Imagine you’re a photographer, standing in front of a canvas, paintbrush in hand. You have the talent and creativity to create incredible works of art, but you need the right tools to bring your vision to life.
In today’s digital age, your canvas is a website, and Wix promises to be the perfect tool for creating it. But does this famous website builder live up to its promise regarding photography websites?
As a photographer, having an online presence is essential to showcase your work and attract potential clients. However, with so many website builders on the market, choosing the right one for your website can be overwhelming.
In this article, I will explore the differences between Wix and WordPress and provide insights into which platform is better suited for creating a stunning website that stands out. Wix and WordPress are two popular options for building sites, but they have distinct differences in features, flexibility, and ease of use.
As someone who has spent countless hours building my photography portfolio and website using both platforms, I understand how important it is to find the perfect fit. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced web developer, there are pros and cons to consider when choosing between Wix and WordPress. I’m relatively one-sided in this situation for one reason and one reason only, which I’ll explain below.
Key Takeaways
– WordPress offers better SEO options, more flexibility in customization, and faster loading times, making it a better option for photographers who want full control over their website design and functionality.
– Wix has a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, extensive customer support, and built-in features, making it a better option for photographers who prioritize ease-of-use and don’t necessarily care about marketing their website.
– Wix and WordPress offer excellent support options but may lack specialized knowledge of photography-specific concerns.
– Consider factors such as ease of use, customization options, SEO capabilities, customer support availability, and cost before choosing between Wix and WordPress for your website, as both have limitations and challenges that may impact your decision.
So let’s take a closer look at both platforms, why I think Wix and WordPress are two completely different platforms, and why one is good and one isn’t (depending on your website goals). Full disclosure, this is a WordPress site built on an easier-to-use page builder called Breakdance (which comes with a free plan and a paid one).
When building a website, I prefer using WordPress over Wix.
One of the main reasons is that WordPress offers better SEO options, allowing me to optimize my site for search engines and attract more visitors. I can’t count how many times I’ve struggled with WIX wondering why it won’t show up for search terms like (Real Estate Photographer) I’ve optimized for only to switch to WordPress with the same content and have it rank on the first page after.
Additionally, with WordPress, I have complete control over my design and website functionality, which is essential for creating a unique and professional-looking site. Creating a WordPress theme from scratch isn’t easy but getting a website up is incredibly easy, thanks to the many WordPress themes available on the market.
If you care about people finding your website online, you should consider using WordPress instead of Wix to improve your website’s SEO. As a photographer with a marketing background, WordPress is a popular platform for creating websites because of its capability with search engine optimization. Why is this important?
With these benefits in mind, it’s clear that using WordPress as a website builder significantly improves the SEO of your website compared to using Wix. Having experienced this first hand I’ve seen new WordPress users get a significant ranking boost after making the move over from WIX.
Plus, with complete control over your design and website features, you can create a unique online presence that truly represents your brand and style.
Having complete control over your website’s design and features is essential for photographers who want to create a unique online presence that reflects their brand and style. When comparing Wix and WordPress, both platforms offer full control over the design of your website, but the degree of flexibility differs.
Wix has a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that allows you to customize templates without any coding knowledge easily. You can choose from hundreds of professionally designed templates or start from scratch with a blank canvas. Wix also offers a range of advanced design options, including animation effects, parallax scrolling, and video backgrounds. However, the downside of using Wix is that it limits you to its ecosystem of plugins and widgets, which may not always meet your needs as a photographer.
With thousands of plugins and themes available in the WordPress repository, you can add advanced functionality to your site, such as password-protected client galleries or custom image galleries, with ease.
Moreover, if you have coding experience or hire a developer, there are almost no limitations on what you can do with your WordPress site’s design and features.
With thousands of plugins and designs, photographers can easily enhance their website’s functionality and aesthetic appeal. Wix and WordPress offer a wide range of plugins that cater to websites.
With WordPress, there are over 50,000 plugins available for download in the official plugin repository, while Wix has a growing library of third-party apps that can be integrated seamlessly into your website.
When it comes to design options, both platforms have an extensive selection of templates and themes that are suitable for websites. However, WordPress arguably offers more customizable design options with its vast library of free and premium themes. Both have the capability to make easy-to-use drag-and-drop builders. The website you’re reading is built with a drag-and-drop builder.
Whether you choose Wix or WordPress ultimately depends on your preferences regarding design flexibility and ease of use.
If you’re ready to take your online photography business to the next level, it’s time to set up shop with a platform that acts as a sturdy foundation for your digital storefront – like a brick-and-mortar store, but without the rent and overhead costs.
Regarding eCommerce options for websites, neither is a slouch but I still find WordPress undoubtedly one of the best website builders available in the market. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and hundreds of customizable templates, WordPress allows photographers to build their online stores within minutes.
Here are some reasons why Wix is better than WordPress when it comes to eCommerce options for websites:
– Wix offers hassle-free payment processing through its own payment gateway.
– You can create custom product galleries using Wix’s built-in image editor.
– The platform provides an easy-to-use inventory management system.
– You can track your orders and shipments directly from the dashboard.
– There are no transaction fees when selling products on your Wix site.
Despite these advantages, there are some cons of WordPress that you should consider before making a decision.
I’ve had years of experience with WordPress for my photography and marketing websites, and there are some cons to using it.
Firstly, support can be somewhat nonexistent – when I encountered a problem, it was sometimes challenging to find a straightforward solution or get help from WordPress. There are thousands of forum posts, and premium plugins will have their dedicated support team but some simple stuff may be more challenging if you don’t fully understand. WordPress is easy to get up and running with pre-made themes.
Additionally, starting WordPress can be more complicated than other website builders like Wix or Squarespace due to its more complex interface and setup process. If you struggle with WordPress software, I recommend installing a page builder like Breakdance (free trial & free version) or Elementor (drag-and-drop builder).
These cons may make WordPress less appealing for photographers looking for an easy-to-use and well-supported website builder.
Starting a website can be challenging, especially when there are so many options to choose from, and the process may not always be as straightforward as expected. As a beginner, I found it harder to get started with WordPress than Wix but over time found it far more confusing to use WIX.
Now, I use managed WordPress which means I manage my own hosting and servers. When I first started the installation process alone was quite daunting, and it took me some time to understand how everything worked. Since I started with WordPress though you can have this all taken care of using WordPress.com which is similar to WIX.
On the other hand, Wix’s interface is very user-friendly, and their ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) made things even more accessible. All I had to do was answer a few questions about my website’s purpose and design preferences, and Wix generated a fully working website for me. WordPress is closing in on an AI builder that will ask you a few questions and then “Poof” it’s built as well. The future is here!
Getting up and running with WIX did save me some time; however, this ease of use doesn’t come without drawbacks.
Wix has plenty of pros that make it a great option when building websites.
One significant advantage is its customer support, which is more extensive than WordPress’s. The WIX adi is pretty impressive feature as well.
Additionally, Wix offers easy integrations with third-party tools and platforms, making it more straightforward to expand the functionality of your website.
You’d have to feel pretty confident with your website-building skills if you think you don’t need customer support, but let me tell you, both Wix and WordPress can offer excellent support options when things inevitably go wrong.
While Wix has a comprehensive help center with articles covering everything from design to SEO optimization, WordPress has an extensive community forum where users can interact and troubleshoot problems.
In addition, both platforms have dedicated customer service teams available through email and live chat.
To give you a better idea of the level of support offered by each platform, here is a comparison table:
| Support Options | Wix | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Help Center Articles | Yes | Yes |
| Community Forum | No | Yes |
| Customer Service (Email/Live Chat) | Yes/Yes | Yes/No |
As you can see, while Wix offers more direct customer service options than WordPress, the latter has a thriving community forum where users can ask questions and get help from fellow photographers. Ultimately, when deciding between Wix or WordPress as the better choice for websites, it’s essential to consider all aspects of each platform, including their support options.
Let’s move on to another important factor in website building – easier integrations.
For a seamless website-building experience, integrating third-party applications and tools with your chosen platform is crucial. When comparing Wix and WordPress for websites, you may want to consider which platform makes integrations easier to use. Here are four ways that Wix stands out in this area:
While WordPress also offers integrations through plugins and other tools, many users find the process more complex than with Wix.
While WIX is easy and has a good support team behind them the biggest con I’ve noticed is the platform’s poor SEO performance. Their SEO capabilities are pretty poor compared to other website builders.
Additionally, Wix can become more expensive in the long run due to their pricing structure and limitations on the free plan.
And lastly, you don’t own your Wix website, which could limit your growth potential in the future. Imagine working hundreds of hours only to decide you want to switch to WordPress as your blogging platform and photography site. Guess what? You’re going to be starting from scratch.
Unfortunately, Wix HAS poor SEO for websites, making it difficult for photographers to rank higher on search engines. As a photographer, I understand how important it is to have a website easily discoverable by potential clients. This is why I decided to research the SEO capabilities of both Wix and WordPress.
Without SEO plugins on WordPress, I found that both platforms have limitations when optimizing websites for search engines. However, I created a table below that compares some of the key differences between the two in terms of SEO:
| Wix Website | WordPress Website | |
|---|---|---|
| Loading Speed | Slow due to heavy templates | Fast with proper optimization |
| Customization | Limited control over meta tags and URLs | Complete control over all aspects of SEO |
| Plugins | Limited selection of plugins available | Wide variety of plugins available for SEO optimization |
| Mobile Optimization | Automatic mobile optimization for all templates | Requires manual optimization for mobile devices |
While neither platform excels in SEO, WordPress offers more flexibility and customization options when optimizing your site. With SEO-specific plugins, you can enhance your WordPress presence pretty quickly.
However, remember that with greater flexibility comes greater responsibility – you will need to educate yourself (or reach out to me) on best practices and put in some effort to optimize your WordPress site properly. It’s also worth noting that despite its limitations, many photographers still choose Wix due to its ease-of-use and budget-friendly pricing options.
If you have any intention on building your presence through blogging (and you should) or being found via search from your customers I advise against using WIX.
The starter WIX plan can get you up and running without spending anything. But there is a big difference between the free and paid plans. WIX provides a free starter site that shows ads but if you decide to use it as an e-commerce website you’re going to be paying more then WordPress.
The seemingly budget-friendly pricing of Wix may tempt you. However, it’s essential to consider the long-term costs before making a decision.
While Wix may have a lower starting price point than WordPress, it can be more expensive in the long run. Wix charges for additional features and add-ons that are often included for free with WordPress. Additionally, migrating your content from Wix can be difficult and costly if you decide to switch platforms down the line.
It’s important to weigh the initial cost savings against potential future expenses when choosing a platform for your website.
WIX makes it easy to get started but you can find yourself spending more then you need to as you add features to your website.
Did you know that owning your website is crucial for maintaining control over your online presence and ensuring you can make changes as needed? Many people recommend Wix because it can be free to use, it’s easy-to-use interface and beautiful templates, and they find it easier to use than WordPress. However, one downside to using Wix is that you don’t own your website.
On the other hand, WordPress allows for more website ownership and control. With WordPress, you have complete freedom to customize your website however you like. WordPress is more flexible if you ever wanted to switch website hosts, make improvements or change designs. WIX doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility when it comes to converting to a different platform and while WordPress doesn’t make this easy, it can happen.
Take a look at this table for a quick comparison between Wix and WordPress in terms of website ownership and control:
| Wix | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Website Ownership | Wix owns your website. | You own your website. |
| Website Control | Limited control over design and functionality. | Complete freedom to customize design and functionality. |
| Flexibility | Might not be suitable for complex websites. | Suitable for all types of websites, including complex ones. |
While Wix offers an easy solution initially, choosing to build your website with WordPress means you’ll have more flexibility with your website in the long run.
If you want your photography business to thrive and attract more clients, you need a website that can grow with you. Unfortunately, growth can be limited if you choose Wix over WordPress for your website. Here are four reasons why:
Overall, choosing WordPress over Wix will allow for greater flexibility and scalability in the long run when building a beautiful and functional website that meets all the needs of clients looking to hire professional photographers.
Now let’s move on to comparing the two platforms head-to-head in our next section on “Wix vs WordPress – which one should you choose?”
You’re probably wondering which one to choose between Wix and WordPress for your website, but let me tell you, it ultimately comes down to your personal needs and preferences.
I think WordPress is an excellent choice because of its SEO capabilities. Wix and WordPress offer drag-and-drop page builder options, but WordPress beats WIX because it can be found in search engines much easier.
It’s also less expensive than WIX, and the cost of WordPress won’t necessarily snowball if you add more features like eCommerce.
Building a WordPress site may not be as easy initially as WIX but over time, I just found the WIX editor to be clumsy. Both platforms have lots to get up and running, wix gives access to templates and there are thousands of free WordPress themes available as well.
In my opinion, though, the massive benefit of SEO to your website, whether you choose to use it or not, should be more than enough to sway you to go with WordPress.
A: Wix is a website builder that utilizes a drag-and-drop interface, while WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that allows for greater customization but has a steeper learning curve.
A: Both Wix and WordPress have pros and cons when it comes to creating a website. Wix is easier to use and has pre-designed templates specifically for websites, but WordPress offers more customization options and better SEO capabilities.
A: Yes, Wix is generally considered easier to use than WordPress due to its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and pre-designed templates.
A: While Wix does offer blogging capabilities, WordPress is widely regarded as the best blogging platform due to its extensive options for customization and SEO optimization.
A: Yes, Wix does offer ecommerce capabilities with its Wix Stores feature. However, WordPress also has numerous ecommerce plugins available for use.
A: Yes, Wix is generally considered easier to use than WordPress due to its drag-and-drop interface and pre-designed templates.
A: The cost of using WordPress varies depending on factors such as hosting and theme or plugin purchases. Wix has a range of pricing plans, with the basic plan being free.
A: Yes, it is possible to switch from Wix to WordPress. However, it can be complicated as the two platforms have different systems and architecture.
A: WordPress is generally considered to have better SEO capabilities than Wix due to its ability to use plugins such as Yoast SEO and customize meta descriptions and URLs.
A: Yes, WordPress is an open-source content management system. This means that users can access the source code and modify it as needed.