I’ve been building websites since 2005 — from the days of ColdFusion and Flash to modern-day headless CMS platforms. Over the years I’ve worked with everything from small business WordPress sites to large enterprise systems like Sitecore and Contentful. Today, I focus on helping service-based businesses and e-commerce brands find the right platform that fits their goals, budget, and team.
If you’re a small business owner wondering “Should I use Shopify, WordPress, or something else?”, this breakdown is for you.
Best for: E-commerce businesses that want a reliable, all-in-one solution.
Shopify is my go-to recommendation for product-based businesses. It’s built to handle inventory, payments, shipping, and marketing all in one platform — and because it’s a SaaS (software-as-a-service), you don’t have to worry about hosting, updates, or security.
From my own experience helping brands migrate from platforms like WooCommerce, Shopify’s biggest strengths are its ease of use and scalability. You can start small and grow without rebuilding everything later.
Best for: Service-based businesses, content marketing, and flexible design.
I’ve been building WordPress websites since 2011, creating hundreds of custom sites for agencies and small businesses. It remains one of the most powerful and customizable CMS options available, especially when paired with tools like ACF, Yoast SEO, and modern builders such as Gutenberg or Breakdance.
The key with WordPress is understanding that it’s self-hosted — meaning you’re responsible for updates, hosting, and security. But that also gives you full control over design and functionality, which is why I recommend it for brands that need a strong content marketing engine.
Best for: DIYers and creative professionals who want simplicity.
Squarespace is a great fit if you need a beautiful, low-maintenance website with minimal technical effort. I often see small business owners start here — it’s perfect for early-stage brands who just need a simple, polished presence.
However, it can become limiting as you grow. You’ll eventually bump into walls with customization and integrations (especially if you need advanced SEO or analytics setup).
Best for: Creatives and photographers who want full visual control.
Showit combines the freedom of visual design (think Adobe Illustrator for websites) with the power of WordPress for blogging. This can be great for artists, photographers, and designers who want to make something visually unique without diving into code.
Best for: Small business owners and beginners who want a quick, visual website setup.
Wix has come a long way in the last few years. It’s a fully hosted, drag-and-drop website builder that’s simple to use — great for small business owners who need a professional-looking site fast without touching code. You can choose from templates, edit text and images right on the page, and even add e-commerce or bookings with built-in tools.
That said, it’s not always the best long-term choice if you plan to scale your business or invest in SEO. The design flexibility can be limited compared to WordPress, and while Wix’s built-in SEO tools have improved, they don’t offer the same depth of control as an open platform.
Best for: Scalable businesses and enterprise teams that need a modern, headless CMS.
When I led a corporate web team in the foodservice industry, we replatformed our global site from Sitecore to Contentful — and it completely changed how we worked. This experience taught me the power of headless architecture: your content lives in one place and can be delivered anywhere — websites, mobile apps, kiosks, or even digital screens.
Contentful separates content from presentation, which gives developers and marketers more flexibility to scale. It’s built for teams managing multiple brands, languages, or digital channels.
Best for: Large corporations with complex needs and dedicated development teams.
During my corporate years, I worked extensively with Sitecore — and to be honest, it was one of the toughest systems to work with. While it’s a powerful enterprise CMS on paper (with personalization, analytics, and marketing automation all built in), it came with significant trade-offs.
For most content teams, Sitecore can be hard to use, slow to develop on, and expensive to maintain. It required specialized engineering teams just to implement routine updates, and our content editors struggled with day-to-day publishing. Those challenges ultimately pushed me to lead our replatforming initiative to Contentful — a decision that dramatically improved workflow and scalability.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to CMS platforms — it depends on your goals, content needs, and resources.
Here’s my quick rule of thumb:
If you’re unsure where to start, work with a designer or developer who takes time to understand your business model, not just your color palette. The right platform should make running your business easier — not harder.
