel free to leave a comment down below.
