5. Choosing your Website Creator

Important: the .ORG version of WordPress is the one you download and install on your web server, and is the fully-customizable version of WordPress.
I love WordPress, but I’m the first to admit that it is a hammer in search of a nail. WordPress is hefty, and can do a tonne of different things (there is quite literally a theme or plugin for anything). The million dollar question is do you NEED wordpress? And the answer to that is what do you NEED from your website; do you need complicated content types and relationships, advanced eCommerce, fine-grain control of users and user roles, complex online forms? If you answered NO to the above maybe give Squarespace or Shopify a try first. The power of WP really shines in its ability to do whatever you want. But this comes with a larger upfront pricetag, and potential security risks (WP powers a huge percentage of websites, and is thus a prime target for hackers).

• PROS: You can quite literally do almost anything if you have either cash or time.
• PROS: Almost all web designers/developers are familiar with WP
• PROS: WP has a very strong eCommerce platform in WooCommerce
• PROS: There are a tonne of tutorials online for the dedicated learner
• CONS: Doing it yourself is not recommended. In my experience it can be pretty overwhelming for the non-techies.
• CONS: Prime target for hackers, which can be mitigated through good security practices.
• CONS: It often feels like you’ll need a dozen or more plugins to pull off your super-cool website idea; and that bloat can seriously impact performance.

Shopify is a Canadian business forging way ahead when it comes to eCommerce. While both WordPress and Squarespace can sell your products, Shopify makes it easy to set up and run, and does so VERY well. Shopify maybe isn’t as flashy as Squarespace, it does have some really nice themes to build a cool online store. But make no mistake – Shopify is here to start an online store – the website creation is a little basic compared to Squarespace.

• PROS: It’s an all-in-one, and is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer.
• PROS: Premiere eCommerce platform, has everything you need and more!
• PROS: Strong analytics for sales reporting
• PROS: Tightly integrates with other services, like Mailchimp and Facebook
• PROS: Lots of beautiful themes ($) and plugins ($).
• PROS: Great relationship with Canada post for shipping estimates and discounts.
• CONS: If you’re going to be customizing a lot, plugins can start to add up in cost quickly.
• CONS: Great for eCommerce, pretty lackluster for much else.
• CONS: What you see is what you get, and additional custom features may not be possible.
• CONS: A monthly bill tends to add up long term.

Squarespace is a website creation service that helps you build your site quickly and easily with their very user-friendly visual drag and drop interface. With Squarespace they offer a total package, you can even register your domain name through their service. It’s relatively affordable, and the templates are absolutely stunning – plus, it offers basic eCommerce for those looking to sell online.

• PROS: It’s an all-in-one, and is perfect for the do-it-yourselfer.
• PROS: Easy, and fun to use.
• PROS: Its trusted, popular, and very well built.
• PROS: Lots of premium themes to choose from ($)
• CONS: Your locked into Squarespace, and transitioning out could be painful.
• CONS: What you see is what you get, and additional custom features may not be possible.
• CONS: A monthly bill tends to add up long term.