Custom Website Vs. WordPress: Which is Best for Your Business?
Website is an essential aspect for anything that you want to showcase. There are two types of websites that we see normally: custom websites and WordPress.
While checking out custom websites vs. WordPress, we have found some key differences between them. They are in design, performance, flexibility, security, build process, scalability, etc.
They both have their own ways of usage. So, if you want to know which one is better for you, then let’s learn about the websites. Also, we will check how they are built and the differences between custom websites and WordPress.
A Quick Overview of WordPress
Figure-2: WordPress Website
Founded in: May 27, 2003
Founder: Matt Mullenweg, Mike Little
WordPress is an open-source digital content management system. It can create all kinds of websites. You will get around 60,000+ plugins and around 9,000 free themes.
Forget about that; even without coding knowledge, you can easily create a whole site. You just need to understand the basic knowledge of the website.
WordPress website builder helps you to create responsive websites. That means you can browse the website on mobile, PC, or other devices without compromising the website’s responsiveness.
Pros of Using WordPress
- WordPress is easy to use
- Accessible to everyone
- WordPress is flexible
- Sites are affordable
- It has so many themes to choose from (free and premium)
- Sites are mobile-friendly
- SEO friendly by default
Cons of Using WordPress
- Prone to hacking
- Difficult to maintain
A Quick Overview of Custom Website
Figure-3: Custom Website
Founded in: November 1992
Founder: Tim Berners-Lee
Do you want some specific modifications to your website? A custom website is much preferable for you then.
Custom websites are built from scratch. Two types of work are done on a custom website: frontend and backend.
Frontend typically means the surface that you are watching right now. It is based on design. The better the design and functionalities, the better we state it as “User Friendly.”
To build the website's front end, we typically use HTML, CSS, and some frameworks of CSS (Bootstrap, Tailwind, etc.). Also, we use some basic JavaScript (Vanilla JS, Angular JS, etc.) for better functionality without loading the page often.
The backend, also known as the server side, is the part that will not be visible to a regular user. You can not see what is coded in the website's backend that you are reading right now.
The backend of a custom website is coded by Python, JavaScript, Ruby, C#, and PHP. You can use any of them to build the website’s backend properly.
Pros of Custom Website Building
- Create a unique brand experience
- Faster page loading
- Built with SEO in mind
- Provides more flexibility
- Enhanced brand identity
- Support is always available
- Specific security features
Cons of Custom Website Building
- Very expensive
- Time-consuming
- Difficult to find the right design and development team
Custom Website Vs. WordPress: Side-By-Side Comparison
| Comparison Aspects | Custom Website | WordPress |
| Design | More control over the design | Less control over the design |
| Flexibility | More flexible for complex websites | More flexible for small websites |
| Performance | Excellent | Slow performance |
| Security | More secure | Less secure |
| Cost | Expensive | Less expensive |
| Build process | Requires professional skills | Does not require coding knowledge |
| SEO | Excellent SEO | Excellent SEO |
| Maintenance | A web developer can do it | Can be done by yourself |
| Support | No one-on-one support from the developer | Support from extensive communities |
Design Comparison
- WordPress: WordPress is easy to add features. In a WordPress website, you can use any free themes to make your website look professional. There are many built-in themes that you can find in WordPress. Also, you can go for the premium ones. But you have less control over the design of the WordPress website.
- Custom Website: A custom website is unique. You won't find any other website looking like yours. There is no pre-design available on the custom website. A custom website will give you a more good-looking design than WordPress.
Flexibility Comparison
- WordPress: WordPress gives small and medium websites more flexibility than the other creating site platforms.
- Custom Website: Custom websites give 100% flexibility for more complicated websites. It is more flexible than WordPress.
Performance Comparison
- WordPress: WordPress websites process large amounts of data from plugins. The speed of your site becomes very slow when there are a lot of users on your site.
- Custom Website: Custom websites can process a manageable amount of data. So, custom websites are much faster than WordPress websites.
Security Comparison
- WordPress: As an easy-to-use website builder, it can be vulnerable to attacks if not protected properly. You must ensure your website is up-to-date, use secure wp-admin login credentials, install an SSL certificate for secure data transfer, and many more. Websites made of WordPress are a popular target for cyberattacks, particularly ransomware attacks.
- Custom Website: Custom websites have security features and better user experience than WordPress. Custom-made websites do not have common vulnerabilities to hackers.
Cost Comparison
- WordPress: WordPress may seem cheap initially, but it can be more expensive than it looks. Building a WordPress website can cost anywhere from $100 to $20,000, depending on factors such as themes, plugins, SSL certificates, and domain names.
- Custom Website: Custom-designed websites require professional developers. Building a custom website can cost around $3,000 to $75,000. The complexity of the design and backend work, as well as the involvement of agencies, can drive up the cost.
Build Process Comparison
- WordPress: WordPress is easy to set up. You don't need coding knowledge to build a website in WordPress.
- Custom Website: A custom website must be built using different front-end and back-end coding languages. Without proper coding knowledge, a developer cannot build a custom website.
SEO Comparison
- WordPress: A WordPress website is well-known, and its SEO CMS (Content Management System) may not be secure. Moreover, server control is partial.
- Custom Website: A custom website offers a more secure CMS and full control over the server, which can help optimize the website for search engines more effectively.
Maintenance Comparison
- WordPress: Your WordPress website does not need intense maintenance. Spending around 5-10 hours monthly doing the regular maintenance tasks will be enough. The maintenance you need to do is performing updates and backups, deleting spam, and checking for bad links.
- Custom Website: Custom websites need web developers to maintain them regularly. The maintenance is so intense that developers are paid for the maintenance of your website. So, Custom websites provide less control of your own than WordPress in terms of maintenance.
Support Comparison
No official support is available for the WordPress website. However, WordPress websites have many extensive communities where you can find the answers. You can contact the developer if you need help with WordPress hosting or theme. Custom website developers never give you one-on-one support. You must pay the professionals for any support required for a custom website. So, the cost will be much higher.
Custom Website Vs. WordPress: Which one to Choose?
WordPress platform is a good choice for small and medium websites. WordPress websites are ideal for beginners and are user-friendly. You can easily set up a website within one day to a week. WordPress is the best option for your business if you want to quickly create a simple, small website with a limited budget. It will give your website a more professional look.
The custom website is best only for complex websites. Custom websites provide you with a unique and exciting look than WordPress. Custom websites are your shots if you need to create a unique website on a high budget for your business. A custom website will perform better than a WordPress website for your business. Ultimately, choosing the right one depends on the needs and goals of your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are some frequently asked questions about custom websites and WordPress.
- 1. Can I Upload a Custom Website on WordPress?
Uploading HTML files to WordPress is the way to go. Especially if you want to create a highly customized website that you cannot build with a theme, you can use this method. This will also help your old website migrate to the WordPress platform. - 2. Can I Build a WordPress Site Without a Domain?
Yes, you can definitely build a WordPress site without a domain. You can still start building your website locally without setting up a domain name. This provides great flexibility and ensures the domain name is unique. Because if you use the domain name once, it will not be unique later on. - 3. Do I Need Hosting If I Have WordPress?
It may be a wondering question of whether you need WordPress site hosting. This is because there are two different types of WordPress: wordpress.org and wordpress.com. If you build sites in wordpress.org, you need web hosting such as WordPress hosting plans. On the other hand, wordpress.com is a hosted solution.
Final Thoughts
Both WordPress and custom websites are great to use. They provide great responsiveness for the user experience. But checking out the differences between a custom website and WordPress, we learned many differences.
Depending on those differences, which one do you want to build your website with? You can go for a safe and secure custom website or even build a WordPress website alone.