WordPress Vs. Wix Vs Squarespace: Which Should You Choose?

The days of needing a fancy web designer with years of coding experience to make a killer website are gone. Nowadays, business owners don’t need to know the difference between CSS and HTML, which is amazing. Platforms like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace have changed the game. Depending on how tech-savvy you are, you could build a simple, high-impact website for your business in a week.

But with so many site builder options to choose from, where should you begin? Short answer- it depends! But we promise that if you stick with us, we’ll walk you through the key factors of each platform, and the pros and cons, so you can make the best choice for you and your business. Let’s dive in!

Wix

Wix is one of the largest site builder platforms in the industry and hosts a jaw-dropping 160 million websites. It was originally founded in 2006 as an Adobe Flash-based website but phased into an HTML5-based platform back in 2012 to keep up with the skyrocketing popularity of the iPhone. 

Pros

• Drag and drop interface: Users don’t need to know the in’s and outs of coding. Building a site is as easy as clicking and placing features on the page. 
• Good site speed: Google Analytics proves that slow websites don’t perform anywhere near as well in page ranking as fast loading sites. Quick loading speeds, means your visitors won’t get frustrated and leave before you’ve hooked them.
• Large collection of eye-catching templates: Wix has over 500 amazing templates, so you don’t have to build your website from scratch.
• Incredible customer service: With Wix, you never have to feel like you’re in this alone. If you have a problem, you can always find an answer. They’ll even include video tutorials as an a bonus.

Cons

• Templates are not interchangeable: We like to tell our clients to pick their templates carefully because once you do, changing to another template is a bit of a hassle. Other website builders will seamlessly transfer the content. Unfortunately, with Wix, you’ll have to manually shift all your content to the new template.
• Free-mium features: The free option includes Wix branding. Their header is at the very top of your page as an ad, which is a little tacky. Also, if you want access to how your website is doing with options like tracking and analytics, you’ll have to pay for that, sis.
• Site isn’t transferable: It’s very common to build a website, and then later find you want to move it. Often, it’s because site owners grow out of the capabilities. However, if you’re going to move your site, you’ll have to cough up some serious cash or spend a lot of “wo-man hours” to recreate and transfer your site. 
• Premium plans are single-site only: Premium features aren’t transferable. Basically, you buy it for one site, and it has to stay there.

Wix has incredible features, and it’s visual templates make it ideal for small business owners, restaurants, and artists. What it lacks in flexibility, it makes up for in ease of use. 

WordPress

WordPress has blossomed from its humble beginnings as a blogging platform in 2003, to powering over 34% of websites on the internet. It’s arguably the most flexible website building on the market. 

Pros

• SEO Ready: WordPress offers everything you need to make sure your website lands at the top spot in a Google search.
• Great for eCommerce sites: If you’re a mogul with a budding online shop, then you should definitely consider using WordPress. They have plugins like WooCommerce to make sure you direct buyers to your online store and convert traffic into dollars and cents.
• Ease of transition: WordPress is an open-source platform, which is a fancy way of saying it’s extremely easy to transition between different designers and different platforms.
• Social Media Friendly: WordPress has an impressive approach to social media integration. You don’t have to waste time logging into your Facebook business page every time you want to share fresh content from your site to your followers. You can do it all in one click.
• Endless Plugins: It seems like every week a new plugin is launched. Whatever you need for your site you better believe there’s a plugin for it! Whether it’s adding a Paypal button, hello bar, social media icons, lead capture, you name it they have it!
• Thousands of Themes: Developers and web designers tend to design their own themes and sell them. If you type in “WordPress Themes for __________” hundreds of links will pop up with different options. These themes can be anywhere from $30 – $300.Cons

• Does not cater to beginners: While WordPress always provides updates, some of these updates require users to have a keen understanding of web design to implement. Aspects like design, development, and maintenance can be pretty tricky to pull off if you don’t have a strong background in web development and marketing. 
• Free-mium feature: Even though the WordPress platform is free, users end up having to pay for features and tools like themes and plugins to actually create a solid website.
• Security: In the past, WordPress has been a prime target for cybercriminals. In fact, one of our Social Pop Content Writers built her first portfolio site on WordPress, only to find out it had been hacked on Christmas! 
• Poor Customer Service: Don’t expect a lot of hand-holding if you run into an issue. Most WordPress users end up having to rely on scouring online forums for solutions.

Whether you choose WordPress.com, the free site, or WordPress.org with your own website hosting service, you’ll love the limitless options. It’s an excellent choice for tech-savvy entrepreneurs and web developers.

Squarespace

Squarespace positions itself as the go-to website builder for portfolio sites, blogs, and online stores. Chances are if you’re an avid podcast listener like we are, then you’ve probably heard about it and even been tempted by an offer code.

Pros

• Impressive catalog of templates: You can always upload your own design, but Squarespace has over 100 professional templates for you to make your own.
• Blogging feature: It has some of the most extensive features for building successful and interactive blogs. There’s an extensive commenting feature, you can schedule your posts, and it can manage multiple authors.
• All-in-One Platform: Everything in Squarespace is owned and developed by them,  which means users don’t have to worry about whether their favorite apps or extensions are compatible. You can spend less time researching or troubleshooting and more time designing.
• Customer Support: Squarespace is one of the few site builders that offers 24/7 customer support via live chats and email tickets. Not to mention then have a huge collection of video walkthroughs and guides, so you’re never lost.

Cons

• Marketing tools: Once you build your dream site, there aren’t a lot of tools for helping you get the word out to potential clients and customers.
• Does not favor third party apps and extensions: Squarespace allows you to use 3rd party features, just don’t expect there to be a lot of help if you’d like to integrate it with your site. You’ll need to hire a savvy developer for that.
• Not ideal for novices: While Squarespace is a drag and drop platform, tasks like editing, adding content, creating new pages, and tweaking your template can be pretty frustrating. Expect to spend a few hours trying to find YouTube tutorials.
• eCommerce Limitations: Squarespace has a long way to go in the eCommerce industry to catch up with rivals like Shopify or Bigcommerce. 

Squarespace is ideal for business owners who want to snag more leads, share content with their customers, and also sell a few pieces of merch on the side.

Now we understand regardless of which platform is for you, you just might not have the time or the creativity to build your own site, but that’s what we’re here for!