Creating a website is not a walk in the park. First, you have to figure out some stuff, such as your requirements for the website. When it comes to developing a website, there are two main options: WordPress or custom web design. Both have their pros and cons, so it can be tough to decide which one is the best option for your business. This blog post will compare WordPress and custom web design and help you decide which option is suitable for your needs.
Difference between WordPress website and Custom Web Design
Deciding between a custom web design and a WordPress website depends on business needs. Both custom coding and WordPress offer different benefits, and both have their limitations as well. The following comparison between WordPress and custom web design will help you determine what you want in your website. You can then decide which way to go.
Website design using WordPress
It is an excellent choice for those who want to get their website up and work quickly. WordPress offers ease of installation, and it is free of cost. Furthermore, it has a large number of customizable themes. You can also customize the code yourself if you have basic coding knowledge.
Additionally, WordPress offers many plugins that can be used to add functionality and additional features to your website.
WordPress is a widely used platform for custom web design. Nearly a third of all websites on the internet are developed using WordPress, so you will be able to find plenty of support online if you need it.
Pros and Cons of using WordPress website
WordPress is a famous open-source CMS (Content Management System) that covers more than half of the CMS market share. It is often used to build blogs, websites of small businesses, and eCommerce sites/stores.
However, there are also some disadvantages to using WordPress to develop your site. Let’s explore the major pros and cons of WordPress.
Pros of using WordPress
Affordability: The most significant benefit of WordPress is that it is free of cost and can be downloaded from their website. It also comes with thousands of custom themes that are easy to install and customize according to your business needs. Moreover, WordPress Management is also easy.
Ease of Use: WordPress has a user-friendly interface that allows you to build custom page posts and add custom plugins with ease.
SEO: WordPress is an excellent platform for SEO because it makes it easy to add custom titles, keywords, and descriptions to your web pages.
Cons of using WordPress
Security: Since it’s open-source, anyone can access the code and create custom plugins that can be used to hack into your website.
Performance: WordPress sites tend to load slower than custom-coded websites because they are built with custom themes and plugins that take up much space on your server.
Customization: WordPress does not allow for customization beyond custom themes and plugins. If you need more custom code or design elements, you will have to hire a developer to help you out.
Website using Custom Web Design
Custom web design can be a great option if you want total control over your website’s design and functionality. However, it requires more technical knowledge to code for customization. You need to have coding knowledge to achieve your desired design and functionality. You will also need to know how to set up hosting and a custom domain name.
It is also important to remember that custom coding will take longer than WordPress. It can be difficult to find custom web designers who are willing to work with you on a custom project. Custom web design is an excellent choice if you want a custom website that is not limited by features or functionality like WordPress or any other platform.
Furthermore, custom web design can be a great option if you want total control over your website’s design and functionality. However, unlike WordPress, you will have to be patient with custom website development.
Pros and Cons of Custom Web Design
Custom coding can be a great option if you want total control over how your website operates and what it offers. However, like WordPress, it has its pros and cons. So, let’s have a look at them.
Pros of custom coding
Customizability: Custom web design offers much flexibility, and you have the freedom to build your website the way you want it without any limitations.
Security: Since custom web design is not open source, it is more secure than WordPress.
Performance: Custom-coded websites often load faster than WordPress sites because they are not as bloated with custom themes and plugins.
Cons of custom coding
Expensive: Custom coding is not free, and it can be costly to hire a developer to help you create your custom website.
Technical Knowledge: To custom code your website, you will need some technical knowledge of HTML and CSS. If this sounds like much hassle, then custom coding may not be the best option for you.
Difficult to maintain: If something goes wrong with your custom-coded website, it can be challenging to find a developer who can help you troubleshoot the issue. Moreover, this maintenance will also cost you extra money.
Which one is best for your business?
So, which is better for your business website? WordPress or custom coding? If you want a custom website that is not limited by the features or functionality of WordPress or any other platform, custom coding is an excellent choice.
However, custom coding can be costly and difficult to maintain. WordPress is an incredible platform for developing a website if you want the ease of development. Also, if you don’t wish to custom coding but still want custom functionality or design elements, WordPress is the answer.
WordPress vs Custom Web Design: Website SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process that can boost the ranking of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s an essential and decisive factor that can help you in making a decision.
WordPress SEO Features
When it comes to SEO, WordPress offers many features that can help you improve your website’s ranking.
First and foremost, WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS). This means that your website’s content is managed by WordPress, which means it’s easy to update your site with new content and pages as needed.
WordPress also comes with built-in SEO features like custom meta tags and custom post types, which can be used to improve SEO. These features are easy to use and don’t require any technical knowledge.
Additionally, WordPress is a top-rated platform, and because of this, there are many SEO plugins available that can help you improve your website’s SEO. These plugins are easy to install, and they offer a variety of features that can help you improve your website’s ranking.
Some important WordPress SEO features include:
- The ability to add custom titles, meta descriptions, and alt tags to your images.
- You can create custom URLs for each page on your website with the help of custom permalinks.
- The ability to customize metadata to your pages and posts.
- You can use canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content warnings from Google and other search engines.
- The ability to create custom 404 pages with custom content if someone tries accessing your website but cannot find it.
Custom Coding SEO Features
Custom coding offers much flexibility, and you have the freedom to build your website the way you want. When it comes to SEO, custom coding provides various features that aid in boosting your website’s ranking.
Custom coding is not open source, ensuring higher security than WordPress. In addition, custom websites often load faster than WordPress sites because they are not stuffed with custom themes and plugins.
One of the main advantages of custom coding is total control over your website’s design, structure, and functionality.
Recommendations: With a fast process and thousands of free optimization plugins available, WordPress has an edge in SEO. But, again, it comes to your personal preference and requirements.
FAQs
Is it better to make your website or use WordPress?
The answer to this question depends on your needs and your budget. If you are looking for a simple website that will showcase your business or personal portfolio, WordPress is a good option because it’s easy to use and relatively affordable.
However, if you need more customization or features, a custom web design may be better.
Ultimately, the best option for you depends on your preferences and budget. WordPress is a good option if you are comfortable designing and building a website yourself. But if you don’t have the time or money to invest in a custom design, plenty of good web design firms can help you get the website you need.
Do professional web designers use WordPress?
WordPress is an excellent platform for creating simple websites, but it’s not as versatile as custom design. Professional web designers will often use WordPress to create a website quickly, but then they’ll use custom code to add features and make modifications that aren’t possible with WordPress alone.
So the answer is yes and no – most professional web designers will use WordPress for some projects, but they’ll also use a custom design for more complex or specific needs.
Is WordPress losing popularity?
WordPress is not losing popularity, but more custom design options are becoming available. WordPress is a popular platform because it is user-friendly and affordable. However, custom design options are becoming more popular because they can be tailored to fit the client’s specific needs.
In general, custom designs are more professional and high-quality than WordPress websites. However, custom designs can be expensive and require higher technical knowledge.
Conclusion
Custom coding can be an excellent option for those who want bespoke websites with custom functionality and design. However, WordPress is a CMS that allows rapid and easy development without being too heavy on your pocket. Both these options cater to different requirements.
So, WordPress vs Custom Web Design? We hope our comparison can help you make an informed decision now. Read about Website Maintenance here.
