Understanding the differences between one web platform and another is very important. Each has their own specific need they try to meet.

If you’re looking to start a website, looking at other web platform options, or if you have ever asked yourself:

• “What is the difference between all of these web platforms, anyway?”
• “Are they not all the same, just priced differently?”
• “What even is a web platform?”

This post is for YOU!

Please Note: This post is a bit long (12-15 min). I hope you enjoy!

We will be exploring the purpose of your website (and specific needs), considerations for selecting different platforms, and the major benefits and disadvantages of five different web platforms.

A web platform is a system or service that manages your content and supports the ease of overall web design.

What is your purpose?

Selecting a web platform is an analysis of “your need” more than the analysis of the platforms themselves.

Most of the platforms we will highlight in this post are fantastic in what they were designed to accomplish. Where issues develop, is when we try to use a tool that was not designed for that specific task.

By answering the following questions, you have a better understanding of what you need in a web platform.

• What is the primary goal of your new website? (Blog, Business Platform with multiple pages, a place I can sell my products, etc.)
• What is my budget?
• Is this for a hobby or a business?

Web platforms come in all shapes, sizes, and costs. In conclusion, understanding your needs is a crucial first step to prevent either not having a platform that can grow with your business, or be wasting money and time on functions that don’t generally contribute to the success of your online business.

What do I need to consider?

Now that you have a good idea of what you need in a web platform, we will break down a few considerations I believe are vital to an informed decision. In this section, we will explore the ideas of platform ownership, site/content control, cost structure, flexibility, and design.

Ownership

Many platforms have different systems that manage how we can organize, create, and publish our content.

Without getting too technical, some platforms own the platform you are using and you are simply ‘renting space’ to use their platform (Blogger, TypePad, Squarespace, etc.) Other platforms allow you to use it independent of how you host your website on internet servers (WordPress.org).

Platform ownership comes with a few benefits and difficulties that you should be aware of before selecting a web platform. One of the largest benefits is autonomy from the functions of a single company. Let me explain.

The Blogger platform is a project of Google; if Google decides to dissolve the Blogger project in their portfolio, all users would be left without a web platform to create and publish their content. You would have to go through the process of migrating your content to a new platform and re-design your website. The same is true for TypePad, WordPress.com [notice the .com rather than the .org, more on that later], and other ‘rented’ services.

The WordPress.org platform, on the other hand, is self-hosted. Which means you have complete control on where and how your website is hosted on the internet. If the company you use to host your WordPress.org site disappears, you can simply move your entire site, and host it elsewhere without changing web platforms.

It’s not ALL bad, there is a benefit to ‘renting’ space on an established web platform. The benefit is that you don’t have to manage the details of your site being self-hosted (back-ups, content migrations, etc.). These full-service platforms will often provide this within the cost of utilizing their platform.

I personally use WordPress.org much because of this consideration right here. That being said, I am able to manage the responsibilities of a self-hosted platform, and much prefer the costs of time-related to those responsibilities, in exchange for ownership in my site.

If you are serious about your website being the foundation of your online business, you should think seriously of the idea of platform ownership and the implications that can affect your business.

Control & Functionality

Another important consideration for your website is the amount of control you have over the process of creating, organizing, and publishing your content. Though this area is constantly expanding with updates on many web platforms, there are clear winners in this category of robust content control and functionality.

WordPress.org and WordPress.com (in its paid versions) have the benefit of open-sourced plugin integration. This means that within the WordPress system you have the ability to add powerful PLUGINS that increase the functionality of your website.

Plugins for the WordPress platform come in all types and functions. Below is a short list of categories of plugins you can use to enhance your online business:

• User Experience
• Security
• Marketing
• Site Performance
• Design
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• So much more…

For some, the basic system (offered in free platforms like Blogger) of content creation and publishing is sufficient to meet their needs. For those that require enhanced functionality a system that allows you to choose only the services you need is a must!

Costs

The costs associated with each web platform is a bit different. Most platforms require a monthly payment (from $15 – $50) to use their services. While there are some FREE web platforms (Blogger, WordPress.com), you usually get what you pay for and can run into issues or limited functionality.

WordPress.org is a bit different, the web platform itself is completely FREE, but the hosting that is required will cost anywhere from $5/mo to much more depending on the memory space and bandwidth you require.

My recommendation is different depending on whether your website is for a hobby or for business.

If you are looking to start a blog or a website to share something you are passionate about, without the expectation of monetizing (paid ads, affiliate marketing, product sales, etc.) your content, then a free option may be the best.

But if your goal is to use your website to build and grow an online foundation for your business and to make money and impact others, paying for your web platform is recommended. This is for a couple reasons:

1. Paying for a service generally increases the functionality and revenue-making capabilities of your online business. (Investing money in your business to increase its impact)
2. Paying for a service creates a sense of urgency that is important when developing and operating an online business. (This was my experience with online business, it wasn’t until I was paying for a few services that I felt the need to put REAL EFFORT into the work I was doing)

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of running a lean and cost-effective online business (I only pay for services that significantly leverage my resources to make a profit). Each individual has different goals and purposes for their website, it is important that the investment we make is appropriate for the goals of our site.

Flexibility & Design

What your website looks like reflects you, your brand, and your business. Having a beautiful and unique design is an important consideration you should make for your website.

Like the other considerations we’ve explored, web platforms aren’t created equal when it comes to flexibility and design.

Some have a strict design template that is easy-to-use but difficult or impossible to change. While others have full flexibility when it comes to your website (if you can dream it, you can build it type platform) but require advanced design understanding in order to implement effectively.

For example, Blogger has a relatively strict design structure but is easy-to-use and change. Other more rigorous platforms (WordPress.org, Joomla, etc.) require a certain level of understanding depending on the templates you choose in the design process.

To make the design process easier, WordPress.org uses community created THEMES that manage the basics of the design process. Often, you can create a beautiful website within the design parameters of the themes – no coding required.

What about Support?

In this section, I think it’s important to note the idea of platform support. “What do you do when you run into issues?” It’s an important thing to think about unless you’re skilled in web design and structure (even then, you will run into things you don’t fully understand).

Many of the full-service web platforms have an in-house support team that can help with issues related to your website. For WordPress.org, such a system is not present. Instead, WordPress.org has the largest community of external support in the form of forums, videos, or paid services that can support your needs.

What are my different options?

Web platforms fall into several category types. You can use a Content Management System (CMS), Site Builders, and Specialty Systems. In our overview of popular platforms we will see each of these categories:

1. WordPress (CRM)
2. Blogger (CRM – Blogging Platform)
3. TypePad (CRM – Blogging Platform)
4. Squarespace (Site Builder)
5. Shopify (Specialty System – eCommerce)

1. WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular web platforms on the internet. In this section, we will explore the WordPress platform to see if it’s a good fit for you and your online business.

WordPress.org versus WordPress.com

When we say “WordPress” few people recognize that there are two completely different products you can use to build your website. WordPress is simply a set of code that allows you to effectively create, organize, and publish your content.

WordPress.com is the “all-in-one” hosted service around the WordPress framework. It offers a FREE version but is very limited in its functionality. In my opinion, using WordPress.com is not a cost-effective option, due to the monetization limitations in the cheaper versions.

If you are interested in the WordPress platform, I would recommend hands-down to self-host your WordPress website using a hosting service. I personally use Bluehost for my WP hosting.

Benefits & Disadvantages

Below I will list out some of the benefits and disadvantages of using the WordPress.org self-hosted option for web hosting. To begin, some of the strong points of WordPress.org are:

• You retain ownership of the platform and your content.
• Its functionality is the best because of Plugin Integration.
• Design and Flexibility are balanced with the use of themes.
• Cost effective, self-hosting options (From $5/mo)
• Overall support is robust in the WordPress community.
• Depending on your hosting provider, a custom domain-included email can be created for free.
• Depending on your hosting provider, you can create multiple websites on the same plan.

Some downsides to using WordPress for your web platform are:

• More technically intensive than other all-in-one solutions
• Potential overwhelm from the vastness of possibilities with this platform (Themes, Plugins, 3rd Pary Integration)
• May require the purchase of premium themes or plugins for unique functionality.

Summary

If you looking to start an online business and want the flexibility of a platform that can grow with your business, WordPress is a great option. Just be aware of the learning curve associated with the WordPress platform; because the platform is so robust, it might take some time to master its functionality.

2. Blogger

Blogger is a FREE blogging platform that is owned by Google. On this platform, users can create, store, and publish original content on a FREE domain (a subdomain of blogspot.com).

Benefits & Disadvantages

Here I will define some advantages and disadvantages to using Blogger as your web platform. First, the pros of utilizing Blogger:

• It’s simple.
• It’s FREE.
• Its blog focused design and interface makes writing blog posts easy and non-distracting.
• The rigid structure makes setup and web design quick and simple.
• Its integration with Google ensures high-level site security.

Some of its cons are:

• Blogger is almost too simple to integrate important business functions to your website.
• If Google were to do away with the Blogger platform, you would have to move all your content to another platform.
• Unique design is rough on Blogger, the rigid system doesn’t allow for much customization.
• The functionality of Blogger is much less than other web platforms.

Summary

Blogger is a simple and FREE blogging platform owned by Google. If you are looking to start a personal blog around a hobby or a passion, Blogger is a good fit.

However, If you are looking for a platform for your website to act as the foundation for your online business, Blogger may not be the best fit. You may want to invest in a platform with a bit more functionality and flexibility to grow with your brand.

3. TypePad

TypePad is much like Blogger in that it is privately owned and relatively rigid in its overall design structure. With a monthly fee of $8.95/mo, TypePad is a bit more functional than the Blogger platform and has a solid support team.

Benefits & Disadvantages

There a couple benefits to the TypePad blogging platform:

• The platform boasts built-in support from real people.
• Its functionality is average (Better than Blogger, worse than WordPress)
• Allows for you to map your custom domain to your blog.
• It has a simple blogging structure that allows for focused writing.

The few disadvantages of TypePad are:

• It has a relatively low value-ratio (you pay a lot for not too much value)
• TypePad has limited functionality and flexibility when compared with WordPress.
• You are limited to a blog rather than a website in TypePad by only being able to create posts, rather than both pages and posts.
• TypePad blogs perform lower in search rankings (SEO) than WordPress sites (probably due to the lack of helpful plugins to optimize on-page content for search).

Summary

My opinion of TypePad is fairly grim. Though more functional than Blogger, you are investing a significant amount of money into a platform that can’t properly act as your website platform.

I would recommend either going with the limited functionality of Blogger, or the full functionality of a WordPress site.

But spending money on a platform that may be useful in the early years of your business, but can’t grow in functionality with your business is not the best situation to find yourself in.

4. Squarespace

Squarespace is a website builder platform, which means it is designed specifically to help you create a unique and beautiful design for your website. For as low as $12/mo you can have a website on Squarespace.

Benefits & Disadvantages

The benefits of using Squarespace:

• You can create and develop beautiful websites with little to no coding experience.
• Site security and support is built into the platform.
• Some of the best design templates on all platforms.
• Mobile responsive designs allow for your site to be properly viewed on mobile devices.

The disadvantages being:

• Squarespace is a private company with a hosted-solution model, meaning if Squarespace goes away, you will have to find and migrate your content to a new platform.
• The platform is quite expensive, especially for the eCommerce options ($26 – $40/mo)
• SEO rankings don’t test as well as comparable WordPress websites.
• Relative site functionality is less than WordPress, but much more than the blogging platforms.

Summary

Overall, Squarespace is great at creating beautiful, eye-catching websites. Its functionality is high but not the best and the cost of the web platform is pretty high. I tend to shy away from most platforms on the ownership consideration alone.

Squarespace is a full-service hosting service that if it were to disappear tomorrow would take the foundation of your business with it, forcing you to migrate all your content to a new platform – not a good thing.

5. Shopify

If you are looking for a web platform to sell products, look no further. Shopify is the leader in eCommerce and was designed for that specific purpose. I categorize this platform as a ‘specialty system’ because it is really good – for a specific purpose.

Benefits & Disadvantages

Shopify is the industry leading eCommerce full-service web platform on the internet. Below I will outline some of the positives and negatives to using the Shopify platform for your business.

Shopify is fantastic for:

• Selling Products online (eCommerce)
• Product and Inventory Management
• eCommerce-related Analytics
• Accepting payments and organizing shipping logistics.
• Customer Support

Some of the disadvantages of Shopify is:

• It is designed to help you sell products (If your primary focus is something other than eCommerce, you may find it to be too powerful for your needs)
• It is quite expensive (Starting at $29/mo | 14-day free trial)
• Cost of feature add-ons can become overwhelming.
• The platform is relatively rigid and is not as customizable as certain WP Plugins (WooCommerce).

Summary

Shopify is a one-stop-shop (no pun intended) for all your eCommerce needs. Their attention to details related to product sales, inventory management, and business analytics are tough to match in any other web platform.

If you have a physical product to sell and the cash flow to invest in a specialty platform specifically for eCommerce, Shopify is for you! You can sign up and start using Shopify FREE for 14 days (no credit card required) – right here!

Conclusion

In summary, I use WordPress.org because it meets the needs, goals, and purposes of MY online business. Everyone is different and every platform is designed to meet a specific set of needs.

It is so important to choose a platform that meets the needs of your business or hobby. If you are looking for something simple and basic that is FREE, there are platforms for that (Blogger); if you are looking for a powerful yet flexible foundation for your online business there are options for that as well. (WordPress.org and Shopify).

If you have made it this far in the post, I thank you for your support. I hope you have found its contents valuable and helpful in your online business adventure! Comment down below with any questions or experiences with different web platforms! 

Related Content –

The Ultimate Guide to Blog Images