We’ve previously shared our love of Shopify as the website platform of choice for eCommerce owners. But, what if you’re a service provider? If you have a service-based business and you’re looking for the best website platform to showcase your services, which one should you choose?
Well, we’ve given it away in the title, but if you’re running a service-based business then WordPress is for you. Used by 1 in 3 websites on the internet, WordPress has been around for years, is well-supported, feature-rich and versatile.
A powerful Content Management System (CMS), WordPress can handle large amounts of data and is easily customizable with 1000s of plugins and themes. It has everything you need to create a website to make your business shine, whether you’re a business coach, a health professional, a course creator, a freelancer, or even a marketer!
A popular choice for bloggers and service providers, WordPress has a plugin for pretty much anything and offers the most functionality of all the website builders. While that functionality means that WordPress can be intimidating for newbies, it’s worth the learning curve as it delivers the best opportunities for service-based businesses, like yours, to shine.
If you decide to outsource your website development and maintenance, there are lots of WordPress experts out there who can manage the process for you (including us!). That way, you can have a great website without losing your mind over learning to code or having to keep everything updated.
First things first – what’s the difference between WordPress.com & WordPress.org?
Before you fall into the WordPress rabbit hole, it’s important to understand there are two different WordPress platforms out there. The first is WordPress.com, which can be a completely free platform with your site hosted by WordPress. While it’s free, there are severe limitations on what you can do, including restrictions on uploading plugins for extra features, and the fact that WordPress places ads on your website.
On the other hand, with WordPress.org, you host your site separately which involves a fee but gives you more freedom. With WordPress.org, you are free to select from the thousands of plugins and themes and can completely customise your site and it will grow with your business. That’s why we always recommend you choose WordPress.org when building a website using the WordPress CMS.
WordPress Pros and Cons
You already know that we’re wild about WordPress but if you’re still on the fence about the platform, here are some pros and cons to help you with your decision.
WordPress Pros
- WordPress’ open-source software means your content can be moved between hosts, unlike sites built with Squarespace or Wix. When you build your site with WordPress, you’re not tied to the platform and can migrate your content anywhere.
- You can choose from a variety of page builders and themes to customise your site. These range from ‘plug and play’ options where you upload a theme instantly through to themes based on blocks of code that makes it relatively simple to create a unique look for your site. We are huge fans of Elementor, which is a page builder that makes it easy to design your website without coding knowledge.
- There are over 54,000 plugins you can use to optimise and maximise your site. For example, there are plugins to improve SEO, run an online shop, build a membership base, create email opt-ins, boost site speed, add a contact form and more.
- WordPress’s built-in SEO features mean that your site is more visible to search engines right out of the box. Powerful SEO plugins, such as Yoast, take this functionality further, giving your site the best chance to be found online.
- The platform can be cheap to set up if you keep things simple and stick with free themes and plugins.
WordPress Cons
- While WordPress is great for a service-based business, there are better options if you’re product-focused. Shopify is your best bet if you’re selling a lot of items online (although WordPress can support eCommerce use with the help of plugins like WooCommerce).
- WordPress is feature-rich (which is great) but that can be daunting for anyone new to website building. For newbies, it can be difficult to use as there are so many options to choose from. Plus, low-level coding is required to get things perfect.
- It’s essential to be on top of updates and to regularly backup your site to keep it in tip-top shape and prevent security breaches. This can take you away from your other business priorities and become a drain on your resources. That’s why partnering with an expert is such a great idea as we can maintain your site for you regularly.
- To truly customise your site you have to dig into the code. If you’re tech-savvy and have time up your sleeve, customising your own site is SO satisfying (it’s one of the reasons we love what we do!). If that won’t work for you, it’s best to engage an expert to help.
- Costs can add up when you choose self-hosted org (which we highly recommend). You’ll also incur costs if you choose premium themes & plugins to customise your site and optimise performance.
For us, choosing WordPress is a no brainer when it comes to building websites for service-based businesses. With unlimited options available and a network of WordPress experts available worldwide to lend a hand, WordPress is THE best platform around.
5 Reasons Why We’re Wild about WordPress
You can do anything in WordPress (really)
With service-based businesses coming in all shapes and sizes (consultants, lawyers, accountants, wellness coaches, tutors, marriage celebrants, etc.,) you need a website platform that can capture what YOU do. A solution that can differentiate you from your competitors and highlight who you are, what you do and how you can solve your audience’s problem.
Enter WordPress. With more than 50 000 plugins, WordPress allows you to do pretty much anything, including:
- create a blog
- build a membership base
- add booking information
- promote events
- develop a learning platform
- maintain a calendar
- open an online store
- share resources
- craft an opt-in to build your email list
- and SO much more!
Then, there are the themes. You can instantly change up the look of your site by swapping between themes or create your own to get the exact style you’re looking for. With a bit of coding expertise, you really can do anything in WordPress.
WordPress has been around the block (and then some!)
WordPress has been around for a long time. We’re talking almost 20 years (since 2003). More than 500 sites are created each day using WordPress because it’s stable, strong and secure. While some of the other, newer website platforms are more user-friendly they just can’t beat the stability of WordPress.
Another benefit of this stability is that the community that has been built around WordPress is amazing. There are thousands of community forums, developer groups and WordPress tutorials you can tap into to learn more about the platform. If you have a question, there is always an answer. Even better, there are lots of experts available to help if you get stuck. Like us :)
Want to be found online? WordPress can help you with that
WordPress is well known as the leading website platform when it comes to being found online. This comes down to the flexibility of the system which gives you the power to improve your on-page SEO in the backend of the platform. In WordPress, you can customise metadata descriptions, title tags and choose keywords to optimise your site for SEO.
Leading SEO plugins, such as Yoast and All in One SEO can enhance your site SEO further, increasing your online visibility and making it easier for your target market to find you. If you want to harness the power of organic marketing and save money on paying for advertising to be found online, then WordPress is a great choice for you and for your business.
With WordPress, you can take your website with you
Unlike most of its competitors, WordPress is built using open-source software which means your content can be migrated if you ever need to change platforms. So, if you end up focusing more on products and feel a dedicated eCommerce website platform like Shopify will suit you better, you can do that if you had built your site with WordPress.
In contrast, if you use Wix, Weebly or Squarespace to build and host your site, you’re tied into their system and it’s difficult to redirect your site elsewhere. In some cases, it’s impossible to even change up your theme on these platforms without starting over again. This is another big reason why we love the complete flexibility of WordPress.
WordPress helps you stand out and get noticed
If you’re in a competitive service industry (let’s face it, you probably are), building your site on WordPress will set you apart and allow you to create an amazing experience for your customers. The ability to customise every facet of your site gives you the opportunity to differentiate yourself and give your customers what they’re looking for in a service provider.
You can do this through:
- enhanced site functionality with plugins (set up chatbots, use customised forms and offer free resource downloads to help your customers find what they need)
- improved site appearance with themes (make your site more appealing with thousands of professional themes or impress your target market with a custom created theme)
- greater online visibility with SEO (harness WP’s inbuilt SEO tools and specialised WP SEO plugins to target the exact words customers use when searching for your services)
- better navigation with customised menus (use WP’s built-in menu functionality to lead clients to the information they need more easily to improve their site experience).
In our opinion, WordPress is the best website platform for service-based businesses. If you’re tech-savvy and love getting into the nitty-gritty of how things work, you’ll love the flexibility and potential of the platform. Even if you’re not technically minded, the longevity and stability of WordPress mean it’s not hard to find the support you’ll need to get up and running quickly.
Either way, the result will be a professional, customised and optimised website that you and your clients will love.
We’re experts in WordPress
Whatever platform you choose, your website will require updates and a little TLC from time to time. The team at Naked Digital can take on the ongoing maintenance of your WordPress site for a small monthly fee to ensure it’s always ready for business. We can also build, launch and host your website, leaving you free to keep building your business!
Need help to launch your online business or update your existing site?
