Let me start by painting a picture. A tech-savvy coding specialist is inspired to create a new website. She hits a magic combination of keys that brings up a bunch of code that looks like the matrix. In thirty minutes flat, she has created a beautiful functioning website.
Wait, that isn’t you? Great, because it isn’t me, either.
Hi! My name’s Malisa Rawlings. I’m a marketing intern at T&S with absolutely no coding or software design experience. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that Tim hasn’t hired any programmers in over a decade!
Looking for a website builder
There are a lot of website builders out there. But when. If you search for the easiest and fastest website builder, two options come up a lot: Wix and WordPress. Both have a reputation for being:
- User-friendly
- Intuitive
- Aesthetically pleasing
However, if this is your first time creating a website, how can you know which one fits your needs best? Easy, just read a blog written by someone who tried to use both.
Hey, that’s me!
A popularity contest
Not that I don’t trust analytics research, but I decided to do my own independent research on website builders. It was clear that many bloggers prefer Wix, stating easier use and viewing.
Then I found that WordPress has more users, which is most likely because it is older. However, Wix is prevalent in almost all Top Ten website-builder blog lists as a Top 5, where WordPress is usually ranked closer to 8 or 9.
With the popularity of each unclear, I decided I would need to test them out myself.
Testing WordPress and Wix
While both processes might have been similar, they were not the same.
Steps for Wix:
- Log in
- Select category
- Type in the website name
- Pick the tabs you want
- Publish
Just like that, you have a website with tabs ready to be edited.
WordPress was a different beast.
When I saw that the WordPress.org website said I would need to download software, I had to switch over to my laptop. There was even an installation guide that I did, in fact, have to read. By this point, I had already spent more time downloading software, reading instructions, and staring at a blank canvas than I had spent creating my own fully functioning website with Wix.
As I discovered, with WordPress, you are designing your own website rather than just editing a pre-made template like Wix. If you appreciate structure in your creativity, this is not that. There is more free rein and more control over how the flow and functionality of your website will run.
So is WordPress better than Wix?
If you want a professional website and are willing to hire a professional to make it happen, WordPress is a lot more powerful. I can see why we use it for most of our clients’ websites.
If, however, you don’t know what you’re doing, want to build your own website, and want the app or website to guide you through the process, Wix is a better choice.
Don’t want to build it yourself?
If you have no desire to build your own website, we would be glad to talk and see if we can help! Just reach out to us, and let’s schedule a call.