WordPress or a custom website: what suits a Central Coast business?

Ask most web designers on the Central Coast what they build with and the answer is WordPress. It powers a huge share of the web, and it's a reasonable choice for many businesses. But it isn't the only option, and it isn't always the cheapest over time.

Where WordPress makes sense

• You want thousands of ready-made plugins and themes

• You plan to publish lots of blog posts every week

• You have someone on hand to install updates and fix conflicts

Where WordPress costs you

• Updates. WordPress, its theme and every plugin need regular updates. Skip them and your site becomes a target.

• Speed. Heavy themes and plugins slow pages down, especially on a phone.

• Breakage. One plugin update can break your layout or your contact form.

• Security. Most small business site hacks come through out-of-date plugins.

What a custom website is

A custom website is built just for your business, with only the parts it needs. Pages are prepared in advance, so they load fast and there's very little to attack. You still get an editor to change your words, photos and prices yourself.

Side by side

• Speed: custom sites are usually much faster

• Security: custom sites have far less to attack and fewer updates

• Editing: both can be easy, if the editor is set up well

• Cost to build: similar for a small business site

• Cost to keep: custom sites usually need less upkeep

Which should you choose?

If you want a huge plugin library and have someone to maintain it, WordPress is fine. If you want a fast, secure site that you can edit yourself and mostly forget about, a custom site is often the better choice.

Talk it through

I design and build custom websites for businesses in Gosford, Erina, Terrigal, The Entrance and across the NSW Central Coast, and I've moved sites off WordPress and Joomla without losing their Google rankings. See my web development service or tell me about your current site.