Be aware that what you are getting into before choosing WordPress or any other CMS.
These are top 10 things to know to when you compare, WordPress vs wix, webflow, squarespace, webflow.
1. Customization : WordPress is the most customizable cms out there. If you compare it with any other platform like webflow, wix, shopify, square space or any other platform WordPress is the most customizable. For a WordPress website, you need hosting and you host all the files and databases on your hosting, so you have the flexibility to customize anything you wish for.
2. Security : To keep your WordPress website safe you need a security plugin. Where in other cms now a days like wix, webflow or shopify, it’s them who keep the website secure. If you want to take your WordPress security to the next level, consider implementing Cloudflare.
3. SEO: A lot of people say that some platforms are better for SEO and some are not as good. Well, this is not true. Because the SEO and google ranking of your website depends on the content and structure of your website. if you have high-quality content and your website is organized well then no matter which platform you choose your website will consistently rank higher on search engines.
4. Drag and drop page builder: So a fresh WordPress installation is not so easy to create a website using drag and drop. Whereas other platforms are better at creating websites by drag and drop. The default WordPress installation comes with Block builder, but it is not very great. So what you can do you can install a free plugin like elementor/ Divi builder / Wp bakery builder or beaver builder. Which are almost as good as other platforms and you can create your whole website with drag and drop without any knowledge of coding.
5. Pricing: WordPress is a open source CMS so you can create a website for free without any doubt. But to put that website online you need a Domain name and hosting. You can book a domain name for a few dollars per year and basic good website hosting for 2 dollars a month. Whereas other platforms are pricier and have monthly recurring costs to create websites with them.
6. Time to Kickstart: Well, no matter, if you use WordPress, wix, webflow, shopify or Squarespace all, contains ready-to-use templates. The best part of WordPress is that you can have many beautiful templates for free. For example, if you use starter templates you can use all these templates for free on your website. Whereas in other page builders the free themes are very limited, and even the premium themes are very expensive. They can be up to 350 USD for a single theme. Where if you buy a WordPress theme, you can find a good theme for 70 USD.
7. Maintenance: So WordPress maintenance is a little hard as you need to update your plugin, themes, and WordPress version from time to time. These new versions keep the website safe and get access to new features. Whereas in other platforms you do not have this constant hassle. But that is a good thing because WordPress is regularly updated with security fixes and new features, ensuring that users have access to the latest technology.
8. Plugins: WordPress has a large repository of plugins that can be used to add new features and functionality to your site. Be mindful of the plugins you choose, as too many can slow down your site and impact performance.
9. Page Speed: Site speed is important for user experience and search engine optimization (SEO). Choose a hosting provider with fast server speeds, optimize images, and minimize the use of plugins that slow down your site. in WordPress you have so much flexibility to make your website score high in page speed, whereas in other CMS your options are limited.
10. Backps: So in wordpress the backups are not automatic, depending on your hosting provider you can have or cannot have daily / regular backups. whereas in other platforms you have regular backups. But in WordPress, you can use some free plugins and create daily backups, or most of the time you can use the hosting backups if the options provided by the host.
11. Community / Support: There is no official support for WordPress. Where other platforms provide support in case something bad happens on your website. However, WordPress has a large community of users and developers, making it easy to find support and resources when needed. Even you can contact your host provider in case of some issues or the theme provider in case you bought a theme or a plugin. Rest there is a huge form for wordpress support where you can get the support but not as good as these other paid CMS’s.
