We should declare an interest straight away: we build most of our websites on WordPress. That gives us a good view of where it shines and an equally good view of where it lets people down. Both are worth knowing before you commit, because moving a website from one platform to another later is rarely cheap.
Here is how we would weigh up WordPress for small business use if a friend asked.
What WordPress actually is
WordPress is free, open-source software for building and managing websites. You install it on web hosting that you rent, choose a theme that controls the design, and add plugins for extra features such as contact forms, bookings or an online shop.
Two things are easy to confuse. WordPress.org is the free software described here, which you host wherever you like. WordPress.com is a paid hosting service built on it, closer in feel to a website builder. When a web designer says “a WordPress site”, they almost always mean the first.
Where WordPress suits a small business well
- You own it. The site lives on hosting in your name. If you fall out with your designer or find cheaper hosting, you can move, and the website comes with you.
- You can edit it yourself. Changing text, swapping a photo or adding a page does not need a developer once you have been shown how.
- It grows with you. A five-page brochure site can later gain a blog, a booking system or a shop without starting again.
- Help is easy to find. So many people work with WordPress that you are never tied to one supplier. That matters more than it sounds.
- It is well suited to search. You control page titles, descriptions, headings and addresses, which are the basics search engines rely on.
Where it causes trouble
None of these is a reason to avoid WordPress. They are reasons to go in with your eyes open.
- It needs maintenance. WordPress, the theme and each plugin release updates, many of them security fixes. Someone has to apply them and check nothing broke. Skipping this is the usual cause of hacked sites.
- Plugins pile up. Adding a plugin for every small want makes a site slow and fragile. Good builds use few, and choose them carefully.
- Quality varies enormously. Two sites can both be “WordPress” and have nothing else in common. A careful build is quick and tidy. A careless one is a tangle that the next person has to unpick.
- The editing screens take some learning. Not much, but more than a pure drag-and-drop builder.
If you would rather not handle upkeep yourself, that is what a care plan is for. Ours are on the website care plans page, and we have also written a monthly WordPress maintenance checklist for those who prefer to do it themselves.
What it costs to run
The software is free. The website is not. You will pay for hosting and a domain name, possibly for a premium theme or plugin licences, and for maintenance in either time or money. For a typical brochure site this is modest, but it is never nothing. Our breakdown of what a website costs each year goes through each item.
The comparison to make is with builder subscriptions. A builder charges one monthly fee for ever. WordPress has lower fixed costs and more flexibility, but asks more of you or your supplier.
When something else is the better choice
WordPress is not always the answer, and a supplier who says it is has stopped listening.
| Your situation | Consider instead |
|---|---|
| You want a simple site this weekend, built by you, with no upkeep | A website builder such as Wix or Squarespace |
| You are opening a shop with a large catalogue and nobody technical to call on | A hosted shop platform such as Shopify |
| You need a customer portal or software built around how you work | A custom web application |
| You only need to be found on Google Maps for now | A complete Google Business Profile, with a website later |
We compare the main builders in more depth in WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace.
Questions to ask before saying yes
If a designer proposes WordPress, these questions show how carefully they build.
- Which theme and page builder will you use, and are they actively supported?
- How many plugins will the finished site have, and what does each do?
- Are any of them paid, and whose name are the licences in?
- Will the hosting and admin login be mine?
- Who applies updates after launch, and what happens if one breaks something?
- Will you show me how to edit pages myself?
Clear answers suggest a tidy build. For what it is worth, ours are built on the Astra theme with Elementor, which keeps editing straightforward for owners.
So, is it right for you?
For most small businesses that want a professional website they own, can edit and can grow, yes. It is the reason we use it. The exceptions are owners who want no involvement and no upkeep, and projects that are really software.
If you are somewhere in between and want to talk it over, our website design service starts with exactly that conversation.