Your Platform Isn't the Problem

TL;DR: Choosing between WordPress and Wix isn't about which platform is "better"—it's about matching the tool to your business stage and budget. Most small businesses waste money on WordPress when they need marketing budget, not enterprise features.

• For local businesses under 50 staff: Wix provides everything you need without maintenance costs (£50-75/month saved).

• For national competitors with £3k-6k/month marketing budgets: WordPress offers marginal SEO gains that matter at scale.

• The real success factor: Execution, content quality, and marketing strategy—not platform choice.

Should I Choose WordPress or Wix for My Business?

The answer depends on your business stage, budget, and technical capacity—not which platform sounds more "professional."

Choose Wix when:

• You're a local business competing in a specific geographic area

• You have under 50 staff members

• You need budget for marketing after the website is built

• You lack technical expertise or time for ongoing maintenance

Choose WordPress when:

• You're competing at a national or international scale

• You're spending £3,000-6,000+ monthly on marketing

• You have 25+ staff and need advanced custom functionality

• You can budget £50-75/month for professional maintenance

Why Designers Recommend WordPress (Even When You Don't Need It)

Designers love to slag off Wix.

It's easy sales tactics. They'll tell you it's slow, clunky, bad for SEO. They'll push WordPress because that's what they know and what keeps you dependent on them for ongoing maintenance.

They'll tell you Wix is slow, clunky, and bad for SEO. But here's what they won't tell you: 93% of WordPress vulnerabilities come from plugins, not the platform itself.

You're paying £50-75 a month for someone to update those plugins, run backups, and pray nothing breaks when two plugins conflict.

Why this happens: Designers default to WordPress not because it's best for your business, but because it's what they're trained in. The recurring maintenance creates ongoing revenue.

The bottom line: Designer bias toward WordPress often stems from familiarity and business model—not what serves your specific needs.

The Expensive Stepping Stone

I've watched people spend their last £5,000 on a WordPress site.

Then they have nothing left for marketing. No budget to get people to the site. They've bought enterprise-level equipment when they needed a professional 

It's all great having an all-singing, all-dancing website if no one's looking at it.

Small businesses should spend 7-8% of revenue on marketing. A £5,000 WordPress site eats nearly 17% of a typical small business's entire annual marketing budget before a single visitor shows up.

The SEO Myth That Won't Die

Yes, Wix used to be terrible for SEO. Before 2016, the drag-and-drop code made sites slow.

But Google's John Mueller has said publicly: "Wix is fine for SEO. They've made fantastic progress."

Tesla, AirAsia, ITV News, and Claire's Accessories use Wix. These aren't small operations testing the waters. They're multinational brands trusting the platform for mission-critical web presence.

For a local plumber competing in Maidstone, success comes down to content, Google My Business, citations, and consistent NAP data. The platform choice is irrelevant at that scale.

The Real Risk No One Mentions

Your WordPress developer retires. Or folds. Or you just lose contact.

I've seen it happen. People lose domain names, rankings, authority. Everything.

Over 10,000 WordPress sites get hacked daily. If major retailers like M&S and Boots struggle with security, do you think your one-person operation stands a chance?

Wix handles security, updates, and hosting. You're backed by a multinational with resources you can't match independently.

When WordPress Actually Makes Sense

I'm not saying WordPress is wrong.

If you're competing nationally, spending £3,000-6,000 monthly on marketing, and have 50+ staff, WordPress gives you marginal gains that matter at scale.

But Susie the florist doesn't need that.

Marketing has levels. You don't jump from a DIY site to a £5,000 WordPress build. There's a middle step—a professionally built Wix site for £750 that looks credible and converts locally.

What Actually Determines Success

I've seen WordPress sites fail and Wix sites thrive.

The difference isn't the platform. It's execution. Strategy. Content quality. Whether you spent your budget on the tool or the marketing that drives traffic to it.

About 55% of Wix websites pass all Core Web Vitals metrics. The platform competes technically. What matters is how you use it.

The real cost of skipping levels isn't just money. It's time, effort, and confidence in marketing as a whole. People get burnt, retreat to cold calling and networking, and never try digital again.

Match the platform to where you actually are in your business. Not what sounds impressive to designers.