Which website platform should you use to build your website? Here are my top picks…

Which website platform should you use to build your website?

This has to be one of the most common questions I get asked by clients and prospective clients. And here’s the thing - there is no one-size fits all answer.

That’s because everyone has different needs and budgets for their website.

Here is a list of the most common scenarios I come across, and a list of the main website providers I recommend for each scenario…

(PS Before I begin; some of the links in this post are 'affiliate links.' This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission. I am recommending them because I know they are good and I use them in my own business (unless otherwise stated))

This NZ originated company provides spectacularly designed, easy to use website templates that anyone could set up.

The pros are:

• The speed and ease at which you can set up your own website. Seriously, you could build a basic website in a morning if you have an idea of what content you want.
• Your updates are limited to changes you want to make yourself - Rocketspark will take care of all of the security and other updates that need to happen.
• The customer service is fantastic. You can get them on the phone way more easily than other companies. For those of use that like to talk to real people, this is a major plus in my book.
• The SEO is pretty great - I’ve built client websites before for clients with no pre-existing website, that have ranked on the first page on google after only a matter of days. That’s pretty amazing stuff.
• No developers required.
• They offer a 30-day free trial - plenty of time to build your website before you fully commit. You don't even have to enter your credit card to give the trial a go!

Downsides:

• It’s not the cheapest option for a monthly template website (but, that doesn't mean it's not great value).
• Like all templates systems, the options for customising are reasonably fixed.
• Once you’ve built it on Rocketspark, you are limited to staying with Rocketspark
• If you want any significant customisation done, I believe you need to use the Rocketspark team to make the customisation (rather than use any developer you choose)

Try Rocketspark and get 10% off your first month by using my discount coupon HELPFULBRAND against your shopping cart.

The Pros are:

• This US-based provider is super easy and quick to use.
• It’s up there with the most affordable of the template providers (although you will pay in US dollars so factor in the exchange rate if you are not US based).
• The SEO is pretty reputable.
• There are some add-ons available, and lots of things integrate with Squarespace.
• As with Rocketspark, Squarespace deal with all of the security upgrades etc so there’s no ongoing maintenance.
• No developers required. You *can hire a developer. But chances are you won’t need to.

Downsides:

• Like all template systems, the options for customising are fixed.

Firstly, let’s distinguish the difference between WordPress.org (recommended here) and WordPress.com. WordPress.com is where you sign up and the hosting is included. It’s quite similar to going with Rocketspark or Squarespace, except that it’s less intuitive to use and in my opinion, most people would be better off sticking with either Rocketspark or Squarespace.

WordPress.org is where you use the open source WordPress framework, but you choose your host, your theme and your plugins. If I already lost you, stick with me, I’ll explain what all of those things are, and why they might be better for you in the long run.

What is a host?

The host is where you store your website. On Rocketspark and Squarespace, they are also your host. But on WordPress.org you can choose one of a bajillion hosts out there to host your website.

• Their uptime is awesome
• Their speed is awesome.
• The customer service is outstanding.
• I can chat with them on instant chat 24/7.
• Siteground are reliable.
• They are secure.
• Your website gets backed up for you daily. 

What is a theme?

The theme is what makes your website look pretty. It’s a very important decision because it decides how easy it is for you to change the colours, design and customise your website to your needs. It also weighs-in to how fast your website works. There are hundreds of thousands (probably millions) of themes available for WordPress, so it can be overwhelming to choose.

When it comes to themes you have two types to choose from: Free and paid.

Free - If you are a blogger or have a small business, there’s a good chance a free theme will be more than enough for you. Popular ones include Sydney, Shapely and Newspaper X.

But, the downsides of free themes is that they are not necessarily very easy to customise. You may struggle to customise the fonts or colours and layout without needing to hire a developer.

Paid - there are some really crappy paid themes out there, but there are also a lot of extremely great ones.

These are my top picks. I have used all of these extensively and have used them all for my own websites as well as for client websites.

I LOVE Thrive Themes. I now use it for all of the websites that I own and recommend it to all WordPress clients. It’s seriously easy to use, and SO customisable. 

The main thing I like about Thrive Themes is that it's really a one-stop shop for pretty themes and useful plugins. You can use it for a simple website (like my personal blog) to an advanced online school, without needing any other paid plugins. I've used it to build dozens of sites, and the page templates really save a lot of time.

It uses the builder "Thrive Architect" as the theme builder. The main thing I like about that is that you can build pages from the front end and design them as you go. That means that unlike traditional WordPress themes you don’t have to keep saving your work in the back editor and previewing to see what the page looks like (which is what everyone tends not to like about them). Instead, you can see what it looks like as you build it. It’s so visual.

I would say for most businesses, this would be my most highly recommended theme.

 Divi theme is another popular one. I've never grown to love it like I have Thrive Themes. But many of my close friends that are website specialists love Divi. So I have a lot of clients who use it on their sites. I love the fact that you can try Divi for free.

What are plugins:

Plugins are what add functionality, customisation and personality to a website. They allow you to pretty much add anything you want and are the main reason that WordPress websites are so customisable and why I choose to use WordPress over all the template options out there. There are plugins for just about anything:

Taking bookings, having a shopping cart, offering courses, creating membership sites, etc etc. There are paid plugins and free plugins. If you have a unique need, chances are it can be solved with a plugin.

Plugins are gold.Read about my 12 favourite plugins I wouldn't be without here

But beware, there is a dark side to plugins. Plugins can create conflicts between each other, and between your theme, and they rely on the designer of the plugin to keep it updated. If the designer of the plugin doesn’t keep it updated (or you don’t update your version of it) it opens you up to two problems;

1. The plugin may eventually stop working with your version of WordPress
2. The plugin might open you up to security vulnerabilities and allow someone to hack your website.

Bottom line is, when installing plugins, make sure that

• They have great reviews
• They are updated by the developer regularly
• If is is a paid plugin - where possible check that they are compatible with your theme and shopping cart etc... (usually this information can be found on your theme's sales page)

So, to finish, the pros of using WordPress.org are numerous.

Namely the versatility, customisation and ownership that you have on your website.

• If you decide you don’t like your host, you can move to another one overnight and your website will stay largely unaffected.
• You can change your theme if you don't like it
• If you decide you need it to do something else, you can add another plugin.

There are downsides too.

A WordPress website does require regular updating of your WordPress version, theme and plugins. That is something that has to happen manually and with caution. Because sometimes updating plugins can break your site. If that sounds all too hard then one solution is to go with a managed host. WP-engine is the top-rated option

You are responsible for the security of your website. Which is not something to be taken lightly. Over the last 10 years of owning a wordpress website, I've had mine infected with Malware twice.

Luckily, both times I paid Securi to fix it for me. They were lovely to deal with and they fixed it for me overnight. Now I have their plan where if it gets hacked again they’ll fix it again, and their firewall service to prevent infection in the first place. Ahhhh peace of mind.

The costs can creep up

Unlike a template system which most likely has a monthly or annual reliable fee, WordPress websites are more bespoke in their price.

By the time you add up

• The host
• The theme
• The plugins
• Potentially the designer and/or developer (if you are not building it yourself)
• And potentially the security monitoring

It can get expensive.

But, all that aside, WordPress is great and I hope I haven’t put you off. Because with a little effort and understanding it is a highly customisable, versatile platform that will grow with your business.

Kat