What CMS Tool Is Right For You?

I design in WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, GoDaddy and the recently launched Editor X. I've played around with Webflow and Strikingly and am like a kid on Christmas morning when I learn of a new CMS tool. I mean this is what I do all day, every day. YAY ME!

But enough about me... When you first make the decision to design a website more likely than not you are going to choose the CMS tool you last saw advertised or the one recommended by your friends. This could work for you but here's my take on the list above.

WordPress

PROS: WP is limitless. Literally there is nothing you can't do. Nothing. It is great for front end designers (like me) or serious developers (definitely not me). There are countless plugins that can perform most any task, great eCommerce platform and it's open source so there are lots of resources and groups for support.

CONS: It's my favorite joke but it's true that if you hire 100 WP designers, you will get as many solutions. There are so many options to choose from - themes, plugins, hosts, editors, etc. - it's rare for any two designers to mix and match exactly the same. So the drawback is it can be more challenging for someone to just jump in and take over editing your site.

The other possible con is the added safety precautions that are required. The themes and plugins are updated often. In the latest releases of Guttenberg, you can select which plugins you want to update automatically versus manually but updates sometimes cause problems with other plugins so a reliable backup is essential.

The other major component is your hosting plan. Again there are countless options but the plan you choose can affect your site speed and security. There are also services like WP Engine ❤️ that will manage the backend of your site for you but consider the added cost.

BOTTOMLINE: WordPress is AMAZING but it can be more than the average person needs or wants to keep up with. It's best for sites that need advanced functionality and if you want a site that will grow with your business. When I design I recommend the Astro or Astro Pro theme and Elementor Pro. The userface is super user friendly with drag and drop similar to Squarespace or Wix.

Squarespace

PROS: SS offers a variety of themes that are perfect for informational sites, eCommerce and bloggers. The drag and drop editing tool is fairly straight forward and when you first setup an account, there is a little tutorial that gives you a quick tour.

They have an excellent HELP section with videos on how to do most everything on the site, some include step-by-step videos.

There is a huge community of Squarespace users so if you needed to replace your designer, it is easy to find someone who can take over and unlike WP, there are no themes, plugins or backups to maintain. They manage all of the backend for you.

CONS: Let me start by saying that you can do most anything on SS but often times it requires custom code. There are countless free resources on YouTube and the SS Forum that provide solutions but be aware that once you add custom code, if you have problems with the site, SS will no longer provide technical support. This is something to consider especially if you are using outside APIs.

The other PRO/CON is that SS is meant to be responsive on all devices. With the recent update of 7.1 and Fluid Engine you can now customize the mobile experience somewhat however it’s not as robust as WordPress/Elementor or Wix which allows you to hide sections or even recreate the mobile experience completely as is the case with Elementor.

Wix

PROS: Wix offers the largest variety of themes, all of which are responsive. Personal preference, I enjoy their editor the most. It has a Photoshop feel to it and it's great for layering elements. Unlike SS which limits your font choices to five (H1-H3, normal and quote), Wix allows you to customize font selection, color and sizing as much as you like (not recommending this but...)

PRO/CON: Despite the responsive design, you should always check the transition to mobile. 10 out of 10 times, you will need to edit content that is not perfectly aligned and reduce font sizes and you have the option of reordering or hiding content that is not essential.

CONS: Directly comparing Squarespace and Wix, I feel like SS has a more polished and elegant feel. There is a small glitch that I see when every Wix site I design loads, like the opening banner is struggling to breakthrough.

GoDaddy and Weebly

PROS: None.
CONS: Everything.

More on Editor X and Shopify later...