Why we still recommend that you build your website in WordPress in 2025

Why WordPress remains the smart choice

There are numerous web platforms targeting small businesses today – drag-and-drop builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly promise quick, professional-looking websites with minimal effort. For many small business owners, marketing managers, and one-person operations, these platforms can seem very attractive when you're stretched thin and need something up quickly.

However, we'd still strongly recommend WordPress as the better long-term choice for your business website. Here's why WordPress continues to be the smartest investment for your online presence in 2025, especially when you're working with tight budgets and need maximum value from every pound spent.

WordPress dominates the web like never before

WordPress's market position has strengthened dramatically. As of 2025, WordPress powers an incredible 43.4% of all websites on the internet – that's nearly every other website you visit. This represents remarkable growth from just 27.3% in 2017.

Among websites using a known content management system, WordPress commands an even more impressive 61.3% market share. The nearest competitor, Shopify, holds just 6.7% of the market, whilst Wix sits at 5.2% and Squarespace at 3.3%.

This isn't just about bragging rights – this massive adoption means:

• More developers with WordPress skills: If you need help, there are far more professionals who know WordPress inside-out
• Better hosting options: Web hosts optimise their services specifically for WordPress
• Stronger community support: More forums, tutorials, and resources than any other platform
• Better value for money: Competition amongst WordPress services keeps prices competitive

WordPress remains completely free to use – a significant advantage when you're watching every penny. Let's look at how the costs compare in 2025:

WordPress costs

• WordPress software: £0 (completely free)
• Basic hosting: £3-8 per month
• Domain name: £10-15 per year
• Premium theme (optional): £30-80 one-time cost
• Total first year: Around £75-150

Competitor costs (2025 pricing)

• Squarespace: £16-99 per month (£192-1,188 annually)
• Wix: £17-159 per month (£204-1,908 annually)
• Shopify: £25-399 per month (£300-4,788 annually)

The maths is clear: WordPress can cost 90% less than premium alternatives, leaving more budget for marketing, content creation, or other essential business activities.

Of course, there are costs associated with WordPress – you'll need hosting and a domain name at minimum. However, many hosts now offer one-click WordPress installation, and some of our training packages include free hosting to get you started.

Unmatched support and resources

With over 472 million WordPress websites worldwide, the platform benefits from an enormous support ecosystem that no competitor can match:

Plugin ecosystem

The WordPress plugin directory now contains over 60,000 free plugins – apps that add functionality to your site. Popular plugins like contact forms, SEO tools, and security features are installed on millions of websites, ensuring they're well-tested and regularly updated.

Theme options

You'll find over 13,000 free themes in the WordPress directory, with thousands more premium options available. Compare this to Squarespace's 180+ templates or even Wix's 2000+ templates – WordPress offers unparalleled choice.

Community support

The WordPress community organises events worldwide, with 78 WordCamp events held in 2024 alone. There are over 537,000 community members across 762 Meetup groups globally, plus countless forums, Facebook groups, and online resources.

Complete flexibility and customisation

Whilst drag-and-drop builders like Wix and Squarespace operate as 'walled gardens' with limited customisation options, WordPress offers unlimited flexibility. This matters more than you might initially think:

Design freedom

With WordPress, you're not constrained by a platform's design limitations. You can create exactly the website you envision, whether that's a simple brochure site, complex membership portal, or anything in between.

Functionality expansion

Need to add booking systems, membership areas, learning management, or advanced e-commerce? WordPress can handle it all through its vast plugin ecosystem. Competitors often require expensive plan upgrades or simply can't offer certain functionality.

Integration capabilities

WordPress easily integrates with virtually any third-party service – email marketing platforms, CRM systems, payment processors, analytics tools. This becomes increasingly important as your business grows and your requirements become more sophisticated.

You own and control your website

Perhaps the most crucial advantage of WordPress is complete ownership of your website and content. This provides security and peace of mind that hosted platforms simply cannot offer:

Your content, your control

With WordPress, you own your content, images, and all customisations. You can move your website to any hosting provider, change developers, or modify anything without restrictions.

No platform dependency

Hosted platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify control your website. If they change their terms, increase prices dramatically, or even cease operations, you could lose everything. With WordPress, you're protected from these business risks.

Export freedom

WordPress makes it easy to export your entire website – content, images, settings, everything. Try doing that with a proprietary platform, and you'll discover how locked-in you really are.

Open source security

Being open source means WordPress can't suddenly disappear or be discontinued. The code is freely available, and even if the WordPress Foundation disappeared tomorrow, the platform would continue.

Superior SEO capabilities

For small businesses on tight marketing budgets, search engine optimisation is crucial for attracting customers. WordPress offers significant SEO advantages that can directly impact your bottom line:

Advanced SEO control

WordPress gives you complete control over crucial SEO elements – meta descriptions, title tags, URL structures, schema markup, and technical SEO factors. Platforms like Squarespace and Wix limit your control over these critical ranking factors.

Powerful SEO plugins

Plugins like Yoast SEO, RankMath, and All in One SEO provide professional-level SEO tools for free. These offer features that cost hundreds of pounds monthly on other platforms – if they're available at all.

Google algorithm compliance

With Google's 2024-2025 algorithm updates focusing heavily on content quality, user experience, and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), WordPress's flexibility helps you adapt quickly to algorithm changes. Proprietary platforms may take months or years to implement necessary updates.

Site speed optimisation

WordPress allows precise control over site speed through caching plugins, image optimisation, and hosting choice. Since Google confirmed site speed as a ranking factor, this control can directly impact your search visibility.

Addressing common concerns about WordPress

We understand that some small business owners have concerns about WordPress. Let's address the most common ones honestly:

"WordPress is too complicated"

Modern WordPress is much more user-friendly than you might think. The block editor (introduced in recent versions) works similarly to drag-and-drop builders, and many hosting providers offer one-click installation. Yes, there's a learning curve, but it's not as steep as you might fear.

"WordPress requires technical knowledge"

For basic websites, WordPress requires no more technical knowledge than other platforms. Many tasks that once needed coding can now be accomplished with plugins and themes. Our training courses can get you comfortable with WordPress basics in just one day.

"WordPress needs constant maintenance"

WordPress does require occasional updates, but modern hosting providers often handle this automatically. The trade-off for occasional maintenance is complete control and significant cost savings – a worthwhile exchange for most businesses.

"WordPress is less secure"

WordPress's popularity does make it a target, but this also means security issues are quickly identified and fixed. With proper hosting, regular updates, and basic security practices, WordPress sites are very secure. Many banks, government agencies, and major corporations trust WordPress for their websites.

Our final recommendation

If you're running a small business, managing marketing on a shoestring budget, or wearing multiple hats in your organisation, WordPress remains your best long-term investment for building a professional website.

Yes, platforms like Wix and Squarespace might get you online slightly faster initially. But if you're hoping to grow your business, attract more customers, and avoid costly platform limitations down the road, WordPress offers unmatched value, flexibility, and control.

Choose WordPress if you:

• Want to keep ongoing costs low
• Need maximum control over SEO and marketing
• Plan to grow and expand your website's functionality
• Want to own your website completely
• Value long-term sustainability over short-term convenience

The learning curve might feel intimidating initially, but WordPress's enormous community, extensive documentation, and abundance of training resources mean you're never truly stuck. Plus, the money you save on subscription fees can be invested in proper training or professional help when needed.

Our training demonstrates just how accessible WordPress can be. You'll leave with a fully functional website and the confidence to manage and grow your online presence – all for less than a year's subscription to most hosted platforms.