Choosing the right web platform for your business
Read time: 3 minutes
September 16, 2014
Choosing the right platform is a critical first step in planning your company’s website. Your site is home base for all your online marketing efforts. So, it’s important to choose a platform that has the functionality you need as your site grows.
To get started, ask yourself what your goals are for your site. Some important considerations should include:
Understanding how you want your website to work for your business will help you understand how simple or complex a platform you need. While it’s a good idea to work with a web developer to help you build the site, it’s also important to have an idea of the type of platform you would like to use.
There are several leaders in website platform development. You may already be familiar with some of them, but it’s valuable to look at the different options. So here’s a brief overview of the key players to start your process.
| Wordpress | Joomla | Drupal | Weebly | GoDaddy | |
| Ease of use | Intuitive, user-friendly | Complex, but user-friendly with practice | Developer-friendly | Intuitive, user-friendly | Intuitive, user-friendly |
| Pros | Allows quick and easy content updates Large user community increases support and plugin options Large, growing library of visual themes |
Mid-level between Wordpress and Drupal—intuitive user interface with more power than Wordpress | Can easily be customized for website needs | Drag and drop editing ability | Drag and drop editing ability Existing library of visual themes Can save backup versions to restore site if needed |
| Cons | Limited ability to modify security settings. (plug in required) Not optimized for larger sites/high traffic (possible, but requires professional help to set up) Limited customization beyond library themes |
Mid-level between Wordpress and Drupal—not as user friendly as Wordpress, not as customizable as Drupal | Complex—requires developer | Limited library of visual themes Limited customization |
Limited customization Limited in ability to change themes post-build |
| E‑commerce Functionality | Basic through plug ins (variety of options) | Basic through plug ins (variety of options) | Customizable to specific needs through developer support | Via integration with Paypal or Stripe | Basic proprietary e-commerce included |
| Best used for | Frequent basic content updates Blogs Basic e-commerce |
Article heavy, content heavy Basic e-commerce |
Complex content, navigation and/or e-commerce sites | Basic content Basic blogging Basic e-commerce |
Basic content updates Basic e-commerce |
| Example Site | Van Huesen | The Guggenheim Museum | The Economist | Sustainable Solutions Georgia | Rickety Rack Clothing |
There are a lot of different ways to make a web platform work for your company and it all starts with understanding platform capabilities in the context of your business goals.
Since there’s no one-size-fits-all platform (which is a good thing!), this chart serves to help break down some of the initial, core considerations in choosing the right platform for you. It’s always helpful to invest in support from a web development firm or a consultant to help you find the right solution for you.
Think you might need a bit more help figuring out the right fit for your site? Comment below!