Wix vs WordPress - which website platform is best for your small business?

Every small business owner worth their salt knows that a website is a must-have for modern day operations.  

Even if you only use it to highlight your opening hours and contact details, it’s vital that your customers can find you online, both so they can learn about your business, and so they can verify that you’re an authentic company.  

The question most small owners are faced with is: Wix or WordPress? 

Both options are website building platforms, and both offer great tools for business owners to build and showcase their brands. So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each.  

The case for using Wix 

Wix is renowned for being the go-to website builder for beginners. It is incredibly easy to set up pages exactly how you want them – and even better, it comes with a vast library of design templates to get you started if you’re unsure how you want your website to look.  

You can simply drag and drop elements, change the colours, switch out the images, add links, and so much more.  

Of course, all the basics you need are there as well, including SEO tools, e-commerce plug-ins, and mobile optimization.  

The free, entry-level plan is ideal for businesses on a budget, although keep in mind that the free plan does not include the e-commerce function of being able to sell products or services online and take payments. That said, the basic e-commerce plan is only CAD$27 per month.  

Wix cons 

One of the biggest downsides of Wix is that if you one day outgrow the platform, you won’t be able to easily transfer everything over. Instead, you’ll need to essentially start over with your new platform, as there’s no option to automatically shift everything across.  

Another con of Wix is that you can’t use third-party apps or plug-ins. This shouldn’t be an issue for simple websites, but can be a problem if you’re looking for more advanced capabilities like drop-shipping.  

Finally, one of business’ biggest complaints about Wix is that it’s not ideal for large-scale websites. If you plan to grow your business to have numerous product categories, online sales, and all the bells and whistles, Wix might not be your best bet for the long term.  

The case for using WordPress 

WordPress is the world’s biggest website platform, and is home to many of the most well-known brand websites on the planet.  

This platform also has a free entry-level plan, as well as a range of paid plans (starting at $5 per month), making this an affordable option for small businesses.  

While not quite as simple as Wix, it’s still very easy to learn and use. It is highly intuitive, and users can always explore video tutorials for any technical challenges.  

WordPress is known for being highly beneficial for SEO, as it is built with optimization in mind, and with its huge userbase around the world, it’s easy to find online help for any questions you might have. 

Yet one of the biggest positives of the WordPress platform is that it’s opensource. This means you can use any plug-in or app with it, allowing all sorts of additional extensions to your site, from e-commerce tools to advanced contact forms and more.  

WordPress Cons 

Building a basic website with WordPress is relatively easy, and anyone with a bit of computer savvy can figure it out. However, building anything more complicated will either take time and something of a learning curve, or hiring a professional to make those changes.  

The flexibility of WordPress, while a major positive, can also be a negative if not maintained. Adding a lot of plug-ins, or not configuring them all properly, can slow down the website and cause a loss of SEO scores. Plus, more plug-ins mean more updates and maintenance to keep everything running smoothly and securely.  

Should you use Wix or WordPress for your small business website? 

Ultimately, both Wix and WordPress are great options for small business owners, so you truly can’t go wrong.  

That said, Wix may be the better choice for business owners looking for something simple, easy to set up, and easy to run. This is especially true if you don’t imagine your business growing into a large e-commerce site down the road.  

Meanwhile, WordPress may be the better choice for business owners looking for something more customized, or a website that they intend to grow to a large scale. If you imagine bringing someone in to build or grow your site eventually, this could be the better pick.  

Got more questions? Community Futures Howe Sound is here with free business advice for small business owners in the Sea to Sky. We can talk you through everything from marketing to HR, business efficiency to budgeting. Set up a free, no-strings-attached business advice session with us here.