Wordpress or Site Build It?
Posted on March 1, 2008 - Filed Under General |
I’ve written before about how much I like Wordpress as a platform for a small niche site. I’m going to pull out some critiques and before I make anyone unhappy, I’d like to point out that I LOVE Wordpress. I use Wordpress regularly and have it set up on about six different sites.
For me it’s easy to use, easy to navigate, allows me a great deal of flexibility in doing what I want and it’s fast.
Wordpress is not without it’s downsides. For one thing, finding a hosting package can feel daunting it you’ve never done it. I frequently go surfing to look into different hosts even when I am not starting up a new site, just to see what people are saying. At this point, I pretty much only recommend Lunar Pages, where this site is hosted. They are reliable and have excellent customer service. Also, their cpanel doesn’t seem to interfere with the one touch installation of Fantastico, which is a problem I have had with a couple of other hosts.
In addition to hosting, you may need to find a place to buy your domain name. I really recommend Namecheap. I find their interface is much more user friendly than Go daddy and I have heard from others that they have had some bad experiences in renewing and moving domains away from Go daddy as a registrar.
Having said that, it means I am recommending you spend about $110 year on hosting using wordpress. Site Build It is nearly three times that cost at $299 (as of time of writing). Is it worth it? It might be.
Consider this. Site Build It will help you create really keyword rich content. Wordpress will not. Site Build It offers you a forum so if you don’t know what a keyword is or why your content should be keyword rich, you can find out. Wordpress does offer a forum, however most questions about the nuts and bolts of getting Wordpress to work.
You can find keyword tools online so if you want to use Wordpress, you are not without resources. Some tools are good. Some are not so good. Some are free and some can be very costly. Remember I have multiple sites. If I invest in a tool, it will work on all my sites, not just one.
Site Build It has a great package of useful tools that you get to help you start setting up your website. As someone who has recently realized that I have the skills to go on to be a professional webmaster (I had a slow month and started job hunting and was pleasantly surprised that I could make very good money on my hobby if I wanted to), I can say that I still look at Site Build It and consider getting a package. I have a few ideas for sites that are in highly competitive keyword markets that I’d like to see how they do on a Site Build It Site. In fact, a part of me wants to create a Site Build It site for the same keywords as I do for a Wordpress site. I haven’t yet because there is always something new to play with and learn (today that’s Joomla–when I next update the main part of quantum, it is likely to have a Joomla interface.) but I think about it. I’ve talked to other people who are also very successful non professional webmasters who also admit that Site Build It tempts them as well.
Another potential downside to Wordpress is it’s popularity. Due to it’s popularity, people do try and hack the Wordpress code and sometimes they are successful. Wordpress keeps updating it’s files as new vulnerabilities are exposed, but as a user of the Wordpress you need to keep it up to date. If you have Fantastico, this could mean thirty seconds every few months. However, you will need to remember to do this.
Should you go for Site Build It or Wordpress? I can’t make that decision for you. If you think you want to spend the time learning about the internet on your own and finding forums and like minded people, then Wordpress is likely a good match for you. I spend at least 10 hours a week and during slow times even more keeping my sites up to date and learning. I find it fun. You don’t need to spend that much time constantly, but expect that for the first few months as you figure out exactly what you want to do and how to do, you’ll be spending some time searching out answers. If that doesn’t sound like fun, Wordpress might not be for you.
The biggest (and only) complaint I can find about Site Build It (and I searched) was that they have very dated graphics. It does sound like you can upload your own graphics but it doesn’t sound like that’s the easiest way to go. I find that many Site Build It sites look a lot alike. If you have an artistic or graphically oriented soul, you may also want to explore Wordpress a little more before committing yourself. Before deciding, however, remember having a gorgeous site that no one sees is not very helpful.
Site Build It will talk you through the process. It does take some time. Lisa over at Insights for Acupuncturists laughed and said there is a 10 Day Action Guide that should be called the 10 Week Action Guide. Lisa began her internet journey not that long ago and now has three other sites she is working on via Site Build It as well as a full acupuncture practice.
How much you spend on your website and the choices you make depend a lot upon who you are. Having a website is important. How you go about getting it is up to you. Remember there are a lot of people out there who are willing to help and will do it for you. If you really don’t like being online and don’t like writing, this might be something to consider.
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