One of the most important decisions when building a website is choosing your platform. The right choice depends on your business type, technical comfort, budget, and future plans. Let's break down the major options.
The Quick Summary
- WordPress: Best for content-heavy sites, blogs, service businesses
- Shopify: Best for e-commerce businesses selling physical or digital products
- Custom (Next.js, etc.): Best for unique requirements, high performance, or complex applications
Now let's explore each in depth.
WordPress
WordPress powers over 43% of all websites. It's the world's most popular content management system for good reason.
Best For
- Service businesses (tradies, professionals, consultants)
- Content-heavy websites and blogs
- Businesses wanting control over their site
- Sites with complex content structures
- Businesses on a moderate budget
Pros
- Flexibility: 60,000+ plugins for almost any feature
- Ownership: You own your site and data
- SEO-friendly: Strong SEO capabilities with proper setup
- Ecosystem: Huge community, lots of resources
- Cost-effective: Platform is free; hosting costs vary
- Easy editing: Non-technical users can manage content
Cons
- Maintenance: Requires updates for security and functionality
- Plugin reliance: Too many plugins can cause issues
- Learning curve: More complex than site builders
- Security: Popular target for hackers (mitigated with proper setup)
- Performance: Can be slow without optimisation
Typical Costs
- Hosting: $10-$100/month
- Theme: $0-$200 (one-time)
- Essential plugins: $0-$500/year
- Professional development: $3,000-$15,000
- Ongoing maintenance: $50-$200/month
Shopify
Shopify is the leading e-commerce platform, powering over 4 million online stores worldwide.
Best For
- E-commerce businesses (primary focus on selling)
- Product-based businesses
- Businesses wanting simplicity
- Multi-channel selling (online, social, marketplaces)
- Businesses without technical resources
Pros
- E-commerce focused: Built specifically for selling
- Reliability: Hosted solution, Shopify handles technical issues
- Security: PCI compliant out of the box
- Payments: Integrated payment processing
- Apps: Large marketplace of e-commerce apps
- Multi-channel: Sell on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, etc.
- Support: 24/7 customer support included
Cons
- Monthly fees: Ongoing subscription required
- Transaction fees: Unless using Shopify Payments
- Limited customisation: Constraints within the platform
- Content limitations: Not as strong for content/blogging
- Vendor lock-in: Moving away from Shopify is complex
- App costs: Many essential features require paid apps
Typical Costs
- Basic plan: $39 AUD/month
- Shopify plan: $105 AUD/month
- Advanced plan: $399 AUD/month
- Transaction fees: 0-2% (depending on plan and payment provider)
- Theme: $0-$350 (one-time)
- Essential apps: $50-$500/month
- Professional development: $2,000-$10,000
Custom Development (Next.js, etc.)
Custom solutions using frameworks like Next.js, React, or other modern technologies.
Best For
- Businesses with unique requirements
- High-traffic websites needing peak performance
- Complex web applications
- Businesses with technical teams or budget for ongoing development
- Competitive industries where speed matters
Pros
- Performance: Fastest possible load times
- Flexibility: No platform constraints
- Security: Smaller attack surface than popular CMS
- SEO: Server-side rendering optimal for search
- Scalability: Can handle massive traffic
- User experience: Can create exactly what's needed
Cons
- Cost: Significantly higher initial investment
- Development time: Longer to build
- Technical dependency: Requires developers for changes
- Content management: May need separate CMS integration
- Ongoing costs: Higher maintenance requirements
Typical Costs
- Initial development: $8,000-$50,000+
- Hosting: $20-$500/month (depending on scale)
- Ongoing development: $100-$200/hour
- Maintenance: $200-$1,000/month
Decision Framework
Choose WordPress if:
- You're a service business (not primarily e-commerce)
- Content and blogging are important
- You want to manage content yourself
- Budget is moderate ($3,000-$15,000 for development)
- You value flexibility and ownership
Choose Shopify if:
- E-commerce is your primary business
- You sell physical or digital products
- You want minimal technical responsibility
- You need multi-channel selling
- You prefer predictable monthly costs
Choose Custom if:
- You have unique functionality requirements
- Performance is critical to your business
- Budget allows for $15,000+ initial investment
- You have access to ongoing technical support
- You're building something that doesn't fit existing platforms
Hybrid Approaches
Sometimes the answer isn't either/or:
- WordPress + WooCommerce: For businesses needing both content and e-commerce
- Shopify + WordPress: Shopify for store, WordPress for blog/content
- Headless CMS + Custom frontend: Best of both worlds for larger budgets
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing based on trends: Pick what fits your needs, not what's newest
- Underestimating ongoing costs: Factor in hosting, maintenance, updates
- Over-building initially: Start with what you need; expand later
- Ignoring content management: Consider who will update the site
- Forgetting about SEO: Some platforms are more SEO-friendly than others
Questions to Ask Before Deciding
- What's my primary goal? (Leads, sales, information, booking)
- How important is e-commerce vs content?
- Who will manage and update the website?
- What's my budget for initial build and ongoing costs?
- Do I have unique requirements that templates can't handle?
- How important is page speed and performance?
- What's my 3-5 year plan for the business?
The "best" platform is the one that fits your specific situation. There's no universal right answer—only the right answer for your business.