In today's market, there are lots of great options for building your website. It's often hard to decide whether to go with a WordPress theme, Joomla site template, or hire a website development company for a truly custom web design. This article takes a closer look at the pros and cons of both options to help you decide which is best for you.
WordPress VS Joomla sites
These template and themes-based platforms appeal to a large audience because they are marketed as free and opensource website builders. But are they really right for you? Check out the pros and cons to see if this option fits your goals.
Pros
- Opensource, free software doesn't cost a dime.
- In a hurry? It's easy to set up an existing template.
- Supported themes have many website tutorials to help with website layout.
- Web developers use these sites all the time to create websites.
- Existing plugins make it easy to add a shopping cart or event scheduler which are essential for e-commerce websites.
- It's often cheaper than custom unless you have to hire a web developer to help.
Cons
- These free and opensource websites are easy to hack. Cyber attackers take advantage of vulnerabilities in the open source code, so you'll always be on alert for problems.
- Editing is more complicated than you think! Since these companies try to cater to everyone, it's easy to get bogged down with things that don't apply to your website.
- Slow processing is always a problem. Wordpress, in particular, is so bloated with options, plugins, and extensions that your website loads slowly. Potential clients get impatient quickly and will go to another site if yours takes too long to load.
- Plugins, extensions, and templates make your site even more vulnerable to attackers.
- Updates are a pain! You'll have to ensure that each update complies with all your plugins and extensions, the core CMS version, and your theme's version. If one of these things isn't compatible with the others, your site can break down. But if you don't update regularly, search engines may penalize your site for being outdated and not secure.
When to Opt for a Custom Website
Pros
- No limits - you're not constrained to a template that others use, and we'll get it right the first time. Avoid complicated solutions that manipulate already bloated software with a custom design.
- Better security - since your source code isn't available for the entire world to see, it's harder to find vulnerabilities on your site. Rest easy on a custom website.
- Faster processing - custom sites work faster than a WordPress or Joomla site. You'll be amazed by the difference.
- More room for innovation - you can tailor every section of a custom site perfectly to your needs. Say goodbye to bloated programs that slow down your site. Your custom design will look just the way you want it to, and work seamlessly with everything you need.
- Improved functionality - you'll eliminate hours of copying and pasting from other pages. Need a CSV import or export of your products? It's done. Want to sell on Amazon with different pricing for each platform? No big deal. Send a customer a text message to remind them of an event? Simple. Email a client who hasn't bought from you in a while? Automate the process. Integrate your shopping cart with your point of sale? A custom website has you covered for every possible function.
- Customer experience - custom is the only way to go if the user experience matters to you. Out-of-the-Box templates are boring and overused. Take your business to the next level with an innovative, custom approach.
Cons
- On the surface, a custom website is a higher-cost option. But when you figure in the cost of customers who walk away from a slow website and a web developer who creates a bloated, cookie-cutter option, you'll save money in the long run with a custom site.
Many companies have discovered that their customers were so unhappy with WordPress and Joomla that they've completely abandoned those platforms in favour of a custom design. Of course, it's essential that you work with a team of experts every step of the way in order to create the kind of custom site that gets you noticed!
Whether you're just getting started or you already have an existing website, contact e-dimensionz to get a free quote. Convert your site to a streamlined custom solution, or build something amazing from scratch today.
