You’re starting a website and you’ve hit the first decision: what do you build it on?
WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace all show up in your Google searches. They all claim to be the best option. They all have slick marketing and testimonials from businesses you’ve never heard of. And they all make it sound like building a website is as simple as dragging a few boxes around.
So which one do you choose?
I’ll tell you straight – for most small businesses on the Sunshine Coast, the answer is WordPress. But not because I’m a WordPress developer (though I am). Because after 20 years of building websites on pretty much every platform that’s existed, I’ve seen what works long-term and what doesn’t.
Let me break down the real differences.
Wix: Easy to Start, Painful to Grow
Wix markets itself as the simple option. Drag and drop, build it yourself, no technical knowledge required. And for the first week, that’s true.
Then reality hits. You want to integrate a proper booking system – not available on your plan. You need the site to load faster because it’s ranking poorly in Google – can’t optimise it properly. You want to change the mobile menu layout – template won’t allow it. You try to add custom code for a specific feature – Wix strips it out or breaks it.
Where Wix falls apart: The moment you want anything custom. You’re locked into their ecosystem – can’t move your site without rebuilding from scratch. And every limitation you hit means either living with it or paying for a more expensive plan that still might not solve the problem.
Squarespace: Pretty Templates, Same Problem
Squarespace templates look better than Wix out of the box. If you’re comparing stock templates, Squarespace wins that fight.
But a good-looking template is still a template. And you’ll hit the same walls – just prettier ones.
Want to customise the checkout flow for your wine sales? Limited options. Need to integrate with your existing CRM? Might not be possible. Want the gallery to behave differently on mobile? You’re working within what Squarespace allows, not what you need.
Where Squarespace falls apart: You’re locked in. Can’t move your site without rebuilding. Customisation beyond the template requires CSS knowledge and even then you’re fighting the platform. Monthly pricing starts reasonable but creeps up as you need more features.
Squarespace works until it doesn’t. Then you’re rebuilding anyway.
WordPress: More Work Upfront, Yours Forever
WordPress isn’t as simple to start as Wix or Squarespace. But here’s what you get:
You own it. Your site lives on your hosting, not their platform. You can move it anywhere.
Unlimited customisation. With WordPress and Elementor, you can build anything. Not “anything within template constraints” – actually anything.
Proper SEO control. This matters more than most people realise. With WordPress, you control every URL (Wix adds their own parameters you can’t change). You control exactly how your site’s structured for Google to crawl. You can optimise images properly, manage caching, control your heading hierarchy precisely. You can make your site genuinely fast – not “fast for a Wix site” but actually fast. Wix and Squarespace give you some basic SEO settings. WordPress gives you complete control over everything Google cares about.
Real scalability. WordPress runs small business blogs and massive corporate sites. Your site grows with your business without hitting platform ceilings.
What WordPress requires: Proper setup. Decent hosting. Someone who knows what they’re doing to build it right the first time.
What you get: Long-term flexibility, true customisation, actual SEO capability, and you own your site.
What This Actually Costs
Wix and Squarespace look cheaper upfront. $16-$27 a month for basic plans, everything included. WordPress looks more expensive and complicated.
But here’s what you’re actually paying over three years:
Wix or Squarespace: Let’s say you’re on a $27/month plan (realistic once you need a few features). That’s $972 over three years. Except you’ll probably need to upgrade at some point – booking systems, more storage, remove ads, better e-commerce. Call it $40/month average. That’s $1,440 over three years. And at the end, you still don’t own it.
WordPress: Proper build from a developer – anywhere from $2,500 to $6,000+ depending on complexity. Hosting – $15-30/month, call it $20 average. That’s $720 over three years. Total: $3,220 to $6,720.
So WordPress costs more. But here’s what that extra money gets you: you own it, you can customise it properly, you can make it fast enough to rank in Google, and you’re not locked in. The Wix site? You’ve spent $1,440 and you’re still renting.
Five years out, the numbers look worse for Wix/Squarespace. Ten years out, it’s not even close.
The Platform Isn’t Everything (But It’s Not Nothing)
The platform matters, but it’s not the only thing.
I’ve seen beautiful sites that don’t bring in business because the strategy’s wrong. I’ve seen ugly sites that convert like crazy because the offer and copy are spot on.
But I’ve also seen businesses completely stuck because of platform limitations. Great business, good offering, website that can’t do what they need it to do.
The platform is your foundation. Build on a solid foundation and you’ve got options. Build on a shaky one and you’re constantly working around constraints.
So What Do You Actually Do?
Stop overthinking the platform question. Here’s what it comes down to:
Do you want to own your website or rent it?
Wix and Squarespace are rental agreements. You’re paying monthly to use their platform. The site exists on their servers. If they change their pricing, you pay more. If they shut down a feature, tough luck. If you want to leave, you rebuild from scratch.
WordPress is ownership. You pay someone to build it, you pay for hosting, and then it’s yours. You control it. You can move it. You can change it. Nobody can take it away or change the terms on you.
Do you want it to grow with your business or outgrow it in two years?
There are far too many Sunshine Coast businesses who started on Wix or Squarespace because it seemed easier, then hit limitations and had to rebuild. Cafes in Montville who couldn’t integrate the booking system they needed. Tradies in Caloundra whose sites loaded too slowly to rank in Google. Service businesses in Noosa who couldn’t make their site look different enough from the template.
They all ended up rebuilding on WordPress eventually. Which meant paying twice – once for the Wix/Squarespace site that didn’t work, once for the WordPress site that did.
Do you want proper SEO or just hope for the best?
If you want to show up in Google for “web designer Sunshine Coast” or “best cafe Maroochydore” or whatever’s relevant to your business, you need proper SEO control. WordPress gives you that. Wix and Squarespace give you some basic settings and crossed fingers.
My Actual Recommendation
If you’re serious about your business – if this isn’t just a hobby or a short-term test – build it on WordPress from the start.
Yes, it costs more upfront. Yes, you need someone who knows what they’re doing to set it up properly. But you own it, you can grow it, and you’re not locked into a platform that might not fit your needs in two years.
For a restaurant in Noosa, a tradie in Buderim, a professional service anywhere on the Sunshine Coast – WordPress is the foundation that lets you build something that actually lasts.
If you want to talk through what makes sense for your specific situation, I’m happy to have that conversation. No pitch deck, no sales presentation – just an honest chat about what you need and whether WordPress is the right call for you.
Get in touch and let’s work it out.
