Which is the best website builder, WordPress website or Wix?
£113 billion was the amount spent online by British consumers in 2020. The lockdown drove us online shopping crazy, and we flocked to throw money at the brands we love. But why do we choose brand A over brand B? What influences our decisions and makes us dig deep into our bank accounts to fund the splurge? Well, websites did. So which will you choose, a WordPress website or Wix?
Of course, marketing was a crucial factor in driving sales, but the reality of the matter is if consumers land on a slow website or one with noticeable errors, they aren’t going to spend their hard-earned cash with you.
Even if your website is running smoothly, it doesn’t guarantee your business conversions. A confusing website that doesn’t align with your brand can be equally off-putting.
Let’s talk about two of the biggest web building platforms, WordPress and Wix. We will assess both in terms of the strengths and weaknesses and hopefully help guide your future web design decisions.
Let’s move on to the good stuff!
What are WordPress and Wix?
We are guessing you’re here for a reason because you want to know more about two of the most prominent web builders globally. Essentially you will probably have a vague idea of what the two different platforms do. So, here’s a little bit extra to improve your knowledge.
Wix
Wix is an online development platform that allows you to build websites without any coding knowledge. It is essentially a programme where anyone and everyone can create a site and is sold as a cloud-based service. Meaning there are no downloads involved, and the website itself is all run in a complete package by the provider.
Wix offers customisable templates which are as simple as drag and drop to manage and make the whole process simple.
WordPress
WordPress websites come in two different forms, so it’s vital to differentiate.
Hosted WordPress is an online version of the platform that has similar functionality to Wix. It’s an all-in-one solution that offers a structured and straightforward way to build a website based on templates and features.
Self-hosted WordPress is where the magic happens. This is a downloadable piece of technology, with design and coding knowledge, you can flex your online presence as much as you want.
The coding within a self-hosted site can suit whatever functionality and usability you need and can be made entirely bespoke to your business. It must be said; it’s not impossible to build your own site on self-hosted WordPress website as pre-designed templates are available for purchase and can be used to make your life easier.
Don’t forget that a self-hosted website needs to be hosted somewhere; you’ll have to find your own hosting for the world to see you.
Popularity
The online world is kind of like high school in that popularity brings confidence, so we should highlight the size of both businesses. A WordPress website is the popular kid on the online playground, with a jaw-dropping 455 million websites running through the platform. Using the platform brings the obvious confidence and security that a colossal business should.
However, Wix, in turn, is no slouch with over 200 million worldwide users; you should have no qualms in using them if the glove fits.
Web design at Create8
At Create8, we understand the importance of game-changing web design. We cover all bases in every project we take on and offer packages to suit businesses of all shapes and sizes. Our passion for web design shines through in every project as we take the rule book and throw it out the window to create something that your business is genuinely proud of.
Client satisfaction is key in a constantly evolving sector, and we want you to know how much it means to us. So, follow the link below, check out some of our recent projects and get to know how our team works. Feel free to send a message and let us know if anything catches your eye. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Comparison
Firstly it’s important to note that we will be comparing WordPress self-hosted version to Wix. This makes the most sense to offer you a valid comparison.
Design and build
When it comes to the design of a website, it’s pretty much the be-all and end-all, right? Your design and its coding will ultimately dictate all of the deciding factors of your online success. From website speed to usability and functionality, so let’s start here.
Wix, as an all-in-one option, has a vast amount of flexible design templates for you to get your teeth stuck into. The beauty of Wix lies in how simply it can be tweaked as the drag and drop usability can pretty much be used by anyone.
The WordPress website theme directory, on the other hand, has thousands of downloadable free templates meaning the starting point is almost entirely up to the business. If you’re looking for something even jazzier, there are theme stores that sell high end, premium themes at an extra cost. So, depending on your business, you can start wherever you want. Yes, the themes are a little trickier to edit but not much, although if you’re steering away from building yourself, web designers can use WordPress to create something entirely bespoke. The choice is yours.
Sales and marketing functionality
One of the things you should know from the start is whether your web building platform has the capabilities that your business requires. For example, can it host an eCommerce website and are there marketing and sales add-ons to improve functionality.
Within the eCommerce package Wix offers, you can maintain and manage a large number of products and media on your site. Wix has improved vastly in the last few years when it comes to offering eCommerce functionality and is undoubtedly an option for those looking to do things cheaper.
However, the clunkiness of the offering can seem off-putting, and it takes a certain amount of know-how to operate all of the POS features within Wix eCommerce.
Strictly speaking, a WordPress website doesn’t automatically have eCommerce functionality. Still, due to an endless amount of plug-ins, you have some of the best options in the market available to you, notably Shopify and WooCommerce. The truth is once you have either of these plug-ins up and running, the eCommerce world is at your fingertips. Such is the power of Shopify and WooCommerce; your WordPress website will have everything from POS features to offline sales features and everything in-between and the click of an integration.
Pricing
So, here comes the big one, not the famous Blackpool rollercoaster, but the price point of the platforms.
It’s free to get up and running on Wix and have a play around with some of the features. Of course, it doesn’t stay that way for long, and if you want any true flexibility and if you’re going to be involved in the online world, it’s going to cost a little more than that. With packages that range up to the Business VIP package at £19 PCM, you’ll have to make a call on the one that suits you. The truth is Wix is cheap and cheerful whilst also having some great options to try out.
A WordPress website differs in that there are multiple costs you need to think about unless, of course, you use a web design agency…
If you want to do it yourself and superpower your site, you’ll be looking at a monthly payment of £47 monthly for one of the eCommerce plug-ins. You’ll also have to consider the hosting of the site itself, which can vary depending on who you use and whether you use shared hosting or dedicated hosting. Also, the best plug-ins are around £50-£100 per year, so how far you want to go really is up to you.
As a web design agency, we champion honesty and integrity in every job and make sure our clients understand every process thoroughly. When it comes to a WordPress website or Wix, there really is only one winner, and this is primarily because Wix websites feel homemade, which in this age isn’t a good thing for growing your business. WordPress websites on the other hand, allow you to build something brilliantly bespoke to capture the attention of your potential customers.
At Create8, we have web design at our very core, and in the past year have had the opportunity to work with some fabulous companies to help build their online home. If you visit our website, you’ll find numerous websites we have built across varied sectors and get to understand just how much we enjoy what we do.
So, there’s no time to waste! Follow the link below, hook up with Create8, and let’s get building your dream website today!
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