If you have spent any time dealing with websites, you have likely heard of WordPress. This wildly popular and flexible content management system (CMS) allows you to build a high-quality website inexpensively and relatively easily. However, like any CMS, WordPress is right for many people, but not right for others. Sometimes, a custom web design service is a better fit. Before you choose WordPress or a custom web design service for your own website, you need to determine which is the right CMS for you. Here are a few factors to consider when deciding between a WordPress website or a custom design.
Customization
One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is the fact that it comes with thousands of plugins and themes that allow you to customize your website. Read about some of the helpful ones here. Almost any functionality you require exists in the form of a plugin that you can add to your WordPress template. This level of customization makes WordPress suitable for a wide variety of websites, from e-commerce sites to nonprofit sites, from small businesses to larger businesses.
At the same time, WordPress does not offer the level of customization available from a custom web design service. Plugins and templates are available to everyone who wants to build their website using this CMS. As a result, you do run the risk that elements of your site, or the themes that you choose, will resemble those of other sites.
It is also possible that your unique needs will exceed or be better served by a design tailored to your business and built from the ground up by a custom web design service. As a result, when you are considering whether WordPress or a custom web design service is the right choice for your website, you should consider how much customization you need and how important it is that every element of your site be uniquely designed for your business.
There is also a need to ensure that your website performs well and loads quickly, and using too many plugins could affect that.
It is also vital to express caution about plugins that you use since there are many buggy ones available, or plugins that can make your website vulnerable to hacking. A website owner who is not a seasoned developer may have a hard time identifying quality options.
Support
Unless you are an IT professional yourself, chances are that you will need support to run your website. When a plugin does not work, a page breaks, or a link goes down, you need to know where to go to get answers quickly. You will also need to know how to run basic maintenance on your site (such as link checks or content updates), or you will need to have people who can help you do so.
When it comes to support, WordPress offers an engaged community of users. Thanks to the fact that it is an open-source CMS, meaning no one person or organization owns the code, this community is vast. The forum users can offer you the answers you need for many of your common support questions. However, it is the sole source of support and guidance regarding your WordPress website. There is no phone number you can call to reach “WordPress” for official tech support. If you are not receiving the expertise of a professional developer, you may have a difficult time relying on an open forum of volunteers.
You will need to possess a certain level of technical knowledge in order to understand and implement the suggestions people provide in the WordPress community. Often, you need to know coding in order to change content or design elements, or repair broken elements of your website. You may not always get the solutions you need as quickly as if you had a customer service number to call.
As a result, while you receive significant support from a WordPress community, you may want to have a WordPress expert on hand to provide the maintenance and support you require, or you may want to use a CMS that comes with built-in customer support.
A custom web design service, on the other hand, typically comes with staffed support. The same company that offers the custom web design service should also offer you tech support for dealing with any issues that arise as a result of failures in your design. As a result, when considering whether a WordPress website or custom web design service is right for your business, you need to consider your level of technical knowledge and access to technical support for any issues you encounter.
Maintenance Requirements
Every website requires maintenance. Installing updates, tweaking design, ensuring that all parts of the site work smoothly, and so forth, are all essential in keeping your site up and running for your customers.
When it comes to WordPress websites, there is a certain amount of maintenance required in the form of regularly released updates that must be installed. In addition, each plugin and theme has certain requirements for maintenance.
When considering whether WordPress is right for your website, you should take into consideration whether you can keep up with its maintenance requirements, or whether you have access to professionals who can do this work for you.
A custom web design service usually offers website maintenance that is part of its support package. This means that part of the support you receive for your site from the custom web design service includes any updates, security checks, or other maintenance you require to keep your site running smoothly and prevent any major issues. There are constantly new plugin upgrades and WordPress software upgrades coming out, and you may not have the time or bandwidth to keep up with the maintenance on your own.
WordPress offers an incredibly versatile CMS for your website. The key is to determine whether its features mesh with your business needs and abilities more than would a custom web design service. In particular, you need to decide if it offers the right level of customization as opposed to a custom web design service, and whether you have access to the professional support and maintenance help you need to keep it up and running smoothly and securely.
If you need to determine whether WordPress is right for your website, or if a custom web design service would work better, do not hesitate to reach out to WEBii. We offer both custom web design services and WordPress development as part of our web development services.
As a result, we can provide the support you need to develop an incredible WordPress site, or we can use our custom web design service to build you a fully tailored site for your business. In addition, we can offer you the professional support and maintenance you need, whether you choose a WordPress site, our custom web design service, or a combination of the two. As a result, we can help you enjoy a successful website that meets your needs.