When it comes to building your own website, the first big decision many face is whether to go with Wix or WordPress as a website building platform. These are the two most popular options for web site building, and both have their pros and cons. When it comes to Wix versus WordPress, which should you choose? Let’s take a look at what both platforms have to offer.
Design and Customization
Wix offers a variety of free templates that are organized by category. You can select a category, look at the demo to get an idea of what your site will look like, and then customize it with your own images, graphics, and text. WordPress also offers templates, which they call “themes”. There are many free themes to choose from, as well as a huge selection of premium themes to purchase. Each theme can be customized in a variety of ways. If you want a highly customized site that you can design to your exact specifications, WordPress is hands down the best option.
Extras: Apps and Plugins
WordPress is an open-source platform, which means anyone can create a theme or plugin that you can access for free or purchase from the developer. As a result, the platform has tens of thousands of plugins to choose from. Wix is not an open-source platform, so your options are limited to what the private development team has created. Once again, WordPress nudges out Wix for those that want as much versatility as possible.
Selling Online: Ecommerce
Wix has eCommerce built-in if you sign up for one of their dedicated eCommerce plans. It is a reliable platform if you are only selling a few items online, but it is not robust enough to support an online store. With WordPress, you will need to install a free plugin called WooCommerce, but there are fees, such as transactional costs, with the service. WooCommerce is more advanced and offers more options for selling online than Wix does, making WordPress the leader in this category as well. This is especially true if you plan on selling more than a few items.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making changes to your website so that it will rank higher in searches online. Having great SEO is critical for getting your website noticed. Both Wix and WordPress use apps/plugins to boost SEO. Wix uses an app called SiteBooster. The most popular SEO app on WordPress is called Yoast, and it is used by over 5 million websites. While both offer good basic services, the paid version of Yoast gives you access to more advanced SEO features that are well worth the cost.
The winner is clear: WordPress is the best platform for creating your own website. If the idea of starting a website from scratch seems overwhelming, trust an expert to build it for you. The team at Houndstooth Media Group has years of experience with WordPress and are ready to help you make your dream website a reality.