“What should my website be built on?” is one of the first questions we hear. There isn’t one right answer, but there is usually a right answer for you. It comes down to what you sell, how often you’ll update the site and who will be doing the updating.
WordPress with Elementor: best if you want to edit it yourself
WordPress powers a huge share of the web, and Elementor adds a visual, drag-and-drop editor on top. You click the words or photo you want to change and change them.
- Great for: restaurants, salons, contractors and service businesses that update menus, specials, photos or blog posts often.
- Keep in mind: WordPress needs regular plugin and security updates, which is why we pair it with a monthly care plan.
Learn more about our WordPress + Elementor websites.
Shopify: best if selling products is the main event
Shopify is built for online stores. Checkout, payments, inventory, shipping and taxes are handled in one secure, reliable place, and it scales from a handful of products to a large catalog.
- Great for: retailers and makers whose website’s main job is to sell.
- Keep in mind: there’s a monthly Shopify subscription, and some features come from paid apps.
See how we approached a specialized catalog in our Ste. Emilion Church Goods case study.
Custom-coded: best for a signature brand and peak performance
A custom-coded site is designed and built specifically for your business, with no theme, no page builder and nothing extra. It can be exceptionally fast and distinctive, with motion and interactions a builder can’t easily match.
- Great for: brands that want to stand apart, sites with unique features, and owners who prefer to have updates handled for them.
- Keep in mind: content changes typically go through your designer rather than a drag-and-drop editor.
Three questions that settle it
- Is selling products online the main goal? Start with Shopify.
- Will you update the site yourself every week or two? WordPress + Elementor.
- Do you want the most distinctive, fastest site, with updates handled for you? Custom-coded.
Many businesses combine them, too: a custom or WordPress site for the brand, with a Shopify store for the products. The best choice is the one that fits how you actually work day to day.