Small business owners often choose basic website builder software for their first website. It’s quick and easy to create a site and establish a brand. Once your basic website is up and running, however, you’ll notice its inadequacies and wonder about upgrading.

Upgrading from a basic website builder such as WIX or Squarespace to a CMS such as WordPress opens a world of possibilities for small businesses. While it is more complicated, some business owners design and create their own WordPress websites. Others rely on web designers to create the perfect site. Either way, a WordPress website benefits your brand, reachability and customer interaction, causing your business to grow.

Common reasons small businesses give for upgrading:

They want to be found.

WordPress can improve SEO rankings, meaning your site will move up the list of businesses appearing in a Google search. Potential customers will see it and click on it. WordPress SEO plug-in software improves rankings by helping you write better content, add meta descriptions, optimize your site for mobile and improve page load times. And, you choose the web host rather than being limited to the host provided with a basic website builder. Better hosting means better load times, which improve SEO rankings. According to findings from Google, site abandonment increases by 32% with every extra second of load time.

They want to interact with customers and gather demographics data.

WordPress plug-ins customize your website and help build your business. A Live Chat plug-in instantly connects customers to you or a smart bot who can redirect them to the right support person. Other plug-ins gather strategic business data by having customers complete forms for customer satisfaction or demographic data, to name a few. Use this data to post  customer feedback for individual products, or to gather demographics about your customer base. Plug-ins allow you to share data with employees to track and use in business planning. WordPress has over 55,000 free or premium plug-ins to choose from!

They want to project a professional, consistent brand to showcase their products and services.

WordPress is much more flexible than a basic website designer.

  • According to research from Scepter, WordPress has more than 31,010 themes available for download or purchase! Or, you can design your own.
  • WordPress is known for its blog capabilities. Blogs establish credibility and improve SEO rankings. It is fully customizable for your needs.
  • WordPress sites are scalable. You can add pages and repeat themes to carry branding across the website.
  • You can share content across social media platforms, extending your reach.
  • WordPress sites are searchable, allowing visitors to find the information they need quickly without having to page through the site.
  • Mobile optimized: As more web browsing and shopping takes place on phones, a mobile-friendly website is a necessity. Review 42 says, “70% of web traffic comes from mobile phones. 61% of users will never return to a website that is not mobile-friendly.” WordPress websites are optimized for mobile use. Plug-ins are available for features not included in the base. It’s important to consider your design, color choices and content placement for mobile use. Your website designer will help you choose the right look for mobile applications.
  • A mobile-friendly website is crucial to your success. 72% of consumers want a mobile-friendly website.

They want E-commerce software for a smooth, secure purchase and shipping process.

Customers want an effortless, efficient ecommerce process, on both laptops and mobile devices. WordPress has plug-ins such as WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) that give businesses the features they need. They work whether you are selling a few items or thousands. They work internally. The open source software means you can customize it to fit your needs. Close to 4 million websites use WooCommerce.

They want built-in security for themselves and their customers.

WordPress security is built-in to protect you and your customers from hackers and malware. WordPress and its themes and plugins provide continual updates and patches to fix vulnerabilities. Plug-ins are available for even higher security.

They want technical support for changes, upgrades and emergencies.

Regular updates and maintenance keep websites running smoothly. Support is available for problems with plug-in errors, website downtime or questions about making changes. Support comes from theme and plugin authors, online support groups and website developers like Wheaton Website Services.

A robust, customized website gives you a competitive advantage. Rather than a bare bones description of your business, customers will find a professional looking, functional website that will instill confidence in your company. A CMS like WordPress will meet the needs of your small business now and as it grows.

We design WordPress websites that run flawlessly. Contact us to learn about creating one for your business.