You’ve probably seen ads on the TV or online encouraging you to build your website using a free website builder. Those ads tell you how cheap and easy it is to launch a website and that you don’t need any technical expertise. Why, then, do website designers advise you to use WordPress?

It is technically possible to create and launch a website using a proprietary website builder like Wix or Weebly. Doing so, however, limits your options plus there is little flexibility and the result won’t look professional.

Here are some of the main differences between using WordPress or using a proprietary website builder.

Features

Proprietary website builders have apps, add-ons, and plugins, but nowhere close to as many as WordPress has.

In addition, as WordPress is open source, your designer can code your website to do almost anything you want, even if no suitable plugin exists. In other words, they can create a new plugin, customise an existing plugin, or use other techniques to give you the functionality you require. This is not possible on platforms like Wix or Weebly.

Design

There are 100s of templates to choose from on proprietary website builders including, on some platforms, high-quality premium templates. It is also possible to do some limited customisations on these templates.

However, there are 1,000s of templates available on WordPress, both free and premium. In addition, your website designer will be able to customise your template any way you want.

Ease of Use

It is harder to create a website with WordPress. This is because you must customise templates, add and customise plugins, organise hosting, and more. Of course, the result is a much more powerful website, but some technical expertise is required to get there.

That said, adding content to a WordPress website is just as easy as adding content to a website builder like Wix or Weebly.

What does this mean in practice? When you use a professional website designer, you won’t have to worry about the complexity of setting up a website in WordPress as your designer will already have the necessary skills. Plus, as has been already said, you will get a much better result and you will benefit from how easy it is to add content to WordPress.

Flexibility

One of the reasons proprietary website builders are so easy to use is they severely restrict flexibility. Some are more flexible today than they used to be, but they are nowhere near as flexible as WordPress. Here are some examples of the differences in flexibility:

• It’s easier to change the design of a WordPress website – you just change the theme.
• You have greater flexibility in the features you can add to a WordPress website as well as how those features look and work.
• There is greater control over how to set up and run an eCommerce store built in WordPress. For example, Wix offers limited payment processor options whereas you can choose whatever payment platform you want with WordPress.
• You are locked-in when you use a website builder. This means you usually have to start again if you want to move to a new platform. This is not the case with WordPress.

eCommerce

Most propriety website builders will offer some eCommerce functionality, although sometimes there are additional charges. That functionality is usually only suitable for small operations and, as has already been mentioned, there is not much flexibility.

With WordPress, however, you can create any type of eCommerce website you need adding whatever functionality you want.

Which Should You Choose?

Your website is more than a shop window for your brand. Instead, it is a powerful tool that, when used right, will generate leads, win new customers, and increase the profitability of your business. It is, therefore, important you invest properly in getting a professional website. That means using a website designer and building the website in WordPress. When you do this, your website will deliver long-term results for your business.