The 40% statistic, and what it doesn’t tell you
WordPress powers roughly 40% of the web. People quote that number like it settles the argument. It settles something narrower: WordPress is free, familiar, and every agency knows how to install it. Whether it’s right for your business is a different question entirely.
I build custom sites, so I have a horse in this race. I’ll argue my side. But I’ll also tell you exactly when WordPress wins—and where it fits in my own shop.
First, credit where it’s due: WordPress passes the ownership test
Here’s something I’ll say plainly, because it matters to me more than most things: WordPress is open software. Your content, your files, your database—yours. Thousands of developers can work on it. No single vendor holds you hostage. That’s the ownership test, and WordPress passes it. That already puts it ahead of the locked-in builders.
What else it genuinely does well:
- Content at scale. If you publish constantly with multiple authors, editorial workflows, and categories, the editor and user roles are genuinely good.
- Ecosystem. There’s a plugin for nearly everything. That matters when you need niche functionality fast.
- Portability. Any competent developer can pick it up. You’re never stuck with one shop.
- Cost of entry. Free software. Cheap themes. Fast setup.
If your website is fundamentally a publication—a content business with daily posts—WordPress deserves a spot on your shortlist.
The catch: it passes the ownership test, then hands you a job
You own a WordPress site the way you own an old truck. It’s yours, all right. It’s also yours to keep running.
The trouble starts because WordPress is a general-purpose system asked to do a specific job. A typical small-business WordPress site runs a theme, a page builder, and 15 to 30 plugins. Each one adds code. Each one adds load time. Each one adds a door for someone to break in through. The consequences show up in three places:
- Speed. Every plugin and page-builder layer slows the site. Speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Do the math.
- Security. Most hacked sites get in through outdated plugins and themes. Keeping them patched is a real chore—and it never ends.
- Maintenance. Updates break layouts. Plugins conflict with each other. The fixing lands on you or on an invoice.
That’s not a purchase. That’s a part-time job you didn’t apply for.
What custom actually means (and doesn’t)
A custom site is code written for your business. Only the features you need. Nothing else running. No plugin treadmill. No theme bloat. No admin login for bots to hammer all night. Done well, it’s dramatically faster—and effectively maintenance-free at the platform level.
What custom doesn’t automatically mean: expensive, or slow to build. A focused small-business site—services, locations, contact, content—is a well-understood problem. And it doesn’t mean you can’t touch your own content. Any competent builder gives you a way to update text and images without touching code.
Where I land: custom first, WordPress for one job only
Here’s my position, stated flat. I build custom. The one time I reach for WordPress is when a client needs a full online store—and then only to run WooCommerce, because it does that job well. Even then, the rest of the site stays custom code. The store gets WordPress. The pages that win you customers don’t inherit its baggage.
Why so narrow? Because for a small business whose site exists to get found and get calls, every layer of platform between your content and your customer costs you speed, security, and money. I use exactly as much platform as the job requires. No more.
The comparison that actually matters
- You publish daily with a team → WordPress. Honestly.
- You need a niche plugin that would take months to build → WordPress, at least for now.
- You need a full online store → WooCommerce on WordPress is a fair call—keep the rest of the site custom.
- Your site is how customers find and choose you → custom wins on speed, security, and search fundamentals.
- You never want to think about updates, patches, or hacks → custom. Decisively.
- Budget is the constraint and time isn’t → a DIY builder beats a cheap WordPress install.
Questions to ask whoever you hire
Whichever way you lean, five questions expose the real long-term picture:
- How fast will the site load on a phone—and will you commit to that in writing?
- Who applies security updates, and what does that cost per year?
- What happens when a plugin update breaks the layout?
- Can I update content myself without breaking anything?
- If I part ways, what exactly do I own?
Good builders on either platform answer these without flinching. Evasive answers are the real red flag. Bigger than any technology choice.
What switching actually involves
On WordPress now and thinking about a move? The migration is more routine than it sounds. The content—text, images, pages—exports and rebuilds cleanly. The part that demands care is your search standing. Every existing URL needs to point to its new home with a 301 redirect. Titles and descriptions carry over. The launch happens without a gap in Google’s index.
Done properly, your rankings transfer instead of resetting. Done carelessly, you can lose years of earned search position in a weekend. Whoever migrates you, make this your first question: how will you preserve my URLs and my rankings?
What about Squarespace, Wix, and the other builders?
Same trade-offs, different weights. Builders are easier to run than WordPress—no plugin patching, hosting included. But you trade away speed, you get template sameness, you give up control, and the monthly fees never end. And unlike WordPress, most builders fail the ownership test outright: leave the platform and the site doesn’t come with you. That’s not owning a website. That’s renting one. For a simple brochure site with modest search ambitions, they’re honestly fine.
The moment search becomes a growth channel—competitive local keywords, town pages, real content strategy—builders and stock WordPress hit their ceilings for the same reason. You’re optimizing inside someone else’s constraints. Custom exists for when the ceiling costs more than the build.