Online Web Hosting Platforms Vs. WordPress Download
Millions of people throughout the United States are no longer employed. Around the country people are wondering how they will cover their daily expenses and continue to provide for their families. Ecommerce businesses are on the rise due to low start up costs and accessibility. There are multiple web-based platforms that provide easy setup and hosting for eCommerce sites. Below is a list of well-known eCommerce hosting platforms:
Shopify
Wix
Weebly
Square Space
Go Daddy
WordPress
With so many options available it can be hard to decide which platform is the best investment. When choosing an eCommerce platform you must evaluate the plan cost, features, customer feasibility, and security.
I ultimately chose Wix’s Business Basic plan to host Melanin Glow’s website, as the site was originally built with WordPress. Although I highly recommend that clients use WordPress and Woo Commerce to structure their websites to decrease costs, WordPress requires more steps to launch. I chose Wix because it offered better feasibility than WordPress. With WordPress you must download the software compatible with your hosting device and connect your device to a web server. Then you must construct the website using the WordPress platform which supplies a variety of web layout templates. Once chosen, the feasibility of your website is determined by the template that you choose. Finally, after constructing your website you must connect the site to a web host and purchase a domain. Of course, the downside of using WordPress is it’s complexities. Despite those complexities, the upside of using WordPress is that it is free. You only have to pay for web hosting (no more than $10 per month).
Wix allows you to pay an annual or monthly fee for your website. The Business Basic plan offered by Wix includes an eCommerce store, online hosting, and a variety of other helpful features. The templates offered by Wix are easy to customize to your business needs and the business plans include SEO tips and guidelines. Providing $27 per month fee for the Business Basic plan was a no brainer for me because of my launch date time constraints. I had a little more than 2 months to get my website online before my company launch. Hosting my website through an online platform allowed me to customize my template at any computer via the password protected Wix portal. My dashboard page provided guidelines on how to setup each feature appropriately. I appreciated having tips and tools available to help me design and promote my website uniquely.
"Although I chose Wix to host my website, there are many other platforms available to help you host yours. Head over to Melanin Glow’s store to download our Website Platform Comparison worksheet. This information is complete with my recommendation for each platform. "
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I hope that this helps you decide which platform is best for you and your business!
Best,
Author:
Cortney Patterson
Owner & Business Coach
Melanin Glow
businessinquiries@melaninglow.org