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on_my_own
04-19-2014, 09:02 PM
There are obviously advanatages and disadvantages for both options, but I wanted some opinions from people a lot more experienced than me. I have created some apparel on a site that will print and ship the apparel for me if a customer decides to buy it. Therefore, I don't technically need an ecommerce site. When a person visiting the website clicks on the "shop" link, they will be directed to the website that I have my designs made (spreadshirt.com). I would like a site where I can post up pictures, videos, blogs, etc that are related to the apparel I am selling. My question is would you guys recommend just using a website builder such as squarespace to make things a lot simpler for me since I am new to this or should I go with wordpress which would allow a lot more room for customization? Any opinions or suggestions are more than welcomed.

Thanks!

Wozcreative
04-19-2014, 09:32 PM
When you get your own hosting and install wordpress on it, you are in charge of what happens to that website. When you go with square space, they essentially own what you've created. Wordpress will also allow for more customization... only if you have the time to learn it.

jimr451
04-22-2014, 01:53 PM
I agree - go with Wordpress on a hosted account.

-It's portable - you can move it if the hosting company goes south.

-You can back it up locally for disaster recovery

-You can customize it in any way you might need going forward.

The drawbacks are that you have to keep up with upgrades and any security / technical issues that arise, but I think that beats locking into a platform that isn't portable.

-Jim

Harold Mansfield
04-22-2014, 02:47 PM
All true. WordPress gives you more freedom, you actually own the website and it's content, and there are no limits to customization with both form and function.
But none of that means a hill of beans if you have no idea what you are doing and don't want to, or have the time to learn.

In that case, I'd say stick with what's easier. Yes, in my opinion it's a crappier website, but not knowing how to use and build on WordPress is also a crappy website. So what's the difference? The bottom line is no matter what you use, you will need to learn some basic design principles, some marketing, some copy writing, and at least a basic understanding of HTML or CSS or nothing you do online will be built well unless you hire some one to do it for you.

billbenson
04-22-2014, 07:01 PM
A wordpress.org site is a license to learn. A website builder is not.

ryantc
01-12-2015, 10:10 AM
Wordpress will give you more flexibility and you will get increased customization. It is actually not that much more complicated than SquareSpace. I would definitely go with a WP website.

smallbizfinancier
01-12-2015, 01:55 PM
My $.02, go with WP. Customizable, open-source and you own your data.

Owen
01-30-2015, 03:04 AM
Wordpress!

Croco
02-01-2015, 02:30 PM
Harold +1
Everything depends on your needs.

DennisChang
02-02-2015, 05:34 AM
I would suggest you get your own domain and install wordpress on it. It is easy to setup, yet it gives you your own brand name and room for expansions.

mmenard0313
03-12-2015, 06:52 PM
Is anyone aware of a efficient wordpress plugin to list photos for customers to come and purchase and download them?

GaWebDev
03-15-2015, 11:57 PM
Hire some one to do it for you.
Harold will forgive me for selectively quoting him but what he said...

Kyle Johnston
03-17-2015, 03:49 PM
Here are some additional options to consider on top of Wordpress (I personally feel Wordpress feels cheap-ish):

Weebly: Create a Free Website, Online Store, or Blog (http://www.weebly.com) - we highly recommend weebly. It is free to build your site and host. Unfortunately, the free hosting incorporates weebly into the web address. However, paying for the basic web hosting which allows for your own web address (www.BLANK.com) is cheap, relative to other hosting sites, around $3.50 per month. These options allow for monetary transactions and a variety of other features. Although you will not get everything you need for this particular kind of website, it is a great start.

Similar sites include Free Website Builder | Create a Free Website | WIX.com (http://www.wix.com) and Lansing | Food, Nightlife, Entertainment (http://www.foursquare.com). These are alternative website building sites if you feel weebly is not for you.

El Chico Web
10-19-2015, 10:41 PM
WordPress it gives you so much more control over your website.