The Rogue Penguin team grew up in the dawn of the digital age. We’ve seen the creation of the internet, built our own Geocities websites back in the ’90s, witnessed the emergence of social media, and learned to adapt with every new digital development. As marketers, we’re more tuned in than the average user. Our job is to provide you with the best tools on the market to make running a business easy and effective.
It’s All in the Dev
One distinct trend we’ve been monitoring over the years is website development. A website is a non-negotiable tool for any business owner in 2020, and we see too many people getting tangled in a mess of website tools that aren’t serving them. So, to assure you that managing a website can be easy, we’re here to talk about an easier alternative to a Wordpress website.
Choosing the right CMS for your business shouldn't be a challenge. Your goals and design will dictate what you need!
Plan for Success
While Wordpress has a huge breadth of capabilities and plugin integrations, it’s not the best tool for everyone. Why? Because its backend is overwhelming, has a steep learning curve, and is often overkill. Wix is a WYSIWYG editor, which means what you see in the backend editor is what you get when you hit publish. Being able to see exactly what your site will look like while editing is a major benefit.
Design is at the Forefront
Worried you won’t be able to get a professional design without using Wordpress? That’s not an issue. Check out these sites we built using Wix:
Visit Found Consignment's site here.
Visit Escape by the Sea's site here.
Visit Shelley Hodge Creative Studio's site here.
After we design clients’ custom websites, they’re able to click on a text box to edit it, swap out a photo, or even duplicate a page and edit it. We provide training to ensure they’re comfortable.
All Sunshine and Rainbows?
Wix is a great tool for a lot of businesses but it’s not without its drawbacks. We always weigh the pros and cons for each individual business depending on the functions it needs to have and the audience it’s targeting.
Here are some of the not-so-great things about Wix:
Limited in its SEO options: Compared to a Wordpress site, you’re just not going to get the same capabilities to naturally boost your site to the top of Google’s rankings. It’s getting better all the time, but your copy will always have to go above and beyond.
Slower load times, and fewer design capabilities: If you’re DIYing your site and are deciding which platform to use, always look through the design templates they offer and keep the video to a minimum. No matter your site builder, remember to compress those images to keep load times quick.
Custom code is a pain: Bigger companies will need Wordpress for the custom options it provides through coding. You CAN hack the code in Wix, but it’s about as fun as it sounds and needs a professional to avoid breaking features.
Hosting: Wix limits you to using only their hosting plans. (The upside is that they often have 50% sales.) Their free hosting plan means you’re stuck with an ugly bar across the top of your site that acts as a sales tool for the company, so invest in hosting.
Buggy plugins: Just like Wordpress, some plugins are just buggy. However, we recommend using only the Wix-created plugins to avoid potential issues or additional fees.
Other Benefits
While Wix is the perfect option for “brochure-style” websites - websites ARE intended to share information after all - it’s also a really versatile platform with integrations for calendar booking, ecommerce, with multiple payment gateway choices, and events calendars that are easy to set up and use.
Wix’s customizable templates have allowed us to run reservations and bookings, the photo galleries are very adaptable, and the websites also provide business hub tools like a CMS, invoicing, task tracking, social media creation tools, and even automations like follow up emails when customers have left something in their carts or have an overdue invoice.
Success Stories
For Escape by the Sea, we set up booking for the cottage accommodations and featured all the amenities available on site.
For Beagle Paws Rescue, we used the gallery tools to allow you to find out more about adoptable dogs. When potential adopters click on a pup’s photo, they’re taken to their profile to learn more.
The Final Verdict
Do your homework before choosing a CMS platform. Think about how your site will grow and change in the future. For example, will you need to add high-tech features as your business evolves? Will you need to be able to host lots of videos? If yes, Wordpress might be the smart way to go. If your website is meant to present information about your company and you can’t see a need to integrate fancy tools down the road, Wix could be the perfect fit.
Note that we are NOT being paid to talk about Wix. We love this website platform and enjoy working in it, but get no kickback for using or promoting it.
Want a website that’s professionally designed and easy to maintain on your own? We got you! Reach out and we’ll put together the perfect plan according to your business and budget.