Should You Pick WordPress or HTML For Your Website?

Before you start thinking whether your new website should be build with HTML or WordPress you should make sure you understand how they are different. WordPress is a content management system (CMS), that means it allows you to manage your own site from a graphic, user-friendly interface. A CMS like WordPress makes it easy to update website content and add features like image galleries and contact forms. HTML on the other hand is the markup language that tells your browser what to display on the screen. A website built with static HTML will almost always also include CSS and JavaScript too add visual style and interactivity to it.

Both WordPress and HTML have their pros and cons, and picking between one or the other will come down to your specific needs, let’s dive into a quick comparison to help you choose between the two.

How quickly do you need to be online?

One of WordPress strongest points is how quickly you can get a professional looking website up and running with little or no coding skills. Marketplaces like Themeforest have thousands of templates available to upload and install on WordPress, which include working contact forms, and easy ways to set up things like image sliders, menus and sidebars.

A static HTML site necessarily requires some familiarity with this markup language, even if only to edit a template. However, if you do have that kind of knowledge, you might be able to skip the installation of WordPress and also enjoy a quick launch.

How often will the site need to be updated?

The frequency with which a website needs to be modified is a good point to be taken into account when making your choice as well. A standard business website with “About Us” and contact information is full of content that doesn’t need to be updated very regularly, and that means it’s a great site to be built with static HTML. In contrast, if what you need is a blog, or an e-commerce site, or to have your store’s catalogue online and keep prices regularly updated then WordPress is probably a better choice.

WordPress provides a simple way to create and edit new pages, and whole themes and plugins are dedicated to things like e-commerce. If your website is constantly changing, then WordPress is a winner here.

How comfortable are you with HTML?

Although WordPress provides a quick way to get a site online, it’s no secret that a lot of its themes are very similar. HTML, however, allows you to fully customize your online property, doesn’t matter if that means editing an existing template or building everything from scratch. If it’s important that your site is customizable so that it stands out from the rest, and you’re comfortable writing HTML then that’s probably the way you should go.

What about the cost?

It’s also important to take into account the cost of the web hosting services you purchase. HTML can be hosted almost anywhere, even for free, and it doesn’t need any server specs to work. WordPress needs PHP and MySQL support to be able to run, and while it might not be as cheap as free, it’s true that most basic hosting services include both.

You now have an understanding of the main differences between WordPress and HTML, and are hopefully one step closer to choosing the one that suits your needs the best. If you still need a hand maintaining or setting up your website feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll be glad to help out!

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