Creating a website is the first step to building an online presence. For a non-technical person, it can be confusing to decide how to get started. There are so many platforms for website development.
It means anyone with zero coding knowledge can also build a website in no time. Platforms like WordPress have made web development really easy.
WordPress powers about 43.2% of all websites on the internet. Does that mean building a custom website is not worth it?
No, that’s not true. Whether you should build a WordPress website or a custom website (HTML, CSS, JS) depends on your needs. There’s no right answer for all. For some people, WordPress could be the right choice, while for others, custom web development could be better.
To help you select to choose the right one, here we will compare both.
WordPress
WordPress.org is the most popular open-source CMS (content management system) platform on the web. It can create all types of websites like blog websites, business websites, portfolio websites, eCommerce websites, etc.
WordPress is known for its flexibility and customizability. Unlike custom website development, you don’t need to have programming skills to build a WordPress website.
WordPress offers a huge number of themes and plugins so you can add the design and functionality of your choice without coding. As a result, it can save you a lot of time.
That’s one of the reasons why most people nowadays use WordPress for website development.
Advantages of WordPress
Here are the benefits of using WordPress for website development:
- Ease of use: This is one of the main reasons why most people prefer WordPress over any other platform and custom website development. Even if you have no programming knowledge, you can build a beautiful-looking website using WordPress.
- Wide range of plugins: Another good thing about building a WordPress website is it provides access to a wide range of plugins. Using the right plugins, you can add desired features and functionality to your website.
- Cost-efficient: If you don’t want to spend too much money on building a website, WordPress can be the right choice. You will only need a domain name and web hosting provider to get started. The platform is open-source so it’s entirely free.
- Customization: With WordPress, you can choose from a wide range of pre-built themes. You can customize your theme as per your needs without messing with coding.
- SEO-ready: WordPress allows you to build search engine optimized website in no time. Most WordPress themes are SEO-friendly. Also, you will find various SEO plugins using which you can improve your site’s search rankings.
Disadvantages of WordPress
Here are the cons of creating a website using WordPress:
- Security issues: Security is the main reason why many large enterprises create a custom website instead of using WordPress. WordPress websites are often easy targets for hackers.
- Not custom: Although WordPress has so many themes, it lacks design and customizability. You cannot add complex features and functionality to the website.
Custom Website Development
WordPress is the best solution for most businesses, but not for all. For some businesses, it may not deliver what the business needs. In such cases, it is a good idea to build the website from scratch.
While it is a time-consuming process, the good thing about custom website development is it provides great control. When it comes to customization, you won’t be limited to a pre-built theme. You can customize and design the website as per your needs.
Another upside of custom web development is security. As WordPress is used by more people, it is more prone to getting hacked. Hackers look for security loopholes and attack WordPress websites.
Advantages of Custom Website Development
Here are the benefits of custom website development:
- Security: Though there are many ways to secure a WordPress website, but it can’t match the security level of a custom-built website. When developing a custom website, you will be working on a closed-source network. As a result, it will be less prone to security issues.
- Greater control: WordPress can seem a good solution due to its ease of use, but the problem is it offers limited control as compared to a custom website. On a custom website, you can add your desired functionalities as per your needs.
- Better performance: Another thing you can expect from a custom-built website is, better performance. Though WordPress has so many plugins for speed optimization and performance, it can’t beat the performance level of custom websites.
Disadvantages of Custom Website Development
Here are the cons of creating a custom website:
- Longer development times: The main problem with building a website from scratch is it takes quite a long to develop. With WordPress, you can use a page builder to create a beautiful website in no time, but that’s not the case when you develop a custom website.
- Expensive: Besides longer development duration, high cost is also the disadvantage of custom website development. It’s not like WordPress that purchasing web hosting, domain name, and creating the website with a drag-and-drop tool would do the work. Custom website development is perfect for large enterprises with big budgets.
Final Thoughts
If you are confused between WordPress and custom website, have a clear understanding of your requirements.
Let’s say, if you are a small or small business, your budget won’t be too big. In that case, WordPress is the right choice.
However, if you are a large enterprise and security is your main priority, then it’s definitely worth building a custom website.
If you have any queries regarding web or app development, contact us at support@encircletechnologies.com
support@encircletechnologies.com
Encircle Technologies is an IT company specialising in the Web and Mobile app development services for all types of businesses; small or large, for all business verticals, across the world. We’re proud to say that our team has worked with some truly incredible partners over a short period of time.
