Which Website Makes Sense for Your Organization – WordPress or HTML?

29 Mar Which Website Makes Sense for Your Organization – WordPress or HTML?

Small business owners, nonprofits, and startups looking to create or refresh their website often ask for a WordPress site. That’s not surprising, considering about one-third of the more than 1.6 billion websites currently online are WordPress sites. That doesn’t mean, however, that WordPress is your only option, or the best option. You might find that a simpler, low-maintenance HTML website suits your needs just fine. We can help you determine which type of website makes sense for your organization – WordPress or HTML.

Why a WordPress Website Makes Sense

WordPress is a content management system (CMS), which is software that allows you to create, manage, and modify content on your website without getting into the code. If you plan to update your website content on a regular basis, WordPress makes sense. If you have tons of data, need dynamic content, or an e-commerce store, WordPress is the right choice.

WordPress websites are highly customizable. You can use plugins to bring new features and capabilities to your website that enhance the customer experience. Keep in mind that Google loves fresh content, so if a high search ranking is important to generating leads, the ability to constantly update your website content is key.

What do we mean by updates?

• Adding new pages or new content to existing pages (text, images, videos, audio, etc.)
• Adding new blog or newsletter articles
• Adding new products and reviews to an e-commerce website
• Adding or changing items in a portfolio or gallery (photos, videos, graphics, links, etc.)
• Adding new functionality (events calendar, specialized form, appointment scheduler, social media feed, search box, etc.)

With more moving parts comes more complex maintenance and more security updates. While many organizations are capable of handling basic content updates to WordPress websites on their own, maintenance and security are best left to a professional to avoid problems that can affect the customer experience or cause a data breach.

Why an HTML Website Makes Sense

For many organizations, the website essentially serves as an online brochure. It has no more than 20 pages, probably far fewer. In this case, an HTML website gives you a professional, dependable online presence without ongoing software maintenance costs.

An HTML website makes sense if you don’t expect your products and services to change often. The website is a place where people can find basic information about what your organization does and how to get in touch with you. Bells and whistles are unnecessary. Text, photos, videos, and other content won’t be updated more than a few times per year, and you won’t be doing any updates yourself.

HTML websites can be optimized for search. However, since you won’t be adding or updating content very often, search engine ranking generally isn’t the highest priority for HTML websites.

Because there is no database, HTML websites display in the browser much faster than WordPress websites. HTML websites are also less vulnerable to cyberattacks than WordPress sites. This makes HTML websites much less expensive to secure and maintain.

Making the Right Choice

At Elwood Studio, we offer both options. We’ll help you figure out which type of website makes the most sense for your organization – WordPress or HTML – based on your short-term and long-term goals. Contact us to schedule a consultation and get the ball rolling on your new website!