Choosing the right website platform for your small business is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your digital presence, marketing efforts and overall business growth. With so many content management systems (CMS) and website builders available, it’s essential to evaluate the options based on your business needs, technical expertise and budget.
Understanding your business needs
Before diving into the various website platforms, it’s important to first assess your specific business needs. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you need specific functionality to sell your products or services?
- Will you frequently update your website content (e.g., blogs or news)?
- What is your budget for initial setup and ongoing maintenance?
- How much customisation and flexibility do you require?
- Are you comfortable managing the website yourself, or will you need technical support?
Understanding these factors will help you narrow down the best platform options based on the functionality and flexibility required for your business.
Popular website platforms for small businesses
There are many well-known CMS and website builders used by small businesses in Australia. Each platform has its unique strengths and weaknesses, so it’s essential to choose one that aligns with your business goals.
1. WordPress
WordPress is the most popular CMS globally, powering over 40% of all websites. Its open-source nature makes it highly flexible and customisable, which is a significant advantage for small businesses with unique requirements.
Pros:
- Customisation: WordPress offers thousands of themes and plugins that allow you to add new functionality and change the design easily. From SEO tools to ecommerce integrations, WordPress’s vast library of plugins can support most business needs.
- Cost-effective: While WordPress is free, you will need to pay for hosting, premium themes and plugins. However, it offers cost-effective options for businesses on a budget.
- Community support: As an open-source platform, WordPress benefits from a large, active community of developers who create new plugins and share best practices.
Cons:
- Maintenance: WordPress requires regular updates to its software, themes and plugins, which may require technical knowledge. If neglected, your site could become vulnerable to security threats.
- Learning curve: While WordPress is easy to use once set up, beginners and non-technical users may find the initial setup and learning process challenging without some help or guidance from experts.
Ideal for: Small businesses needing flexibility, scalability, and expert support to expand website functionality, it’s a great choice for those looking to grow their online presence. However, to fully take advantage of its potential, technical expertise is essential to ensure the website can handle future growth, maintain security and integrate advanced features effectively.
2. Wix
Wix is a popular website builder known for its simplicity and user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. It’s designed for those who want to build a professional-looking website without needing technical expertise.
Pros:
- Ease of use: Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for anyone to create a website without any coding knowledge.
- All-in-one solution: Wix provides hosting, security and a domain name within its pricing plans, which simplifies the process for small businesses.
- Templates and design: Wix offers a wide variety of professionally designed templates that can be customised to fit your brand.
Cons:
- Limited scalability: While Wix is great for small websites, its customisation options and scalability are limited compared to platforms like WordPress. This can become a challenge if your business grows and requires more complex functionality.
- Less flexibility: Once a template is selected, it’s difficult to change without starting over. This restricts design flexibility in the long term.
Ideal for: Small businesses with limited technical skills that want a simple, easy-to-manage website without the need for extensive customisation or growth potential, it’s also a suitable option for temporary or throwaway sites. This solution provides a straightforward setup, requiring minimal technical expertise, making it ideal for businesses that prioritise ease of use over long-term scalability.
3. Squarespace
Squarespace is another popular website builder, known for its sleek and modern templates, making it ideal for businesses that need visually stunning websites.
Pros:
- Design quality: Squarespace’s templates are among the best in the industry, making it an excellent choice for businesses that need a visually impressive website.
- All-in-one platform: Like Wix, Squarespace includes hosting, security, and a domain name, simplifying the process for small businesses.
- Integrated features: Squarespace has built-in tools for ecommerce, SEO, analytics, and blogging, which makes it easy to manage various aspects of your website from one platform.
Cons:
- Customisation limitations: While Squarespace offers beautiful templates, it’s less flexible when it comes to deep customisation. If your business requires more unique functionality, you may find the platform limiting.
- Pricing: Squarespace tends to be more expensive than other website builders, especially for advanced ecommerce features.
Ideal for: Small businesses in creative industries (like design, photography, or fashion) that prioritise aesthetics and ease of use, this option allows for visually appealing websites without requiring extensive technical knowledge. Creative professionals can easily showcase their portfolios, but may face limitations when trying to integrate more complex functionalities or customisations in the long term.
4. Joomla and Drupal
Both Joomla and Drupal are open-source CMS platforms similar to WordPress but with steeper learning curves. They offer more flexibility and customisation options, but are typically suited for more technically advanced users or businesses with developer support.
Pros:
- Customisation and flexibility: Both Joomla and Drupal offer extensive customisation options, allowing you to build complex, highly tailored websites.
- Security: These are less widely used than WordPress, making them less frequent targets for malicious attacks. With fewer people attempting to exploit vulnerabilities, the risk of common threats is reduced.
Cons:
- Technical expertise required: Joomla and Drupal are not as beginner-friendly as platforms like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. You’ll likely need developer support to build and maintain a site on these platforms.
- Fewer plugins and themes: Compared to WordPress, Joomla and Drupal have fewer plugins and themes, which limits the variety of customisation options.
Ideal for: Small businesses with advanced technical skills or access to a developer, looking for a highly customisable and secure platform, though it’s important to note that platforms like Drupal and Joomla are rarely used these days. While they offer robust customisation and security options, their declining popularity means fewer resources and community support compared to other platforms.
Determining what is right for your small business
When making a website for a small business, the platform you choose should align with your specific goals, budget and technical expertise. Small businesses often need a balance between ease of use, flexibility and scalability. For example, if you want to focus on ease and quick setup, website builders like Wix or Squarespace may be suitable. However, if customisation and growth are priorities, building a small business website on WordPress could offer more long-term flexibility and control.
It’s also essential to consider the internal resources available for ongoing website maintenance and updates. Building a website for a small business isn’t just about the initial setup – it requires continuous upkeep to ensure the site remains secure, functional and aligned with your growing needs. This is why you may need to engage a website design agency or studio to provide the necessary support, especially if in-house expertise is limited.
If you’re unsure about which platform is best suited for making a website for a small business or need guidance on how to tailor the design to fit your brand and goals, our team is here to help. We offer expert consultation to walk you through the entire process, from choosing the right platform to implementing the right digital strategy that will best support your growth.
The small business website builder we use
For clients interested in partnering with us for a new website, we have developed a bespoke website builder tailored specifically for our clients, designed to harness the strengths of WordPress while addressing common concerns like security vulnerabilities. Our platform leverages WordPress’s flexibility and powerful features but is enhanced with a greater cyber security posture, ongoing performance optimisations and cloud website hosting.
With over 400 websites successfully built using our platform, our solution is ideal for small businesses looking for a robust, user-friendly website builder that delivers exceptional results without the hassle of managing frequent updates or security patches manually.