If you wish to have a website but have not developed or designed the Site, you may wonder which is better, WordPress or Developing a website from scratch. Each has its own set of pros and cons. Both will require you to secure domain and web hosting services. You will need to register your domain name to develop your Site or use WordPress. However, there are some differences in how the domain and web hosting services are handled. Here are some things to consider.
Generic vs. Specific domain names
Most WordPress sites are issued a generic domain name. This is something like johndoe.wordpress.com. If you wish to have a specific address without the WordPress association, you must upgrade your packaging and purchase the domain name. Depending on the package you choose, you may end up paying up to $50 or more a year for the right to have your Site with a specific domain feature.
Making your Site gives you the freedom to register your domain by purchasing low-cost domain name registration services. In most cases, you will pick the domain name, check the availability and then purchase the domain and web hosting services for a year. Once the year is completed, there is a fee associated with domain registration. Keep in mind that someone else can scoop up your domain if you lapse in the payment.
The Site’Site'sgn
WordPress has multiple templates which can be customized to a point. If you dislike one template, you can quickly move on to another. Templates range from free up to a few hundred dollars. What is excellent about the templates offered by WordPress is that you typically can view the Site’Site'sgn and the functionality of the Site before you purchase. That being stated, most of the low-cost templates require you to have the designer noted on the page'page'snote. This may be a deterrent to some of your target market for businesses.
Developing your Site from scratch is an extensive time task. You need to know the basics of HTML, CSS, and C++ to have a successful website today. While some drag-and-drop applications export sites to HTML, you still need to understand the hierarchy and code associations to correctly upload the Site to your web hosting. Dreamweaver remains the standard in website design software, allowing you to preview the design and functionality.
Control considerations
The individual would best develop websites with owners who wish to have complete control. The Site will require you to upload the files to your shared hosting correctly. But control over the Site is extraordinarily increased. You can change the code, use the plugin, upload tables and content how you want, and more. The downside is that if this is not done perfectly, you may have site crashes or delays in loading, neither one something visitors want to see.
WordPWordPress'sboard allows most users to have the control that they seek. Blog creation is simple as all you must go to posts and select add new. Uploading pictures does not rely upon a folder system but is nested within the WordPress platform. You do not have to worry about the images having broken links for any within the gallery. If you choose, you can also link to images directly. To further control your WordPress Site, consider using plugins such as Yoast, Jetpack, and analytics.
Controlling Comments and Content Updates
Developing a website from scratch requires organic content if you wish to rank high in the SERPs. This means that you need to add new text and SEO content to your site constantly. If you are developing a site from scratch, this will mean that you have to go into the code and update the information, save the Site, export the page, and ensure that there are no issues with page associations, tags, links, etc.
WordPress makes controlling comments and content accessible. All you have to do is go to the correct tab, review the comment, and approve or deny the comment to be put onto your Site. With updating information, you only must provide the new text as a post and click publish. WordPress hosting services do the rest.
Which is better, WordPress or Developing a site from scratch
It depends upon your needs to answer the question. If you need quick access to your information and are not overly concerned with the coding and back-end processes, then a WordPress site is probably the option. However, if you know how to code, wish to control all aspects of your Site, and can allocate the time and effort to keep the site current, then a site from scratch may be the best option.