There are so many companies, options, platforms and advertising campaigns trying to get you to lean one way or another… it’s easy to be overwhelmed.
I want a website but I don’t know where to start…
With the Internet today, most options have boiled down to three basic paths: web builder, WordPress, or custom.
Web Builder
Web builder is an industry term for an all-in-one product that provides you with the hosting, templates, user interface and additional features (backups or SSL).
There are quite a few web builders out there, and most companies have some form or fashion; Wixx and SquareSpace are among many that give you a complete website offering.
The good:
It’s everything all together in one package (depending on tier). They are usually pretty bulletproof so you don’t have to worry about updates or patches. They usually have a lot of bundled features or API connections to external sources.
The bad:
Web builders are usually proprietary so there’s no importing or exporting. You are a captive customer and you are locked into paying that company for the web builder as long as you would like it to stay live. They can be rigid and you only have the options that are provided.
Summary:
If you want the site to be live and you don’t want to worry about updates or maintenance then you should get a web builder product. There are a lot and each company offers different features. You should take the time to list the things you need and don’t need to make sure you’re starting down a path that leads you to success. Because each web builder needs to be set up without a direct import or export it can take more time up front to set up.
If you don’t want to be restricted by a captive product and you need more options to customize your build then you’ll look to WordPress next.
WordPress
WordPress runs a LOT of the internet. You’d be surprised how many of the websites you visit are actually some form of WordPress.
What is WordPress?
WordPress started as a simple blogging platform; but they did such a good job with the dash and the features that it grew and evolved. Because you can install external “plugins” that add functionality, WordPress can become just about anything you need it to be. It is essentially the Swiss-army-knife website platforms.
Now… with all those options and plugins comes the complication of updates and management.
Same goes with the themes and visual instructions… you can pretty much build out whatever features you’d like… with the complexity as a trade off for the ease of management.
I am a WordPress purist and simplest. I like as few moving parts as possible. This robust CMS can do a lot of things and has gotten more and more dependable in the past few years.
Previously…. You didn’t touch or even breath on your WordPress for fear of something breaking. Now-a-days you if you update your plugins and themes a few times a month and stay on major core updates and php version… your WordPress should just chug along and last. Ignoring your WordPress will cause an issue. You just have to maintain things.
There are two options for this solution.
Managed WordPress Hosting
Form function hosting for a single installation of WordPress with some features.
Web Dev Hosting (shared or server)
This is your fully functional hosting product with a dashboard for you and your web dev to manage as your project needs.
Custom Builds
If you don’t go with a web builder product or WordPress… then you’re either using some legacy build, some new fringe build or your web developer knows how to build things from scratch.
For this you’ll need the shared hosting/server solution for your files to be loaded and referenced by the traditional website protocols.
Because this site is for mid to lower skilled web devs if you need something custom then you’re in the wrong place. You need to find an accredited professional to suite your needs; but keep in mind, you get what you pay for.