There are a lot of different platforms you can use to create your website. WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Shopify, Sanity, Contentful, Adobe DXP, Drupal…the list goes on. There is no single right answer. It will all depend on your current situation and your future needs.
Here are four key questions I ask when deciding what platform I should use for any website I build.
- What are the key features I need for my website? Different platforms have different key features. Matching these features with your needs is important for efficiently creating a high quality site
- What resources/skills do I have available/can get? Your organisations ability to build and maintain the website also plays a huge role. Websites require maintenance. Do you or your team have the ability to maintain it.
- How do you see the website contributing to your business in the next 2-5 years? Rewrites are lengthy and expensive. Consider a platform that can be extended if you plan on having the website play a core role in your business.
- How much will this cost? Different platforms will have different costs associated. Some costs are to use the platform other costs are external. Do you need to hire developers to build it, or hire an agency, what’s the monthly cost (there’s always a monthly cost).
Write these out in as much detail you can. You can then match your requirements to the features that each platform offers.
Over the next few days I will be going a little deeper into a few platforms that I have experience in and be listing their pros and cons.