What is the best website to use for a business?

Choosing the right website platform for your business isn’t just about picking something that looks pretty. It’s about finding a solution that actually works for your specific needs, budget, and technical experience. Whether you’re launching a startup, scaling an enterprise, or anything in between, the platform you choose will primarily shape how customers interact with your brand online.

Let me tell you something most people won’t admit: there’s no universal “best” website platform. What works brilliantly for a local bakery might be absolute rubbish for a SaaS company. The trick is understanding what each platform excels at and matching those strengths to your business requirements.

You know what’s fascinating? According to recent data, over 43% of all websites globally run on WordPress alone. But that doesn’t mean it’s automatically the right choice for your business. Sometimes the most popular option is precisely the wrong one for your specific situation.

Needed Website Platform Categories

Before we look into into specific platforms, let’s get our bearings straight. Website platforms generally fall into four main categories, each with its own personality quirks and superpowers. Understanding these categories is like knowing whether you need a sports car or a lorry before you start shopping.

Content Management Systems

Content Management Systems (CMS) are the workhorses of the web world. They’re designed for businesses that need to regularly update content, manage multiple users, and scale their online presence without constantly calling a developer.

WordPress dominates this space, powering everything from tiny blogs to massive news sites. But here’s what nobody tells you: WordPress requires ongoing maintenance. Updates, security patches, plugin compatibility checks – it’s like owning a classic car. Beautiful when it runs smoothly, but it needs regular attention.

Drupal offers more flexibility for complex, enterprise-level sites. Government agencies love it because it handles complex permission structures brilliantly. The learning curve? Steep as a cliff face. My experience with Drupal taught me that it’s phenomenal for large organisations with dedicated IT teams, but overkill for most small businesses.

Joomla sits somewhere in the middle – more powerful than basic WordPress, less complex than Drupal. It’s particularly popular with membership organisations and community-driven sites. The interface feels a bit dated, honestly, but it gets the job done.

Then there’s the new generation of headless CMS platforms like Strapi and Contentful. These separate your content from its presentation, giving developers incredible flexibility. Perfect if you’re building apps alongside your website, but probably unnecessary if you just need a straightforward business site.

E-commerce Platforms

Selling online? That changes everything. E-commerce platforms come with built-in shopping carts, payment processing, inventory management, and all the bells and whistles you need to actually make money online.

Shopify has become the go-to choice for most new online stores, and for good reason. It handles everything from payment processing to shipping calculations. The monthly fees add up (starting at £25/month), but the time you save not wrestling with technical issues? Priceless. I’ve seen complete technophobes launch successful stores within a weekend.

WooCommerce transforms WordPress into an e-commerce powerhouse. It’s technically free, but don’t be fooled – you’ll need hosting, premium plugins, and possibly developer help. The real advantage? Complete control over every aspect of your store. The disadvantage? You’re responsible for everything, including security and PCI compliance.

BigCommerce targets growing businesses with its API-first approach. It’s brilliant for omnichannel selling – connecting your online store with marketplaces, social media, and physical locations. The pricing structure scales with your revenue, which can be either reassuring or terrifying, depending on your perspective.

Magento (now Adobe Commerce) remains the heavyweight champion for enterprise e-commerce. It’s incredibly powerful but requires serious technical ability. Unless you’re processing millions in revenue, it’s probably overkill.

Website Builders

Website builders democratised web design. No coding required, just drag, drop, and publish. They’re perfect for businesses that need a professional online presence without the complexity of a full CMS.

Wix leads the pack with its intuitive interface and massive template library. The AI website builder can create a basic site in minutes based on answering a few questions. Sounds magical, right? Well, it is – until you need something specific that isn’t in their feature set. Then you’re stuck.

Squarespace attracts creative professionals with its stunning templates. Every Squarespace site looks polished and professional right out of the box. The trade-off? Less flexibility than Wix, and the learning curve is steeper than you’d expect for a “simple” builder.

According to recent comparisons of website builders, the choice often comes down to your specific industry needs and design preferences rather than raw features.

Weebly (now part of Square) targets small businesses with its straightforward approach. It’s less flashy than competitors but incredibly reliable. The Square integration makes it brilliant for businesses that also need point-of-sale systems.

GoDaddy Website Builder deserves a mention for sheer simplicity. It’s basic – almost too basic – but for a local plumber who just needs contact information and service listings online, it does the job. The integration with GoDaddy’s other services (domain, email, hosting) creates a one-stop shop that many small businesses appreciate.

Custom Development Options

Sometimes, off-the-shelf solutions just won’t cut it. Custom development gives you exactly what you need, nothing more, nothing less. But here’s the catch: it’s expensive, time-consuming, and requires ongoing maintenance.

Static site generators like Gatsby and Next.js have revolutionised custom development. They create blazing-fast websites that are incredibly secure (no database to hack). Perfect for businesses that don’t need frequent content updates but demand top-tier performance.

Full custom development using frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular gives unlimited possibilities. Need a website that integrates with your proprietary inventory system? Custom development is your only option. Just be prepared for the investment – both upfront and ongoing.

Low-code platforms like Webflow bridge the gap between builders and custom development. Designers can create complex, custom websites without writing code. It’s brilliant for agencies and freelancers who need flexibility without the development overhead.

Key Business Website Features

Picking a platform is just the beginning. The features you need depend entirely on your business goals. A local restaurant needs different tools than a B2B software company. Let’s break down the required features that actually move the needle for businesses.

SEO and Marketing Tools

Your website could be a masterpiece, but if nobody finds it, what’s the point? SEO isn’t optional anymore – it’s fundamental to online success. Different platforms handle SEO differently, and these differences matter more than you might think.

WordPress with Yoast or RankMath offers outstanding SEO control. You can optimise every element, from meta descriptions to schema markup. The downside? You need to actually understand SEO to use these tools effectively. It’s like having a Formula 1 car – incredible potential, but you need to know how to drive it.

Shopify’s built-in SEO features cover the basics well. URL structures, meta tags, sitemaps – it’s all there. But customisation options are limited. Want to modify your robots.txt file? Good luck with that. For most e-commerce sites, though, the basics are enough.

According to web design successful approaches research, mobile-first design and page speed are now needed ranking factors that directly impact your SEO performance.

Website builders vary wildly in SEO capabilities. Wix used to be terrible for SEO (those awful URLs!), but they’ve improved dramatically. Squarespace handles technical SEO beautifully but lacks advanced features. Weebly sits somewhere in the middle – adequate but not exceptional.

Email marketing integration is another key consideration. Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign – your platform should play nicely with your email service provider. WordPress integrates with everything. Shopify has decent built-in email tools. Website builders? Hit or miss, depending on the platform.

Social media integration goes beyond adding Facebook buttons. Can you create shoppable Instagram posts? Display live Twitter feeds? Schedule posts directly from your dashboard? These features matter if social media drives your business.

Analytics and Reporting

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Analytics tell you what’s working, what’s failing, and where to focus your efforts. But here’s something interesting: too much data can be as useless as too little.

Google Analytics integration should be non-negotiable. Every major platform supports it, but implementation varies. WordPress requires a plugin. Shopify has built-in integration. Website builders usually offer simplified setup. The question isn’t whether you can add Analytics, but how easily you can configure advanced tracking like e-commerce conversions or custom events.

Built-in analytics vary dramatically between platforms. Shopify’s analytics are genuinely impressive – real-time sales data, customer behaviour, marketing performance. It’s designed for business owners, not data scientists. Squarespace offers beautiful reports that cover the essentials. Wix provides basic metrics that suffice for small businesses.

Heat mapping tools like Hotjar reveal how visitors actually use your site. Where do they click? How far do they scroll? When do they leave? According to Hotjar’s research, understanding user behaviour through heat maps can increase conversion rates by up to 30%.

Conversion tracking separates successful businesses from the rest. Can you track form submissions? Phone calls? Newsletter signups? Custom development offers unlimited tracking possibilities. E-commerce platforms handle purchase tracking brilliantly. Website builders? They’re getting better, but limitations remain.

Security and Compliance

Security isn’t sexy, but a hacked website or data breach will destroy your business faster than any competitor. Different platforms handle security differently, and understanding these differences could save your business.

Managed platforms like Shopify and Squarespace handle security for you. SSL certificates, PCI compliance, regular updates – it’s all included. You’re essentially outsourcing your security to experts. The peace of mind is worth the monthly fees for many businesses.

WordPress security depends entirely on you. Core WordPress is secure, but plugins and themes introduce vulnerabilities. You need security plugins, regular updates, strong passwords, and ideally, a Web Application Firewall. It’s manageable but requires vigilance.

GDPR compliance isn’t optional if you have European customers. Cookie consent, data portability, right to deletion – these requirements add complexity. E-commerce platforms generally handle this well. WordPress requires plugins. Website builders offer varying levels of compliance tools.

SSL certificates are now mandatory for any business website. Google marks non-HTTPS sites as “not secure,” which terrifies visitors. Most platforms include free SSL certificates, but implementation varies. Custom development requires manual setup. Managed platforms handle it automatically.

Platform Selection Criteria

Choosing a platform isn’t just about features – it’s about finding the right fit for your specific situation. Let’s explore the factors that should actually influence your decision.

Budget Considerations

Money talks, and website platforms speak different financial languages. Understanding the true cost of ownership prevents nasty surprises down the road.

Upfront costs tell only part of the story. WordPress might be free, but add hosting (£10-50/month), premium theme (£50-100), important plugins (£20-200/year each), and suddenly it’s not so free. Website builders charge £10-40/month but include everything. E-commerce platforms range from £25-300/month depending on features and sales volume.

Hidden costs lurk everywhere. Transaction fees eat into profits. Premium apps and plugins add up quickly. Developer costs for customisation can explode budgets. That “free” platform might cost thousands once you factor in everything needed to make it work properly.

Scalability affects long-term costs. Shopify’s pricing tiers align with business growth – reassuring but potentially expensive. WordPress costs remain relatively stable regardless of traffic. Website builders often have visitor or resources limits that force upgrades.

Technical Requirements

Your technical capabilities – or lack thereof – should heavily influence your platform choice. There’s no shame in admitting you’re not technical. In fact, recognising your limitations prevents costly mistakes.

Maintenance requirements vary dramatically. Managed platforms handle updates, security, and backups automatically. WordPress requires regular attention – plugin updates, security monitoring, backup verification. Custom sites need ongoing developer support. Choose based on your available time and experience.

Integration capabilities matter more than most businesses realise. Need to connect with your CRM? Sync inventory with your warehouse system? Process payments through a specific gateway? WordPress and custom development offer maximum flexibility. E-commerce platforms support common integrations well. Website builders? Limited options, though improving.

Performance requirements depend on your business model. A portfolio site can tolerate slower load times. An e-commerce site loses sales with every additional second of load time. News sites need to handle traffic spikes. Choose a platform that meets your performance needs without overengineering.

Scalability Needs

Your website needs today won’t be your needs tomorrow. Picking a platform that grows with your business prevents painful migrations later.

Traffic scalability varies by platform. WordPress on quality hosting handles millions of visitors. Shopify manages Black Friday traffic for major brands. Website builders often struggle with high traffic – their infrastructure isn’t designed for it. Custom solutions scale infinitely but require knowledge to implement properly.

Feature scalability matters as your business evolves. Starting with basic e-commerce but planning to add subscriptions, memberships, and digital downloads? Ensure your platform supports future features without requiring a complete rebuild.

Geographic scalability becomes important for growing businesses. CDN support, multi-language capabilities, regional payment methods – international expansion requires specific features. E-commerce platforms excel here. Website builders struggle. WordPress and custom development offer complete flexibility.

Implementation Effective methods

Choosing a platform is just the beginning. How you implement it determines your success. Let me share what actually works based on real-world experience.

Design Principles That Convert

Good design isn’t about aesthetics – it’s about results. Pretty websites that don’t convert are expensive decorations. Let’s focus on design that actually drives business.

Mobile-first design isn’t optional anymore. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. Yet many businesses still design for desktop first, then awkwardly squeeze everything onto phones. Start with mobile, then expand to desktop. Your conversion rates will thank you.

According to university research on web effective methods, using simple language without jargon significantly improves user engagement and comprehension rates.

Page speed directly impacts conversions. Every second of load time costs you visitors. Optimise images ruthlessly. Minimise plugins and scripts. Choose fast hosting. Use caching aggressively. Speed isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s necessary for business success.

Clear navigation reduces friction. Visitors should find what they need within three clicks. Mega menus work for large catalogues. Simple navigation suits service businesses. Breadcrumbs help with deep site structures. Test your navigation with real users – their confusion reveals problems you’ve become blind to.

Content Strategy Essentials

Content drives everything online. SEO, conversions, credibility – it all starts with content. But creating effective content requires strategy, not just writing.

Quality trumps quantity every time. One comprehensive, valuable article outperforms ten mediocre posts. Google rewards depth and know-how. Visitors share genuinely helpful content. Invest in fewer, better pieces rather than churning out filler.

Regular updates signal activity. Abandoned websites lose credibility quickly. Even if you can’t blog weekly, update something monthly – add case studies, refresh old content, post company news. Consistency matters more than frequency.

User-generated content provides social proof. Reviews, testimonials, case studies – they’re more credible than anything you write about yourself. Make it easy for customers to share their experiences. Display them prominently. Address negative feedback professionally.

Getting your business listed in quality directories like jasminedirectory.com helps establish credibility and improves your online visibility through quality backlinks.

Launch and Optimisation Steps

Launching your website is exciting, but the real work begins afterward. Continuous optimisation separates successful websites from digital ghost towns.

Soft launch before going public. Test everything with a small group. Fix broken links, typos, and functionality issues. Nothing undermines credibility faster than a buggy website on launch day.

A/B testing reveals what actually works. Test headlines, button colours, form fields, pricing displays. Small changes can dramatically impact conversions. But test one element at a time – multiple simultaneous tests muddy results.

Monitor user behaviour obsessively. Where do visitors struggle? Which pages have high bounce rates? What search terms bring qualified traffic? Data reveals opportunities you’d never guess otherwise.

Iterate based on feedback. Customer complaints highlight real problems. Support tickets reveal confusion points. Sales team feedback identifies missing information. Your website should evolve based on actual user needs, not assumptions.

Common Platform Comparisons

Let’s get specific about how popular platforms stack up in real-world scenarios. These comparisons come from actual experience, not marketing materials.

WordPress vs Shopify: The Classic Debate

This comparison comes up constantly, though they serve different purposes. WordPress with WooCommerce offers ultimate flexibility. Shopify provides a complete e-commerce solution. The choice depends on your priorities.

WordPress wins on customisation. Need a unique checkout flow? Custom product configurator? Integration with obscure systems? WordPress can do it all. But you’ll need developers, ongoing maintenance, and patience for occasional headaches.

Shopify wins on simplicity. Everything works out of the box. Payment processing, shipping calculations, tax handling – it’s all there. Updates happen automatically. Security is handled. You focus on selling, not technical issues.

Cost comparisons get tricky. WordPress appears cheaper initially but add quality hosting, premium plugins, developer costs, and maintenance time. Shopify’s monthly fees seem high but include everything. For most businesses, Shopify’s predictable costs win.

Wix vs Squarespace: Builder Showdown

Both target non-technical users but take different approaches. Wix offers more flexibility and features. Squarespace provides better design and simplicity. Your choice depends on priorities.

Wix’s ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) creates websites automatically. Answer some questions, and boom – you have a website. It’s genuinely impressive for absolute beginners. The drag-and-drop editor offers tremendous flexibility, though this can lead to messy designs without discipline.

Squarespace’s templates are simply gorgeous. Every site looks professional immediately. The structured editor prevents design disasters but limits creativity. For businesses prioritising aesthetics – photographers, designers, restaurants – Squarespace often wins.

Feature-wise, Wix offers more everything. More apps, more integrations, more customisation options. Squarespace keeps things simple and refined. Think Android versus iPhone – power versus polish.

Custom vs Platform: When to Build from Scratch

Custom development isn’t always better, despite what developers might tell you. Understanding when custom makes sense prevents expensive mistakes.

Choose custom when platforms genuinely can’t meet your needs. Unique business models, proprietary systems, specific performance requirements – these justify custom development. But be honest about whether your needs are truly unique or just preferences.

Platforms win for standard business models. E-commerce, blogs, portfolios, service businesses – platforms handle these brilliantly. The ecosystem of themes, plugins, and apps solves most problems without custom code.

Hybrid approaches often work best. Use a platform for core functionality, then customise specific elements. This balances flexibility with maintainability. You get most benefits of both approaches without the full cost of custom development.

Making the Final Decision

After all this analysis, how do you actually choose? Let me break down a practical decision framework that cuts through the confusion.

Decision Framework

Start with your non-negotiables. What features absolutely must work perfectly? Payment processing? Multilingual support? Specific integrations? List these first – they eliminate inappropriate options immediately.

Consider your growth trajectory. Launching a lifestyle blog? A website builder suffices initially. Building the next Amazon? Start with a flexible platform. Changing platforms later is painful and expensive – choose something you won’t outgrow quickly.

Evaluate your resources honestly. Time, money, and technical skills determine what’s realistic. Having unlimited features means nothing if you can’t implement them properly. Sometimes the “lesser” platform that you can actually manage beats the “better” one you can’t.

Test before committing. Every major platform offers trials or demos. Build actual pages, not just browse templates. Add real content. Test the workflow. The best platform on paper might feel terrible in practice.

Migration Considerations

Already have a website? Migration complexity should influence your decision. Some transitions are smooth, others are nightmares.

Content migration varies by platform. WordPress to WordPress? Relatively simple. Custom site to Shopify? Expect challenges. Website builder to website builder? Often impossible without manual recreation. Factor migration costs into your budget.

SEO preservation during migration is important. URL structures, redirects, metadata – mess these up and your search rankings plummet. Some platforms make SEO migration easy. Others require extensive technical work. Don’t lose years of SEO equity through careless migration.

Timing matters for migration. Avoid peak seasons. Plan for problems. Maintain the old site during transition. Test extensively before switching. Rushed migrations cause disasters that take months to fix.

Long-term Success Factors

Your platform choice impacts your business for years. Consider these long-term factors that marketing materials don’t mention.

Vendor lock-in varies dramatically. Some platforms make leaving nearly impossible. Others let you export everything easily. Consider your exit strategy before entering. The platform that’s perfect today might be terrible tomorrow.

Community and ecosystem matter more than features. WordPress’s massive community means solutions exist for every problem. Shopify’s app store offers endless extensions. Smaller platforms might have better features but lack the ecosystem to solve unexpected challenges.

Platform trajectory influences your future. Is the platform growing or dying? Getting better or worse? Being acquired by someone questionable? Choose platforms with positive momentum and clear future direction.

Future Directions

The website platform area evolves rapidly. Understanding where things are heading helps you make decisions that won’t look foolish in two years.

AI integration is transforming website platforms. Automated design, content generation, personalisation – AI touches everything now. Platforms embracing AI thoughtfully gain competitive advantages. Those ignoring it risk obsolescence. But here’s the thing: AI augments human creativity rather than replacing it. The platforms winning are those that blend AI assistance with human control.

Headless architecture is becoming mainstream. Separating content from presentation offers incredible flexibility. Your content can power websites, apps, smart displays, whatever comes next. Traditional platforms are adding headless capabilities. New platforms are headless-first. This architectural shift enables omnichannel experiences that customers increasingly expect.

No-code and low-code tools are democratising advanced functionality. Complex workflows, custom databases, sophisticated automations – previously requiring developers, now accessible to everyone. Platforms like Webflow and Bubble blur the lines between website builders and custom development. My experience with these tools suggests they’re perfect for rapid prototyping and MVPs, though they still have limitations for complex applications.

Performance optimisation is becoming automatic. Core Web Vitals, lazy loading, image optimisation – platforms increasingly handle these automatically. The technical SEO advantages of custom development are diminishing. Platforms that prioritise performance gain marked advantages in search rankings and user experience.

Privacy-first features are becoming standard. Cookie-less tracking, first-party data, consent management – privacy regulations are reshaping how websites operate. Platforms that make compliance easy win business from those that don’t. The days of creepy tracking are ending, replaced by transparent, user-respecting approaches.

The subscription economy influences platform development. Membership sites, recurring payments, subscriber management – these features are moving from nice-to-have to key. Whether you’re selling software, content, or physical products, subscription capabilities matter increasingly.

According to UX design case studies, successful websites increasingly focus on storytelling and user journey optimisation rather than just functional features.

Composable commerce represents the future of e-commerce platforms. Instead of monolithic systems, businesses combine best-in-class services for each function. Payment processing from Stripe, search from Algolia, CDN from Cloudflare – assembled like Lego blocks. This approach offers ultimate flexibility but requires technical sophistication.

So what’s the best website platform for your business? The answer remains frustratingly specific to your situation. But here’s what I’ve learned after years of building and advising on websites: choose the platform that you’ll actually use effectively. The theoretically perfect platform that overwhelms you is worse than the simpler option you can master.

Start with your immediate needs but consider your three-year vision. Pick something you won’t outgrow quickly but don’t over-engineer for unlikely scenarios. Balance features with usability. Consider total cost of ownership, not just monthly fees.

Most importantly, remember that your platform is just a tool. Success comes from understanding your customers, delivering value, and continuously improving based on feedback. The best platform in the world won’t save a bad business model, but the right platform can boost a good one.

Whether you choose WordPress’s flexibility, Shopify’s completeness, Wix’s simplicity, or custom development’s unlimited possibilities, commit to learning your platform deeply. Master its strengths, work around its weaknesses, and focus on serving your customers rather than chasing platform features.

The website platform domain will continue evolving. New players will emerge. Current leaders will adapt or decline. But businesses that choose thoughtfully, implement carefully, and optimise continuously will thrive regardless of platform changes. Your website is a living entity that should grow with your business – choose a platform that enables that growth rather than constraining it.