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Wix OR WordPress ?
Wix OR WordPress… a question that arises for many potential website owners. There are tons of website platforms out there but Wix VS. WordPress is a highly debated topic.
Wix – Drag & Drop Website Builder
WordPress – Powerful Blogging and Website Content Management System
(wix.com, wordpress.org)
Wix
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No Coding Required
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Dedicated Support Team
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Closed Platform
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Wix Built in SEO
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$5 – $25 Per Month
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Wix App Market
WordPress
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No Coding Required but not a simple “drag and drop” builder
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No Dedicated Support Team
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Open Source Platform
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Yoast SEO
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$3 – $30 Per Month (depending on host)
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Thousands of Theme Options (premium & free)
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Unlimited Plugins
Now lets decipher what these things actually mean.
No Coding knowledge is required for either of these platforms but Wix is as simple as “drag and drop” where as WordPress is a bit of a learning curve.
Wix has a dedicated support team because they are a closed platfrom, meaning everything you do as a wix customer is handled through the Wix team. That also means no touching their code.
WordPress does not have a dedicated support team because they are an open source platform, meaning plugins, themes, extra functionality, cool features, etc. can all be done by other developers or even yourself. That also means you have access to all of their code making WordPress websites the best option for anyone that wants advanced features or a very unique look. Although they don’t have a dedicated support team they do have a huge community form and WordPress developers are never far out of reach since the platform is so popular.
WordPress requires a web host where as Wix is their own host. A host is basically where all of your information is stored.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) A.K.A. how people find you organically through google is present on both platforms BUT WordPress offers Yoast SEO and a great core storage system for Google rankings where as Wix has their own basic SEO features.
Yoast SEO has a big reputation for being the best of the best when it comes to SEO and I must admit it works wonders! WordPress is also the best out of almost all website platforms in terms of how they store your content for google rankings. WordPress sites are designed with proper html markup, use SEO-friendly permalinks, proper title tags and headings, and further optimization of images using alt tags & descriptions.
Wix has worked on their SEO strategies over the years but still isn’t ready to compete with an SEO monster like WordPress.
WordPress has been around so long that there are thousands of premium themes (website design templates) available for purchase through WordPress or Third Party developers. Many people purchase themes and hire a web designer such as myself to apply extra code to customize it even further.
Wix does have an easy “drag and drop” builder but without access to their code many customization’s are out of reach for Wix users.
Apps or Plugins (extended features) are available for both Wix and WordPress BUT again, since WordPress is an open source software there are thousands of plugins for WordPress where as Wix only has the Wix App Market available for extended features.
If you have a WordPress site and want a very specific plugin (extended feature) you can hire your own developer to design a plugin to do exactly what you want! Although the type of plugin you need probably already exists. The only downfall to using plugins is learning how to avoid the poorly built ones. If you accidentally come into contact with a poorly built plugin it has the potential to damage your site.
My Experience:
I have worked with loads of clients who designed a Wix site and later down the road had to move all of their content and domain name to WordPress because they realized Wix didn’t provide the customization and features needed to fully express their brand. Moving an already built site is a HASSLE, you not only have to transfer the domain name and content but ensure all of your old links are redirected properly. On top of all that your SEO has a big chance of dropping during this move.
Not only do clients move from Wix to WordPress because of feature & customization limitations but for SEO purposes as well. As I mentioned earlier, WordPress has one of the best storage systems for google rankings on top of offering the Yoast SEO plugin which can really benefit a website.
If you’re still deciding on which platform to use, ask yourself these questions:
– Do I want people to easily find my site on google?
– Do I want to have a super customized site to match my brand?
– Do I want to be able to add certain features later down the road?
If you answered yes to any of these, WordPress is the way to go. Yes it is a learning curve but it’s worth it. If learning WordPress is too time consuming for you, that’s why I’m here! To offer my web design services that not only ensure the best SEO practices but a user friendly navigation, mobile optimization, and brand consistency.
I don’t believe Wix is beneficial to any brand which is why I only offer WordPress & Squarespace web design.
If you really don’t have the time to learn WordPress and aren’t willing to invest in your business just yet, Wix might be doable. BUT remember, if you end up realizing you need more customization & features that Wix doesn’t provide later down the road, it’s going to be a huge hassle to move your site (web designers also charge extra to do this).
#teamwordpress
February 12, 2019
