WordPress, Wix or custom-built? Choosing the right website for your Kerry business
WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or a custom-built website? An honest comparison of cost, speed, security and upkeep for small businesses in Kerry.
The short answer
There’s no single best platform. A website builder like Wix is quick to start, WordPress is flexible but needs regular updates, and a custom-built site can be the fastest and lowest-maintenance once it’s built. Choose on who will update it, what it has to do and what it costs to run, not on the brand name.
Ask three people what your business website should be built on and you’ll get three confident answers. “Just use Wix.” “Everyone uses WordPress.” “Get it built properly.” They’re all right, for different businesses.
The wrong choice rarely shows on launch day. It shows a year later: a monthly bill you can’t escape, an update that broke the contact form, a site that crawls on a phone, or a redesign that means starting from scratch. Here’s how the three main options compare, without the sales pitch.
The three options at a glance
| What matters | Website builder (Wix, Squarespace) | WordPress | Custom-built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Quickest; you can do it yourself | Usually set up by a designer | Built by a developer |
| Running costs | A subscription for as long as you keep the site | Hosting, plus any paid themes or plugins | Hosting, often modest for a simple site |
| Updates and security | Handled by the platform | Core, theme and plugins need regular updates | Fewer moving parts to update |
| Speed | Varies; little control under the bonnet | Depends heavily on the theme and plugins | Can be very fast |
| Flexibility | Limited to what the builder offers | A huge range of plugins | Anything, at a price |
| Moving away later | Hard: the design generally stays behind | Possible | Possible |
| Best for | Simple sites you want to build yourself | Sites with lots of content, edited often | Speed, low upkeep and exactly what you need |
Website builders: Wix, Squarespace and similar
Good for: getting something online quickly, especially if you enjoy doing it yourself. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you, and you can make changes whenever you like.
Watch out for:
- You’re renting, not owning. The subscription runs for as long as the site does, and the design generally can’t be taken elsewhere.
- You can do the search basics, but only through the settings the platform gives you.
- Speed depends on the platform and on how much you pile onto each page.
- “Do it yourself” still takes time. Good words and photos are the hard part, whatever the platform.
WordPress
WordPress is by far the most popular way to build a website: according to W3Techs, it runs 39.5% of all websites (figures dated 30 October 2026).
Good for: sites with plenty of content, such as blogs, news, or businesses with many pages that several people edit. There’s a plugin for almost anything, and no shortage of people who can work on it.
Watch out for:
- Updates. WordPress itself, your theme and every plugin need updating regularly. Neglected sites are a favourite target for hackers.
- Plugin bloat. Every plugin adds code. Add too many and the site slows down, or plugins start to conflict.
- Ongoing care. Somebody has to keep it updated and backed up. Ask who, and what it costs each year.
Custom-built websites
A custom-built site is written by a developer for your business, rather than assembled from a ready-made theme. It can be as simple as a set of fast, pre-built pages, or include an easy editor for the parts you change often.
Good for: businesses that want a fast site with little to maintain, a design that fits them exactly, or something a builder can’t do.
Watch out for:
- The build usually costs more up front than a do-it-yourself builder.
- Changes beyond your text and photos may need the developer, so ask how updates work and what they cost.
- Make sure you own the domain, the hosting account and the site itself, so you can move if you ever need to.
This website is custom-built as a static site: the pages are prepared in advance, so there’s no database to attack and very little to keep updated, and they load quickly even on a weak signal.
Five questions that decide it
- Who will update the site, and how often? Weekly news needs an easy editor. A site that changes twice a year doesn’t.
- What does it have to do? Bookings, a shop, several languages, a members’ area? Each one narrows the options.
- What will it cost to run, not only to build? Add up subscriptions, hosting, plugins and maintenance over three years.
- How much do speed and Google matter? For most local businesses, a lot: customers search on phones, often on a weak signal.
- What happens if you change designer? You should be able to take your site, or at least your content, with you.
Our honest recommendation
Choose the simplest option that does the job well, and that you can afford to keep running. For many small businesses in Kerry that’s a fast, well-built site with very little to maintain; for others it’s WordPress or a builder. When you talk to us, we’ll explain which approach fits your business and why, before you commit to anything. See how we work on our website development page, or get in touch.
Still deciding what to ask a designer? Read how to choose a web designer in Kerry.
Written by Kerry Web Services. We design websites and do local SEO for small businesses across County Kerry, from Tralee. Website development