Wix, Squarespace, and Wordpress - Who Will Win Best DIY Website Platform?

Who Will Win Best Platform to DIY a Website?

If you're a therapist or coach, you know how important it is to have a professional-looking website. But what's the best way to get one? Do you go with a DIY website builder like Wix, Squarespace, or Wordpress, or do you hire a web designer? In this blog post, I'll take a closer look at the pros and cons of the three most popular DIY website options to help you decide what's best for you.

Wix: A Jack of All Trades, Master of None

Wix is a popular website builder that's known for its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop design tools. It's easy to use, even for people with no technical experience, and it's relatively affordable compared to hiring a web designer. I started using Wix and LOVED it because it’s very easy to use.

HOWEVER, I fell out of love quickly. Wix has some serious limitations. Once you've built your website on Wix, you're stuck with it – there's no easy way to export your website to another platform. Most importantly, it’s the most difficult to customize. It works really well if you stick exactly to the template, but it offers very limited customization and I promptly found this too frustrating to deal with.

Squarespace: A Breath of Fresh Air

Squarespace's templates have many built in features which make them easily look designer-level.

For example, you can see in the screen grab above the little squares that appear while editing? These are built into the software and allow easily uniform arrangement and negative space. (Hence the name, Square-Space, eeeyhoo). This is an incredible feature as both a designer and a DIYer because it cuts out a lot of time otherwise spent fumbling to ensure things are laid out appealingly on the page.

Another example is the appearance of new content while you scroll. Notice how the text below seems to melt onto the page as you scroll? That’s Squarespace’s default (and can be changed) but is usually such a sleek and aesthetically satisfying option.

Additionally, Squarespace's drag-and-drop interface is intuitive and user-friendly, and its mobile-friendly designs ensure that your website will look great on any device.

So why isn't Squarespace the clear winner? The biggest drawback is that it takes a little time to learn. I am a computer savy gal, have been coding for over ten years, and it still took me a few weeks of full time playing-on-squarespace to feel really comfortable (and not get irrationally mad at my computer).

Wordpress: The All-in-One Solution

Wordpress is a powerful and flexible website builder that's favored by many web designers. It offers a huge range of templates, plugins, and customizations options, which makes it easy to create a website that's truly unique. If you are software savy, have a lot of time to invest, need to make something out of this world, AND have an incredibly keen eye for design, wordpress is for you.

However, Wordpress can also be a bit overwhelming for people with less technical or design experience. It takes time to learn the ins and outs of Wordpress, and you'll need to be comfortable with HTML, CSS, and other web development languages to really make the most of it. Additionally, Wordpress (as one of the older website hosts) doesn’t have the same design features as the newer ones that make them user friendly meaning two things, 1) unless you have a ton of design experience, your website will end up looking a bit passé, and 2) it’s very frustrating to use unless you are very comfortable with software design.

What I Wish I knew…

While this is embarasing, I’ll share in hopes to steer people away from my mistakes. You may wonder why I know so much about the user experience of all of these platforms - It’s because I have bought them all.

I started on Wordpress and realized it was way to complicated to make templates for beginners. THEN I moved to Wix because I wanted the easiest user experience. As I said above, I quickly realized how beholded one is to the template in Wix (for example, you can’t move a text box or image to exactly where you want it, it must remain like the template).

I finally moved to squarespace and haven’t looked back. It’s incredibly user friendly interface is great for beginners. But you can also get in on the back end and customize to your hearts content. This is no shade to Wix or Wordpress, they are both exceptional in certain situations - but I found my situation of spanning the middle ground was best suited for squarespace.

$PRICE$

Wix: There is a free version of Wix but to have your own domain, which you’re probably going to want for your own business, you need a paid version. The least expensive ($16/month) is probably going to be fine if you have a separate booking system (like a patient portal). Plus you’ll need a domain name (likely $20/year, free the first year). All in, $212/year or $192 your first year.

Squarespace: There is no free version of Squarespace. The least expensive ($16/month) is probably going to be fine if you have a separate booking system (like a patient portal). Plus you’ll need a domain name (likely $20/year, free the first year). I recommend getting a squarespace site through a Sqaurespace Circle Member (like me!), because then you get a free 6 month trial and 20% off your first year. All in, $212/year (or $153.6 for the first 18 months with a circle member).

WordPress: Much more flexible in nature, WordPress is also much more variable in price. This is because you have to pay for things as you design whereas the above options, there’s one payment and then everything is included. The first cost for Wordpress is hosting (whether it’s on WordPress or Bluehost or others) usually comes to ~$4/month. Then with themes, plugins, and domain, you’re all in between $11-$40/month.

The Verdict: It Depends on What You Need (I know, I’ma tease)

So, who wins the battle of the therapist's website? It depends on what you need. If you're looking for a simple, Wix is the way to go. If you want complete control over your website and the ability to add custom plugins and code, Wordpress is your best bet. And if you're somewhere in between, Squarespace might be the solution for you.

In conclusion, the best website builder for you will depend on your needs and your comfort level with technology. I hope this comparison has helped you make an informed decision and find the perfect solution for your website. Good luck, and happy website building! Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.