As his coffee cools and his cursor blinks, Jon stands at the crossroads of a major decision. Jon is a startup founder, and that morning, he decided to brainstorm how the website would look. He already had a brand identity ready, so he started by researching and reading a bookmarked article about website building – stuff about hiring a web designer, domain, hosting, sitemap, etc. The last bullet point was about choosing a platform to build the website and choosing the right one.
As he read the paragraph, he remembered a recent conversation with an expert friend on WordPress and Webflow. Jon's friend had highlighted the two as best for building startup websites, and for 40 minutes, he described WordPress' content management system and how Webflow pioneers no-code development. He finally ended his explanation by advising Jon to choose wisely, as any of them could significantly impact his online identity, user experience, and business growth.
Jon pondered: Should he go with the trusted WordPress or be enticed by Webflow's visually stunning websites? As he browsed the web for answers, he realized that many startup founders like him faced the same dilemma.
Navigating the vast sea of website-building options can be overwhelming, especially given the various popular solutions available for creating simple or intricate websites without drowning in technicalities. Like Jon and countless other startup founders, do you find yourself stuck choosing between Webflow and WordPress for your website? I empathize with your struggle. Building with either involves a different approach, so you must understand them to pick the best option.
That's precisely where we come in. In this article, we'll delve deep into what each platform offers. But before we dive into the specifics, I want to talk to you about something first.
Why The Traditional Approach To Building a B2B SaaS Website is Flawed
Designing the average SaaS website often follows this well-trodden path:
- Collect random inspiration from good-looking SaaS websites
- Ask product, engineering, and sales teams what they need
- Design the website by consensus
However, this typical process leads to a far from distinctive result. Instead, it yields websites that blend into the sea of thousands, mirroring the same approach. This sameness strips brands of their uniqueness and identity. Moreover, the practice brings additional complications, as it lacks a strategic direction for catering to visitors in various stages of the customer journey.
The repercussions are significant. Not every visitor to your website aims to input their email or schedule a demo immediately. In addition, potential customers initiate their journey by discovering how your product addresses their unique problems. In the absence of this crucial information, their curiosity concerns remain unsatisfied and unaddressed—resulting in inaction.
The Solution: A Tailored Approach
All right, let's flip the script on the generic SaaS website design by embracing a user-focused approach to design and development! For a second, picture a website that tells your brand's well-crafted story, guiding visitors and resonating with them at every step. Rather than just existing, each page plays a vital role in shaping the narrative. The essence of this approach is to create a virtual journey that seamlessly aligns with your vision as the founder and your customers' desires. Of course, it requires some introspection and research. You must envision your website's look and feel and consider how the visitors' journey can be optimized for ease and engagement.
This method may be complex, but the result is a tailored suit for websites - yet the outcome is akin to a bespoke suit for your website – tailored to perfection, comfortable, and leaving lasting impressions.
Now, let's decide what platform is best for your website. 👇🏼
What is WordPress?
WordPress, hailed as the most popular platform for building websites, commands over 43% of the web. Here, we're referring to WordPress.org, distinct from WordPress.com – the latter facilitates the use of the WordPress.org software. Conceived initially as a blogging platform, WordPress has evolved into a comprehensive CMS capable of constructing any imaginable website. Among its strengths, extensions stand out – these allow for site tailoring - theme extensions control the design while plugins add new features. While WordPress is open source and free, unlocking its full potential necessitates buying hosting, domain names, plugins, and themes. If custom requirements extend beyond the basics and you lack the services of a standby developer with an agreed quote, expenses can escalate.
WordPress Pros
It’s a low-cost solution
WordPress offers cost-effective design, development, and maintenance. With minimal technical expertise required for management and updates, upfront costs are reduced, enabling swift website deployment.
Ideal for non-technical people
Adding and updating content is easy, once you have a WordPress website.
Tested and trusted
Released 20 years ago, it is no wonder WordPress has made a name for itself as a website builder. Proof: 43% of the top 10 million websites are built with WordPress.
Best for blogging
When you get a WordPress website, you get a blog by default and a range of blogging functionalities such as tags, plugins, widgets, categories, and more. The blogging process is seamless; add a title, write, add media, format, and publish!
WordPress Cons
Misbehaving code
Sometimes, using them can add messy code to the backend, which makes the website run slower, create errors, or crash, causing a higher bounce rate. Once Google notices this, it reduces the site ranking.
Technical issues
Open-source software costs less and is easy to set up, but there’s always that risk of the website getting hacked or breaking. And depending on the frequency, you may have to keep a developer on hand, or troubleshoot the issue yourself.
Requires frequent updates
Plugins offer enhanced functionality and customization, but they require updates. WordPress, the foundation of your website, also needs periodic updates. To ensure seamless operation, you must update both plugins and WordPress as needed, while being cautious to prevent errors or site disruptions.
Tricky to use if you want to do more than blogging
Seamless blogging is one of WordPress’ main unique value proposition. But what if you want more than just a blog, like an online shop or startup website? While you can transform your site with plugins, they can be complex to use, especially without a developer.
You must use themes
Themes are beautiful with many functionalities, but the approach is limited. If you have and want your own design, you must code or work with a WordPress developer to build a theme from scratch.
Lack of flexibility
Web designers love flexibility, and that is sadly not available on WordPress. You have to use a theme or build your design from scratch.
What is Webflow?
Webflow, a visual drag-and-drop platform, caters not only to the no-code enthusiasts but to anyone seeking to create a website. Beyond web design, it provides a CMS and hosting, combining a visual editor with customizable website capabilities.
What sets Webflow apart from its peers like Wix and Squarespace?
Unlike other builders, Webflow offers access to the site's underlying code. It includes a CMS for various site types and even allows code embedding for extra features. Webflow's designer and editor are user-friendly interfaces, catering to dynamic sites without requiring technical expertise.
Webflow Pros
Web design becomes a fluid process
Thanks to the Webflow editor and designer, visual design and the actual building of the site are connected. There is no need to create wireframes, mock up the UI, and curate brand assets. Or going back and forth with the developer to ensure they get the design.
Design with clean code
Remember that WordPress plugins can add unnecessary code that slows down or breaks websites. Webflow websites are powered by HTML, CSS, and JavaScript that are clean and very responsive.
Beautiful and complex interactions
Animations, illustrations, and interactive elements bring websites to life. Usually, you need extensive knowledge of programming languages to create them. But with Webflow, you can build them visually.
Easy-to-use CMS
Webflow editor shows you what you need: a simple on-page editing interface.
Security, SEO, and support
All Webflow websites receive free SSL. There are on-page SEO settings, while relevant meta-titles and descriptions are created for CMS content. Furthermore, Webflow support is really helpful. For example, there’s Webflow University, the Webflow blog, forum, community, and, most importantly, a great customer support team to answer any questions.
Templates
Webflow provides customizable templates that ensure visually appealing, responsive websites across devices, saving time and effort in the process.
Cons
Webflow's third-party integrations, such as Google Analytics, Shopify, and MailChimp, need more depth than WordPress, affecting the seamless integration of SaaS tools essential for your site. Its pricing model might need to be more budget-friendly for SaaS businesses.
Unlike other CMS, Webflow lacks a mobile app for content and design edits, requiring changes through the site. Furthermore, while Webflow offers eCommerce capabilities, it's not specialized like WordPress or dedicated platforms like Shopify. Additionally, Webflow's payment gateway, Stripe, supports only 46 countries, potentially limiting eCommerce benefits.
Build Your Website Today
WordPress and Webflow are both excellent solutions to build your website. Which tool you choose depends on many factors, some of which I may not know. WordPress is the better choice for some because it's more flexible, integrates with more tools, and is usually cheaper. On the other hand, many designers prefer Webflow because of its design features. Note that you can migrate your content from WordPress to Webflow and can also build your website with Webflow while WordPress is the CMS.
I wrote this article with all the 'Jons' out there in mind who are stuck on choosing the right platform for their websites. Webflow or WordPress - which one would I recommend for you? As someone who builds client websites using Webflow and embraces a no-code approach, my choice aligns with what he said: Webflow. 👇🏼
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