Wix vs Squarespace vs WordPress: Why an award winning web brand designer only uses Wix
If you're a small business owner comparing Wix vs Squarespace vs WordPress, you've probably come across plenty of conflicting opinions about which platform is best. WordPress is often presented as the professional option, Squarespace is popular for its attractive templates, and Wix sometimes gets dismissed as something for beginners who want to build a website themselves.
Well, I recently won Web Branding Agency of the Year at the South England Prestige Awards 2026/27, and I exclusively build my client websites using Wix Classic. My background is in user experience design, website design and branding, and before starting my own creative practice, I worked at a web design agency alongside WordPress developers. I can read and write code, I've used Squarespace professionally and I've spent considerable time experimenting with Wix Studio, so I'm familiar with what goes into creating and maintaining a website.
I'm also particularly fussy about brand consistency and how polished a finished website looks. I care about the smaller details, including how elements are positioned, how images are presented and whether the design remains consistent across different devices. When I've spent hours developing a visual identity, I want to be able to carry that same standard of design through to the website without constantly fighting the software.
After years of working with different website platforms, I've deliberately chosen Wix Classic because it gives me the best combination of design control and practical website management for the types of businesses I work with. It also allows me to provide a level of professional design, copywriting and marketing support that would often cost considerably more through a traditional web design agency, while leaving my clients with a website they can comfortably manage themselves.
I have plenty of criticisms of Wix, so this article won't be one long advertisement for the platform. I want to explain what I've experienced using these different website builders, where I think their limitations are and why I believe the person designing your website is ultimately much more important than the software they're using.
So which is better for small businesses, Wix, Squarespace or WordPress?
For most of the independent business owners I work with, Wix Classic is my preferred choice because it allows me to create completely custom website designs while giving clients a relatively straightforward way to manage their content afterwards. It includes tools for blogging, search engine optimisation and ecommerce, with much of the technical maintenance handled by Wix itself.
WordPress offers greater technical flexibility, particularly for websites requiring complex custom functionality or specialist integrations. Squarespace provides a more structured design environment that can work well for businesses comfortable with its templates and layout system, while Wix Studio offers more advanced responsive design controls than Wix Classic, although I've personally found some of those controls unnecessarily complicated for the websites I produce.
All of these platforms can produce professional websites when they're used properly, but they differ quite significantly in the amount of technical work involved and how much freedom they give you when developing a particular design. They can also create very different responsibilities for the business owner once the website has been completed.
My clients are usually independent business owners who don't have large teams or dedicated website developers. They want their website to represent their business professionally, explain their services and help them attract customers, but they also want to be able to make straightforward updates themselves without needing to contact me every time something changes.
I also consider what they're actually paying for when they commission a website. If they need a professional designer, copywriter, marketing strategist and somebody to handle the technical build, I want to be able to offer all of those things together rather than sending them away to coordinate several different people.
That's a significant part of why I've chosen Wix, but before I explain how my own service works, I want to discuss my experiences with the other platforms.
Why did I stop using Squarespace?
I stopped using Squarespace around two years ago, give or take, so I'll acknowledge that the platform has developed since I last worked with it. However, my experience was honestly quite frustrating, particularly when it came to the design editor and finding certain website management settings.
I remember spending far too much time trying to locate things that I considered relatively standard website settings. One particular example was finding where to configure a cookie consent banner, which is important when a website uses optional cookies for things such as analytics and advertising. I also struggled to find the sort of central management dashboard I was accustomed to using in Wix, which made the whole experience feel unnecessarily complicated.
For context, I've spent years designing websites professionally and have worked in an agency environment alongside developers. I'm familiar with website software and understand what's happening technically, so I generally expect to be able to work my way around a website builder without too much trouble. Squarespace still managed to frustrate me, although my biggest issue was actually with the design editor.
Why I found the Squarespace design grid so limiting
Squarespace uses a grid based design system, meaning website elements are arranged within a defined structure rather than being positioned completely freely. Now, I'm very familiar with using grids in website design, and when I worked at a web design agency, I used grid systems while developing user experience designs and high fidelity website layouts. A high fidelity design is a detailed representation of how the finished website should look, including the actual spacing, typography, colours and positioning of elements.
Grids are incredibly useful for creating consistent layouts, and I use them in my own design work because they help establish clear spacing and relationships between different elements. However, I'm accustomed to having much more control over how those grids are configured and how precisely individual elements can be positioned.
The Squarespace grid felt unusually chunky and restrictive compared with the design systems I'd used professionally. I found the defined positions frustrating, particularly when I wanted to make smaller adjustments to the spacing between elements or place something in a particular location. Sometimes I wanted to create a very specific visual arrangement, but the editor made that considerably more difficult than I felt it needed to be.
When you're developing a website around an existing visual identity, those details matter because they affect how consistently the branding can be presented. I don't tend to start with premade website templates because my clients have different businesses and different branding requirements, and I want to develop the website around the brand rather than changing my design decisions to accommodate the restrictions of a website builder.
Wix Classic offers much more direct positioning of elements, which suits the way I work. I can use consistent spacing and layout structures while still having the freedom to make precise adjustments where the design requires them, although that freedom also means an inexperienced designer can make mistakes if they don't understand how to maintain consistency.
Squarespace has apparently developed its Fluid Engine editor, which offers more layout flexibility than older versions of the platform. However, it still works within a structured grid system, and based on my experience, I prefer the more direct control available in Wix Classic.
What about Squarespace's SEO tools?
When I used Squarespace, I also remember relying on an additional tool called SEOSpace to help with search engine optimisation. SEO stands for search engine optimisation, which involves improving how a website is organised and written so search engines can understand its content and potentially show it to people searching for relevant information.
Squarespace has since introduced additional SEO reporting and optimisation features, so it would be unfair to suggest that it doesn't offer useful SEO tools. However, Wix has a particularly convenient collection of tools for the way I work and, importantly, for the people who take over managing their websites after I've finished building them.
Within Wix, I can access an SEO setup checklist, individual blog optimisation features and settings for managing how pages appear in search results. I also have access to website analytics and other management features through the same dashboard, which makes it easier to keep track of the different parts of a website without constantly switching between unrelated systems.
When I'm handing a website over to a client, I can show them where these tools are and how to use them. If they want to publish their own blog posts, they can follow the recommendations within the Wix Blog SEO Assistant to check things such as their search titles and descriptions. The wider SEO checklist also gives them a useful starting point for understanding what needs attention across their website.
That's especially helpful for independent business owners who don't have an SEO specialist available every time they want to publish something new. I can establish the foundations, explain how the tools work and give them guidance they can continue using as their business develops.
Of course, I also explain that an SEO checklist can't replace an actual understanding of how SEO works. There are plenty of things these tools don't consider, including the wider context behind certain design and marketing decisions, which is something I'll come back to later.
Why don't I usually recommend WordPress to solo business owners?
I've worked alongside WordPress developers and seen some fantastic websites created using the platform. WordPress offers considerable technical flexibility and can be particularly valuable for businesses that need specialist functionality, but I don't think that additional flexibility is necessary for every business.
Most of my clients are independent business owners who need a professional online presence, clear information about their services and a straightforward way for potential customers to get in touch. Some want an online shop, while others are interested in developing a blog to attract customers through Google, and these are all things I can comfortably accommodate using Wix.
My main concern with recommending WordPress to somebody running their business alone is the potential amount of ongoing maintenance and technical responsibility involved, particularly when the business owner doesn't have much experience working with websites.
What does WordPress maintenance actually involve?
WordPress websites often depend on plugins, which are additional pieces of software used to introduce new features or functionality. Depending on how the website is built, plugins might be responsible for contact forms, security features or an online shop. Those plugins need to remain updated and compatible with the rest of the website, while WordPress itself also requires updates that can occasionally cause problems when different pieces of software stop working together properly.
WordPress supports automatic updates, and managed hosting services can help with maintenance. However, somebody still needs to take responsibility for the technical health of the website and deal with any issues that occur, particularly when custom functionality or several additional plugins are involved.
For a business with an internal developer or a maintenance agreement with an agency, this might be perfectly manageable. For somebody running their business alone, it's another responsibility to consider when they're probably already spending most of their time looking after customers and delivering their services.
I've rarely encountered a small business owner who has loads of spare time to learn website administration alongside everything else they're doing. Wix handles much of the hosting and underlying platform maintenance, meaning my clients generally have fewer technical responsibilities after their websites are handed over, which matters when the person managing the website is also the person running the entire business.
But can't you edit WordPress websites yourself?
Yes, WordPress has visual editing tools that allow people to update text, images and other website content without needing to write code. However, I think there's a considerable difference between being able to edit an existing page and feeling confident enough to expand a website independently.
What happens when you want to introduce an entirely new service page or change the layout? What if you want to add a shop later and need to configure new functionality? How straightforward those tasks are depends on how the WordPress website was built, which theme it uses and what additional functionality has been installed.
Even with my own website experience, I find some WordPress editing environments unnecessarily complicated, particularly when several different systems are involved. And while a client might be perfectly comfortable replacing a paragraph of text, making more substantial changes can become a different matter entirely.
I've also seen what can happen when clients become too dependent on their developer. I previously worked with a client who moved away from WordPress specifically because they were struggling to get hold of the developer responsible for their website. When they needed something updated, they couldn't always get a response quickly enough, which created problems when they wanted to make changes to their business.
That isn't an unavoidable problem with WordPress, and plenty of developers give their clients full administrative access. However, it illustrates why I care about what happens after a website has been completed, because I want my clients to feel comfortable managing their own website without being dependent on my availability.
But isn't WooCommerce free?
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that allows businesses to sell products online. However, when people tell me WooCommerce is free, I think it's worth explaining exactly what that means, particularly when we're comparing the cost of commissioning a professionally developed website.
The software itself can be installed without paying a licence fee, but somebody still needs to build and configure the shop. Depending on the business, that might involve setting up payment processing, configuring shipping, adding products and making sure everything works properly. There's also the visual design to consider, particularly if you want the shop to feel consistent with the rest of your website.
Additional functionality may require paid extensions or custom development, which can increase the cost considerably. A technically confident business owner can absolutely learn to set up WooCommerce themselves, but if somebody isn't particularly comfortable with websites, that could become quite a demanding project.
Even with my professional experience, it's not something I particularly want to spend my time dealing with when there are more straightforward options for the types of shops I usually build.
Wix offers integrated ecommerce functionality through eligible premium subscriptions, which I find much easier to work with for my clients. There are still configuration tasks and payment processing fees, but I can incorporate an online shop into a client's existing website without introducing a separate WordPress plugin system.
For example, I created the brand and strategic ecommerce website for Bob & Friends, a Sussex gift shop selling products for dogs and their humans. The project involved developing the full brand identity, creating a custom online shop and planning the customer journey through the website. I also worked on how products would be presented, created an SEO content strategy and provided guidance to help the owner continue developing the business herself.
The shop was built using Wix Classic, with the visual identity carried through the website and supporting marketing materials. For that particular business, I didn't see a compelling reason to introduce the additional technical responsibilities of a WordPress shop when Wix could comfortably accommodate the requirements. You can see examples of this and other projects in my website and branding case studies.
Why can professional WordPress websites cost thousands?
This is something I think gets overlooked when people compare different website builders, because the price of a website depends considerably on the amount of professional work going into it. There's a huge difference between paying somebody to install WordPress, choose a template and add some content, and commissioning a professionally developed website that's been designed around the actual business.
You can certainly find people advertising WordPress websites for £500, sometimes even less. However, I'd be asking some serious questions about what you're actually getting for that price, because professional website design involves considerably more than making sure a homepage looks attractive.
Are they researching your business and its competitors? Are they developing a custom design around your brand and planning how visitors should move through the website? Are they writing the copy, researching relevant search terms and setting up the SEO? Are they checking that the website works properly across different screen sizes?
And realistically, how much time can somebody spend doing all of that thoroughly within a £500 budget? When you consider the hours involved in developing a proper website, it's difficult to see how somebody could sustainably provide that entire level of professional service at such a low price.
There's nothing inherently wrong with a simple website using an existing template. For some businesses, that might be perfectly adequate, but I wouldn't consider it directly comparable to the level of professional work involved in a complete website strategy and custom design project.
When I'm comparing my pricing with other website services, I'm looking at agencies that provide a comparable standard of design, strategy and technical work. Those are the businesses offering the sort of complete service I'm providing, and their prices can easily reach several thousand pounds.
Why might you need several specialists for a WordPress website?
When you commission a website through an agency, the work is often divided between different specialists because web development, design and marketing are separate professional disciplines.
A developer might be responsible for building the website and handling its technical functionality, while a designer creates the visual layouts. A copywriter may develop the written content, an SEO specialist might work on search visibility and a strategist may plan how the website should support the business's sales process.
That's potentially five different areas of expertise involved in producing one website, and while some professionals are capable of handling several of those responsibilities themselves, it's relatively uncommon to find somebody who can deliver every part to a consistently high standard.
If you're hiring independent specialists, you may need to coordinate several people yourself. If you're commissioning an agency to handle the whole project, those responsibilities may be managed internally, but the cost will usually reflect the professional time involved.
A professionally developed WordPress website that includes research, custom branding and design, copywriting, SEO and a properly configured shop could therefore cost several thousand pounds. More complex functionality can push the price considerably higher, particularly when a business needs custom software development or ongoing technical support.
Agencies also have staff and operating expenses to cover, which affects how they price projects and manage payments. Some offer deposits and staged payments during a build, but allowing somebody to spread the cost across six months is a different arrangement and something I don't commonly see offered for comparable agency projects.
This is the level of service I'm comparing my own website packages against, because I provide the creative and marketing expertise as part of the build rather than expecting my clients to source those services elsewhere.
How can I offer a complete professional website for less than an agency?
I've deliberately structured my website design services to make professional website design more accessible to smaller businesses, particularly those that need experienced creative and marketing support without the budget of a larger company.
I handle the planning, custom design, copywriting and website build myself, with SEO foundations included in both website packages. I also consider the customer journey, which means planning how someone moves through the website, what information they need before making a decision and what might encourage them to enquire.
When appropriate, I'll research the audience and competitors or develop additional search content guidance, depending on the package the client has chosen. This is where my background becomes particularly useful, because I've worked across branding, website design, marketing and user experience. I can bring those areas of expertise into the same project rather than needing to involve several different professionals.
Wix is a big part of what makes that possible, because the platform handles hosting and much of the technical infrastructure, I can concentrate more of my time on the actual creative and strategic work. I can develop the layouts around the client's branding, write the website content and configure the relevant features without spending a substantial portion of the project dealing with the underlying technology.
I also run an independent practice, so I don't have the same staffing costs as a larger agency. That allows me to provide a comprehensive service at a more accessible price while keeping the project relatively straightforward for the client.
My £650 Wix Website Build is designed for businesses that already have a clear brand and an established way of attracting customers, but need a professional website to support their existing sales process. My £945 Strategic Wix Website Build includes additional blog setup and SEO content planning for businesses that want to develop their visibility through search.
Both include five custom designed core pages and the copywriting for those pages, rather than simply installing a premade website template. The strategic package also provides additional direction for developing future content, so clients can understand what their potential customers are searching for and how to create useful articles around those subjects.
I offer payment arrangements that help make the work more manageable too. The standard website build is divided into two payments, while the strategic build is divided into three. When clients purchase multiple services, I can also discuss arranging the combined cost across a maximum of six months, which can make investing in professional design and marketing support considerably easier.
I want small business owners to have access to the sort of professional expertise that would often be associated with a more expensive agency project. Choosing Wix Classic allows me to deliver that service efficiently without introducing technical work that most of my clients simply don't need.
What do my clients actually have to do when they book a Wix website build?
This is probably one of the biggest reasons my clients appreciate the way I work, because I handle almost everything involved in planning and creating the actual website.
There are a few initial technical tasks that the client needs to complete themselves, mainly because I want them to retain control of their own accounts and payments. They'll need to create a Wix account, purchase an appropriate premium subscription, connect their domain and invite me to work on the website as a collaborator. I'll explain what needs to be done and where to find the relevant settings, but I don't need access to their private login information or payment details.
Once those arrangements are in place, I handle the professional website work included in their chosen package. I'll discuss their business with them and ask for the information I need about their services, audience and goals, then use that to plan and develop the website.
The client doesn't need to write five pages of website copy before we can begin, because that's something I do for them. They also don't need to work out how to arrange the homepage, choose the right layout components or research how to make the website work properly on mobile.
I'll develop the design around their branding, create the written content and configure the website according to the agreed requirements. I'll also handle the included SEO setup, such as page titles, descriptions and image alt text, and provide additional content planning where that's part of the package.
Of course, the client is involved throughout the project because I need their input and feedback to make sure the finished website represents their business accurately. They'll also need to arrange any relevant legal policies and take responsibility for their own compliance requirements, although I provide general guidance on the website settings and considerations they should be aware of.
But the actual design, writing and website development are handled by me.
That's the service I'm offering when somebody commissions one of my websites, and it's why comparing my pricing with somebody who simply installs a £500 template doesn't make much sense.
My clients are paying for years of professional experience and the convenience of having somebody take responsibility for bringing the different parts of their website together, they can concentrate on running their business while I get on with building it.
What about Wix Studio? Isn't that better for professional designers?
Wix Studio isn't the same as Wix Classic, it is designed to give professional designers and developers more advanced control over website layouts and responsive design. Responsive design means creating a website that adjusts appropriately to different screen sizes, including desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones.
Wix Studio includes separate editing views called breakpoints, which allow designers to make adjustments for different screen widths. It also offers more advanced layout behaviour and customisation options than Wix Classic, and I can see why those features would appeal to developers working on more complex websites.
However, I actually started rebuilding my own website in Wix Studio and eventually abandoned the project out of sheer frustration with it's own platform limitations.
Why Wix Studio's responsive scaling drove me absolutely mad
Before I explain what happened, I want to make something very clear about my experience. I'm a professional web brand designer who has spent years working on websites, including at agency level, and my background includes user experience design. I've collaborated closely with developers, I can both read and write code, and I understand how websites work, how responsive layouts behave and how to investigate technical problems.
And despite all of that experience, Wix Studio still managed to drive me absolutely mad. One particular issue involved something as seemingly straightforward as maintaining consistent stroke widths around my image boxes. A stroke is simply the outline around an element, and when you're developing a carefully considered visual identity, keeping those outlines consistent is an important part of achieving a polished result.
However, because of how certain components scale and respond to different screen sizes in Wix Studio, I couldn't get the stroke widths to behave consistently across my website.
I spent HOURS investigating the problem and exploring possible solutions, and I also discovered that other users had reported similar issues to Wix. Despite my technical experience, I couldn't find a practical solution that delivered the consistency I needed without introducing further complications.
Wix Studio has responsive scaling controls, including settings that affect how certain design properties behave, but the available controls didn't resolve the particular issue I was experiencing. I encountered other constraints during the rebuild too, and eventually concluded that the additional work involved simply wasn't worth switching from Wix Classic, which does allow me to keep things visually consistent.
This is a platform designed to offer professionals greater control over their websites, yet I was spending an unreasonable amount of time trying to achieve something as basic as consistent outlines.
For somebody working in web branding, that's a fairly fundamental design requirement because the smaller details contribute to the overall quality and consistency of a finished website.
I've recently won an award specifically recognising my web branding work, and I'm extremely particular about visual consistency because I want the websites I produce to reflect the quality of the brands behind them. If a border looks noticeably thicker in one section than another, or elements don't behave consistently across different devices, that affects the overall finish.
While somebody else might consider those details relatively insignificant, they're important to the standard of work I want to deliver. I've spent years developing my skills so that I can produce websites to a high professional standard, and I want the software to support that work rather than make relatively straightforward design decisions unnecessarily difficult.
Do you actually need separate tablet layouts?
One of Wix Studio's main advantages is the ability to adjust layouts separately for desktop, tablet and mobile screens. That can be extremely useful for complex websites where you need precise control over how particular components behave at different screen widths, especially when you're working with unusual layouts or specialist functionality.
However, I don't find it necessary for the majority of websites I build, because I can already achieve the responsive designs I need using Wix Classic. I regularly test my Wix Classic websites on several devices, including an older iPad Pro, and they display properly when I've configured the layouts correctly and accounted for how different components behave. Wix Classic doesn't provide a separate tablet editor, but there are ways to ensure a website responds appropriately to different devices.
Its editor includes gridlines that help you understand where content needs to sit, alongside layout components that can adjust to different screen widths. Knowing which components to use and how they'll behave is part of the job, and I've spent years developing that knowledge through experience, including learning what to avoid when a particular component creates problems.
For the websites I typically build, introducing another set of responsive layouts to manage would create additional work without necessarily improving the finished result. I also have to consider what happens when the client wants to make changes themselves. If somebody wants to introduce a new service page, I don't particularly want them having to adjust three different layouts just to keep everything consistent, especially when they're already busy running their business.
Wix Studio is capable of creating impressive websites, and there are projects where its advanced functionality could be genuinely valuable. However, for my particular work, Wix Classic currently gives me a better balance of design flexibility and practical usability, while allowing my clients to manage their websites with less technical effort.
Is Wix Classic really easy enough to build a website yourself?
Despite exclusively using Wix Classic for my client websites, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that somebody with no design or marketing experience jumps straight into building their entire website themselves.
Wix is accessible, but creating a professional website still requires quite a lot of knowledge. You need to understand how people use websites, what information they need and how to present that information clearly. You also need to know how layouts behave across different devices and how to maintain a consistent visual design.
Wix Classic also has quirks that aren't necessarily obvious until you've spent time working with the editor, and I've learned how to manage quite a few of them through experience.
Even Wix's own layout components can behave unexpectedly
Wix Classic has a two column layout component that lets you arrange content alongside an image. It's useful for creating structured website sections, and on desktop it can look perfectly fine. However, I've encountered situations where that layout causes a substantial part of an image to be cropped when viewed on a tablet.
That isn't necessarily something an inexperienced website builder would anticipate, particularly if everything looks fine while they're working on a desktop computer. I've actually had to steer several clients away from this particular component. I've had to learn from experience and testing how different components behave across screen sizes and which layouts need particular care, so I know what to test and when to use a different approach.
The same applies to mobile design, because although Wix provides a mobile editor, that doesn't mean every section automatically looks exactly how you want it to. Sometimes you need to reposition elements or reorganise sections, and if you're unfamiliar with the editor, those changes can introduce new inconsistencies or make the overall design feel less polished.
You might fix the spacing in one part of the page only to find that something else needs adjusting, and it can become quite frustrating when you're trying to maintain a consistent appearance across the entire website.
I've learned how to handle those situations through experience, but I can absolutely understand why somebody without that background would get annoyed with the process. There's considerably more to responsive website design than simply making everything small enough to fit on a phone, and that's why I wouldn't assume a business owner can achieve the same result just because Wix allows them to build a website themselves.
Why I build the design foundations before handing a website over
Once I've created the original design and structure, my clients can usually make straightforward updates without too much difficulty. They can replace existing text, update images or reuse sections I've already designed, and they can duplicate existing pages when they need to create something similar.
The important thing is that I've already established the visual foundations and worked through how the website should behave, so the client doesn't have to make every design decision from scratch.
For example, when I redesigned Serenity and Calm's website, the work involved considering how the website looked and how people would navigate through its information. I developed the design and rewrote the content around what visitors needed to understand, while also making sure the enquiry process suited how the business actually operated.
That kind of thinking requires experience because someone using the finished website needs clear information and a straightforward way to find what they're looking for. A business owner can learn how to add a new page or change a photograph, but that doesn't automatically give them the experience needed to plan an effective website layout. Most of the business owners I work with have enough to do without spending weeks learning website design, which is why I prefer to handle the foundations myself and make the ongoing management as straightforward as possible.
Why knowing how to use a website builder doesn't make you a website designer
You can learn how to use Wix, Squarespace or WordPress and still create a website that doesn't work particularly well for your customers or actually sell products and services. That's because designing a good website involves understanding how people read information, make decisions and decide whether they trust a business, sales strategy informs a huge amount of the design decisions I make.
This is where my background in user experience design becomes particularly important, because I'm interested in what someone actually does when they arrive on a website and whether the design makes that process easier or more difficult. And I help to guide customers towards making a sale or enquiry while removing sales barriers.
I recently saw a website with five different calls to action in the first section
A call to action is something that encourages somebody to take a particular step, such as booking a consultation or making an enquiry. The first part of a website that somebody sees before scrolling is often called above the fold.
I recently came across a business website that had five different calls to action in that first section, and the business owner was struggling to understand why people weren't enquiring or seemed confused about how to get started.
When somebody arrives on a website and immediately sees five competing instructions, they have to work out which action is the right one for them. Should they book something, fill in a form or read another page first? Are all the options equally important, or is there a particular place they're supposed to start?
That creates unnecessary friction, which means something on the website is making it more difficult for people to complete the action the business wants them to take. Those competing calls to action were a clear potential source of confusion, although you would need to review visitor behaviour to establish exactly how much they were affecting enquiries.
This is the kind of thing that someone with user experience and marketing knowledge is trained to recognise. The website builder itself isn't going to stop you adding five buttons just because they're probably confusing your visitors, and somebody without that experience may not realise there's a problem in the first place.
That's why I spend time planning how customers should move through a website before I start designing it. Someone arriving on the homepage needs to understand what the business offers and what they should do next, while the layout and written content should make that process as straightforward as possible.
You can create a beautiful website using any of these platforms and still make it unnecessarily difficult for customers to use, which is why professional design involves considerably more than knowing where the buttons are in the editor.
Why SEO tools and AI recommendations aren't enough either
I love the SEO tools available in Wix, and they're one of the reasons I've chosen to continue using the platform. They're convenient for me when I'm developing websites, and I also find them useful when I'm showing clients how to maintain and develop their own websites after handover.
However, I think it's important to understand what these tools can and cannot do, because having access to SEO recommendations doesn't automatically mean somebody understands how to develop an effective content strategy.
An SEO checklist might tell you that a page is missing a description or that you should consider adding more relevant content. It can also help you understand which technical tasks need attention, which is particularly useful if you're still getting familiar with SEO.
But the tool doesn't necessarily understand your actual customers, how they discover your business or why you've made a particular decision about your website, which means the recommendations sometimes need to be considered quite carefully.
Even Wix's own AI suggestions can miss important context
I have a good example of this from my own website, because Wix offers AI assisted recommendations within its dashboard that can be useful for identifying potential improvements.
I appreciate that the platform doesn't force me to use generative AI to create client websites, because I prefer to handle the design and copywriting myself. However, some of its AI recommendations have been quite frustrating, particularly when they're assessing a specific page without understanding the wider customer journey.
For example, it's suggested that my services page could contain more detailed information, which probably sounds reasonable until you consider how my website actually works.
Most of my prospective clients discover me through Instagram and then visit my website on their phones. I've deliberately designed my main services page to be relatively concise, with clearly explained packages and visible prices, so visitors can quickly understand the different options without having to read an enormous amount of information before finding the enquiry form.
I've also written detailed blog articles about my services, explaining what each package includes and who it's suitable for. That additional information is already available, but I've organised it across the website rather than cramming everything into one very long mobile page.
If I followed the AI recommendation without considering that context, I could end up making the website considerably less convenient for the people who actually use it. This is why knowing how to use an SEO tool is only one part of search engine optimisation. You also need to understand search behaviour and how people make decisions once they arrive on your website.
A page can contain plenty of relevant keywords and detailed information, but if the layout becomes exhausting to navigate, you may be making the experience worse for potential customers. I want search engines to understand my website, but I also need the people visiting it to find the information they came for.
That's where professional marketing knowledge and user experience design become particularly important, because you're making decisions based on the actual business and its customers rather than automatically following every recommendation.
Why I still teach my clients to use Wix's SEO tools
Despite those limitations, I absolutely recommend that my clients learn how to use Wix's SEO checklist and individual blog optimisation features.
Once I've established the website's SEO foundations, I can show them how to maintain the relevant settings and check their new content before publishing it. If they're adding a blog post, for example, they can review whether they've written an appropriate search title and description, added useful image descriptions and completed other relevant tasks.
For clients who want to develop their search visibility independently, that makes the website considerably easier to manage. With my Strategic Wix Website Build, I also provide keyword research and a content plan, alongside guidance on how to write useful articles around the subjects their customers are actually searching for. That gives them some of the thinking behind the recommendations, rather than simply handing them a checklist and hoping for the best.
I want clients to have access to the tools that help them manage their website, but I also want them to understand how to make sensible decisions when those tools suggest changes. That's an important part of giving somebody a website they can genuinely continue developing themselves.
Can AI website builders replace professional website designers?
AI website builders have made it easier for people to generate website layouts and written content quickly. You can provide some information about your business and receive a suggested website structure or design without having to create everything manually, which can be convenient if you need a basic starting point.
However, I wouldn't assume that an AI generated website has automatically considered everything required to create an effective business website. For example, does the suggested customer journey actually make sense? Is the copy specific enough to explain why somebody should choose the business, and has the design been checked properly across different devices?
A business website may also need appropriate privacy information and cookie consent controls depending on how it collects and processes personal data. It may require particular search engine settings or integrations with other services, alongside accessibility considerations that somebody needs to understand and address.
An AI tool can generate suggestions for these things, but somebody still needs to understand the requirements and verify that everything has been configured properly. The same applies to website security, which is particularly important when you're collecting enquiries or processing customer information. You need to understand how that information is handled and how access to the website is protected, rather than assuming everything has been taken care of because the website looks professional.
And then there's the copywriting, which is something I think AI website builders can make look deceptively straightforward. I've seen plenty of AI generated website copy that reads perfectly well grammatically but doesn't actually explain much about the business. It might describe somebody as passionate or dedicated, but give the visitor very little information about their experience, how the service works or why they might be worth choosing.
That's the sort of information I work to establish when I'm writing websites for clients, because people need concrete reasons to trust a business before they're likely to make an enquiry. I think AI can be useful when it's handled by somebody who understands what they're trying to achieve. However, I wouldn't recommend relying on generated designs and recommendations without reviewing the actual website experience and the responsibilities that come with running it.
Why website security and client access matter to me
Something else I appreciate about Wix is the way I can work with client websites without needing to control their private account information. When I build a website for somebody, I want them to remain in control of their account and the services they're paying for. I don't need their private login details, and I don't want to be responsible for managing their domain payments or subscriptions on their behalf.
Instead, my clients own their Wix accounts and add me as a collaborator, giving me the permissions I need to work on the website. Once the project is finished, they can manage those permissions themselves, including removing my access or inviting somebody else to help them whenever they want.
If their technically confident nephew wants to help them update a page, that's absolutely fine with me, because I don't expect people to continue paying me simply because I built their original website. Some clients prefer to book me for future changes, and I'm happy to help when they need me, but that should be their choice. I want the website to remain something they can comfortably use as their business develops rather than making every update dependent on my availability.
You should be able to access your own website
Having worked with a client who struggled to get updates from their previous WordPress developer, I care quite a lot about making sure business owners can access and manage their own websites.
WordPress can absolutely be configured to give clients full control, so this comes down partly to how the developer or agency chooses to manage the project. However, I deliberately structure my own process so that my clients remain in charge of their Wix accounts and can decide who they want to work with after I've completed the website. I think that's particularly important for small businesses because their requirements often change as they grow, and they shouldn't have to wait for their original developer whenever they want to introduce something new.
Wix also offers two step verification, which adds an additional security check when somebody logs into their account. This is useful when the website contains customer enquiries and other business information, particularly as the business owner may be managing the entire website themselves.
Wix provides managed hosting and security infrastructure, although site owners still need to follow good account security practices and configure their privacy settings appropriately. No platform automatically handles every aspect of legal compliance simply because you've created a website using it. I provide guidance on relevant website settings and policy requirements as part of my work, while clients remain responsible for their own legal obligations and the accounts connected to their business.
There's also an important limitation worth understanding about Wix ownership. Although my clients control their accounts and websites, the complete website remains hosted within Wix and cannot simply be transferred to another hosting provider in the same way as a self hosted WordPress website. That's something I explain when clients are considering their options, because I want them to understand both the advantages and limitations before making a decision.
Can you back up a Wix website?
One advantage people often mention when comparing WordPress with Wix is the ability to create a complete website backup and move it to another hosting provider, which is a genuine benefit of WordPress, although I think people sometimes underestimate how complicated that process can become. Wix doesn't currently allow you to download a complete independent backup of your website, but Wix Classic does include Site History, which automatically saves previous versions of your website and allows you to restore an earlier version if you've made a mistake or want to undo changes.
There are some limitations, particularly because certain information such as blog posts and shop content is managed separately, so Site History isn't quite the same as having a complete downloadable backup, although I find it incredibly useful for managing everyday website changes.
WordPress offers greater flexibility because you can back up your website files alongside its database, which stores much of the written content and information about how the website is organised. However, these are separate parts of the website, and both need to be backed up and restored correctly if you want everything to work as it did before. My partner actually experienced this when he attempted to back up his own WordPress website, and I think his experience is particularly interesting because he's far from technically inexperienced. He's a Senior Design and Electronics Engineer who knows how to code, built his own WordPress website and now runs a website built using HTML. He's an extremely technically capable person who does his research and understands how software and technical systems work, yet even he found the backup process far more complicated than expected.
When he attempted to restore his WordPress website, he discovered that the files he'd saved hadn't preserved all the information he needed, including the written content and website structure. Categories and tags were missing, and he also encountered problems with the media library, which wouldn't load properly after the restoration. The website files and database needed to be handled separately, and recovering everything wasn't nearly as straightforward as simply downloading a copy of the site and reinstalling it somewhere else.
There are reliable ways to back up WordPress websites, including services that automate the process, but his experience demonstrates why having a backup doesn't automatically mean you'll be able to restore everything successfully without technical knowledge. If you're running a business alone and something goes wrong, you may need to pay a developer to investigate the problem or handle the restoration for you, which could become another unexpected expense.
And this is where I think the original cost of the website becomes particularly relevant. My complete professional Wix website builds cost less than £1,000, whereas commissioning an equivalent WordPress website through an agency, with custom design, professional copywriting and SEO included, could easily cost several thousand pounds. That's a considerably larger initial financial commitment, and spending that amount doesn't automatically guarantee that you'll never encounter technical problems or need to pay somebody to resolve them. Even moving a WordPress website between hosting providers can involve additional work, particularly when plugins or custom functionality are involved, and the process may not be something a business owner feels comfortable handling themselves.
Of course, Wix has its own limitations when it comes to moving websites, because you can't simply take the complete website and host it somewhere else. If one of my clients eventually develops requirements that would genuinely benefit from another platform, they would need to rebuild the website and potentially transfer some of their content manually, which could involve additional costs. However, they've also made a much smaller initial investment in a professionally designed website, and they've had the benefit of using it to support their business in the meantime. I think that's an important consideration when comparing the financial risks of different options, particularly if you're a solo business owner who doesn't have thousands of pounds available for website development.
For the businesses I work with, I'd rather recommend a platform that comfortably accommodates their current requirements, keeps the initial investment manageable and doesn't introduce unnecessary technical responsibilities. If their business eventually grows to the point where they need something much more specialised, they can make that decision based on what they actually need at the time, rather than spending considerably more money now for technical flexibility they may never use.
So why do I continue using Wix Classic?
After working with different website platforms, I've found Wix Classic gives me the most practical combination of design freedom, integrated website management and independence for my clients.
I can create custom branded websites without relying on premade templates, while also having access to the tools I need for blogging and SEO. I can design layouts that support the customer's journey and incorporate ecommerce when the business needs it, then hand the finished website over with guidance that helps the owner continue managing it.
I've also developed a detailed understanding of Wix Classic's limitations through experience, which means I know how to work around many of its quirks and avoid creating problems for my clients. There are things I'd love Wix to improve, and I'll happily complain about them when they frustrate me. But I currently find the platform more practical for my work than the alternatives I've used, particularly when I'm considering the quality of the finished design alongside how manageable the website will be afterwards.
It also makes my entire service possible, because I can handle the professional website design and marketing work without introducing the technical overheads that often come with more complicated development projects. That allows me to provide a comprehensive service at a price that's accessible to smaller businesses, while giving clients a website they can continue developing independently.
The fact that my business recently won Web Branding Agency of the Year at the South England Prestige Awards while exclusively producing client websites through Wix Classic is something I'm particularly proud of. Brand consistency and professional design quality are extremely important to me, and I wouldn't continue using a platform if I felt it prevented me from achieving the standard of work I wanted to deliver.
I've chosen Wix because I can produce the results I want while giving my clients a website they can continue using and developing without unnecessary technical complications. For the businesses I typically work with, that combination makes a lot more sense than introducing additional functionality and technical responsibilities they may never actually need.
FAQs about Wix, Squarespace and WordPress
Is Wix better than WordPress for a small business? Wix can be particularly suitable for small businesses that want integrated website management tools and relatively straightforward ongoing maintenance. WordPress offers more technical flexibility and greater control over hosting, which may be useful for complex projects. The better choice depends on what your website needs to do and how much technical responsibility you're comfortable managing.
Is Wix Classic better than Wix Studio? Wix Studio offers more advanced responsive design controls and customisation options, while Wix Classic provides a more direct visual editing experience. I personally prefer Wix Classic because it gives me the control I need for professional branded websites without introducing additional complexity for my clients. Businesses requiring more specialised responsive layouts may benefit from Wix Studio.
Can a Wix website look as professional as a WordPress website? Absolutely. The platform doesn't automatically determine how professional the finished website looks, because the quality depends on the design decisions and expertise of the person building it. Strong branding and considered user experience design can be achieved using either platform when the designer understands how to use its tools effectively.
Is Squarespace good for SEO? Squarespace includes SEO settings and reporting tools that can support search visibility. However, I personally prefer Wix's integrated SEO management workflow and blog optimisation features, particularly because I can teach clients how to use them after handover. Neither platform guarantees search rankings, and effective SEO still requires appropriate website content and an understanding of what potential customers are searching for.
Can I manage a Wix website myself after hiring a designer? Yes. Once the original website has been designed and the main structure established, you can usually make straightforward changes yourself. I build my client websites with that in mind, including reusable layouts and guidance on how to manage content, so clients can update their websites without needing to book me every time something changes.
Should you choose Wix for your own business?
If you're choosing a website platform for your small business, I'd start by considering what you actually need the website to accomplish. If you require highly specialised functionality or extensive custom development, WordPress or Wix Studio may be worth investigating. Squarespace might also suit you if you're comfortable working within its design system, although I'd encourage you to try the editor before committing to see whether it gives you the control you want.
But if you're an independent business owner who needs a professional website that explains your services clearly and is manageable after launch, Wix Classic is the platform I'd personally recommend.
I'd also encourage you to think carefully about who's going to design and build the website, because the software itself is only one part of the process. Someone still needs to understand how your customers make decisions, how your branding should be presented and what information needs to appear on each page.
That's the work I concentrate on when developing websites for my clients, and it's why I think professional experience matters considerably more than simply choosing the platform with the longest list of features.
I want my clients to be able to hand the difficult parts over to somebody who understands how to create a professional website, then take control of something they're comfortable maintaining afterwards. Wix Classic allows me to provide that experience without the additional complications or agency level costs that can come with other approaches.
And until another platform comes along that genuinely improves on the combination of design control and usability I currently get from Wix Classic, I'll quite happily continue building award winning websites using it, thank you very much.
If you're considering professional support, you can explore my website design and marketing services to see how I approach custom website builds, copywriting and SEO for small businesses.
Want to check whether your website is helping your business?
Choosing the right website platform matters, but the information people find when they visit your website is just as important. You could have a technically impressive website and still be losing enquiries because customers can't understand your services or find enough information to trust your business.
My free Business Visibility Playbook helps you review how people discover and assess your business, including your website, branding and wider online presence. It gives you a practical way to identify where potential customers might be getting confused or missing important information, so you can work out what actually deserves your attention.
