The question always arrives the same way: "should I build the site on WordPress or Shopify?" And the honest answer is that the platform is the last decision, not the first. Three things come before it.
The three questions that come first
- What does the site have to do? Show who you are, capture leads, sell online, handle bookings or serve content. They're not the same.
- Who maintains it? If it's you and you're not technical, you need something that won't break on its own. With a team or an agency, you can afford more power.
- How much do you want to depend on a provider? Subscription platforms make everything easier until the day you want to leave.
The options, without the marketing
WordPress
Still the default for a business site with content. Free, hostable anywhere, someone who can work on it in every city, and full control.
The trap: plugins. Each one is third-party code that has to be updated. A site with thirty plugins is a breakdown waiting its turn. And it needs real maintenance: updates, backups and monitoring.
Shopify
If your business is the shop, it's the sensible option. Payments, inventory, shipping and taxes solved, and no server to worry about.
The trap: a monthly fee plus commission, and customising beyond the theme gets complicated. Migrating later isn't impossible, but it costs.
Webflow
Very good when design matters and you don't want to depend on templates. Clean output and fast.
The trap: a learning curve, and your content lives inside their system. For a large or multilingual blog, check the limits first.
Squarespace, Wix and friends
For a simple site you have to build yourself this weekend, they work and they look fine. All included, no technical surprises.
The trap: the ceiling arrives early, technical SEO is limited, and leaving means rebuilding almost everything.
Static HTML
The option almost nobody suggests and sometimes the best one. If your site is ten pages that rarely change, static is faster, safer, cheaper to host and doesn't break by itself. This very site works that way.
The trap: you need someone to touch it when things change, or an editing layer on top.
How I decide
- You sell products and the catalogue rules: Shopify, or WooCommerce if you already live in WordPress.
- You publish often: WordPress.
- A presentation site that rarely changes: static or Webflow.
- Bookings or appointments: choose the booking tool first, then build the site around it.
What to nail down, whatever you choose
- The domain in your name. Not the agency's, not the provider's.
- The access, yours. Admin, hosting and DNS.
- The ability to export content and images.
- Analytics and Search Console connected from day one.
Want me to tell you which one fits your case?
Write to [email protected] with what you sell and who will maintain it, and I'll tell you where I'd start.