There's no single best platform for a business website. WordPress, Shopify and a custom build are each the right answer for some businesses and the wrong one for others. The good news is that a few plain questions usually make the choice obvious.
We build on all three, so we've no reason to push one over another. This is how we help clients decide.
The three options at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Content-led sites, blogs, and teams that update pages often | Plugin overload, regular security updates, speed needs care |
| Shopify | Online stores that want a proven checkout, payments and inventory | Monthly plan and app fees, less freedom over structure |
| Custom (e.g. Next.js) | Speed, a distinctive design, custom features and integrations | Higher upfront cost; structural changes need a developer |
WordPress: when your team edits content often
WordPress runs a large share of the web for good reason. It's familiar, editors find it easy, and there's a plugin for almost anything. It suits businesses that publish regularly, such as articles, news, events or a large set of service pages, and want to do it themselves.
The trade-off is upkeep. WordPress, its theme and its plugins all need regular updates, and every extra plugin is more code to keep secure and fast. A well-built WordPress site uses a handful of reliable plugins, has backups and monitoring, and is checked for speed. A badly built one becomes slow and fragile over time. If you choose WordPress, budget for maintenance from day one.
Shopify: when you're selling products online
If online sales are the heart of the business, Shopify is often the sensible choice. Checkout, payments, inventory, shipping rules and order management work out of the box and are maintained by Shopify, which removes a lot of risk.
You pay a monthly plan, and many stores add paid apps for reviews, subscriptions or extra features, so look at the total monthly cost, not just the build price. Design is flexible within Shopify's structure, but very unusual layouts or checkout flows can be harder. WooCommerce, the store plugin for WordPress, is the main alternative when you want more control and are comfortable managing hosting and updates.
Custom-built: when speed and specific features matter
A custom site, built with a framework such as Next.js, is designed and coded for your business rather than assembled from a theme and plugins. That usually makes it faster, because it only loads what it needs. It also gives you complete freedom over design, and makes it straightforward to add things like bookings, member areas, calculators or connections to your other systems.
It costs more upfront, and changing the structure of pages needs a developer. If you want to edit content yourself, a custom site can be paired with a CMS so text, images and blog posts stay in your hands. Custom builds make the most sense when performance, a distinctive brand, or features that don't exist as plugins are central to how the business wins customers.
Five questions that decide it
- Who will update the site, and how often? Frequent edits by your own team point to WordPress, or a custom site with a CMS. Rare edits make any option workable.
- Do you sell products online? If yes, start from Shopify or WooCommerce and only go custom if they genuinely can't do what you need.
- What must the site do beyond showing information? Bookings, logins, quotes, integrations or calculators lean towards custom, or carefully chosen plugins.
- How important are speed and search? All three can rank well when built properly. Custom sites make top speed easier to reach; WordPress needs more care to get there.
- What's the total cost over three years? Add the build, hosting, maintenance, themes, plugins and app subscriptions. The cheapest launch isn't always the cheapest website.
Some common situations
- A clinic, studio or consultant that takes bookings: a custom or WordPress site with a proper booking integration, plus Google Business Profile.
- A shop with a few dozen to a few hundred products: Shopify, set up carefully with as few paid apps as possible.
- A business that grows through articles and guides: WordPress, or a custom site with a CMS if speed and design matter more.
- A founder with a prototype or AI-generated demo: usually a custom build that keeps what works and rebuilds the rest so it's fast, secure and maintainable.
Whatever you choose
Make sure the domain and accounts are in your name, the site is fast on a phone, someone owns updates and backups, and basic SEO is set up from the start. Those matter more than the platform itself.
Not sure which fits? Tell us about your business and we'll recommend a platform with a written scope and quote. You can also compare our website development options and starting prices.