How to choose the right platform for your website — a simple guide

There are many platforms for websites, and they all claim to be the best choice. The truth is simpler: the right platform depends on what you're actually going to do with the site.

Start with the need, not the technology

The most common mistake is to choose the platform first and work out the need afterwards. Turn it around. Once you know what the site needs to do, the choice almost makes itself.

Ask yourself four questions before you even look at tools.

1. What is the site meant to do?

This is the most important question.

• Showcase the business. A brochure site that says who you are and what you offer.
• Publish content. A blog, news, articles you update regularly.
• Sell products. An online store with a basket and payment.
• Deliver a service. Logins, data, functionality beyond the ordinary.

Each of these pulls towards different platforms. An online store and a business site are not the same task.

2. Who will maintain the site?

Do you want to update text and images yourself, or do you have someone who handles it?

• If you'll do everything yourself, that counts for platforms with simple editing tools.
• If you have a partner who manages it, that opens the door to more flexible solutions that need a slightly more technical hand.

There's no shame in wanting to be independent of a developer day to day — but the choice should reflect that.

3. What's the budget — now and over time?

Platforms have two kinds of cost: getting started, and owning it over time.

• Ready-made platforms often have a low start-up cost but an ongoing fee.
• A custom build costs more to create, but can pay off when the need is big enough.

Think about both. A cheap start can become expensive if you have to switch platforms in two years.

4. How much does the site need to grow?

Think a little ahead, but not too far.

• If you plan to publish a lot, that points towards a content-friendly platform.
• If your range will grow from ten to a thousand products, the platform should handle it.
• If this is a simple site you'll rarely touch, you don't need to over-engineer it.

Choose for the need you have over the next year or two — not for a hypothetical corporation.

A quick steer

No rule of thumb is gospel, but this is often true:

• A business site you update yourself: a simple ready-made platform or a no-code tool.
• Lots of content and blogging: a publishing system like WordPress.
• An online store without an IT department: a hosted shop platform like Shopify.
• A specific need or a service: custom-built, often on a modern framework.

The most common mistake

People often choose the platform an acquaintance recommended, or the one they read about last. That's the wrong starting point. A platform that's perfect for your neighbour's online store may be completely wrong for your advisory service.

Your need is unique enough to deserve its own answer.

In short

The right platform is the one that fits what the site is meant to do, who will run it and what you can spend — not the one with the most hype. Answer the four questions honestly and you've already done most of the work.

If you're still in doubt, it may be worth talking the need through with someone before you decide.