When it comes to developing a successful website for your business, one of the most important decisions you will make is what platform to choose to build your site on. Luckily, we live in an age where there are several options available for business owners. However, not all options end up being the best for your business, and it is important to find a knowledgeable web developer who can help you identify which platform best fits your unique needs.
In this blog post, we are going to focus on two key platforms, WordPress.org vs WordPress.com.
Are WordPress.com and WordPress.org the Same?
Although these two platforms share the same name, they are actually quite different. Unfortunately, to someone who is new to web development or to someone who is trying to build their own site for the first time, you may not notice the difference in the two platforms until you have already invested time and money into building your site.
WordPress.com sites are more like blogs hosted through WordPress.com with very limited customization options. They are good for personal use, but not very good for business or commercial websites
On the other hand, WordPress.org offers an open sourced software that web developers can download and import to their own hosting account from which you can customize to fit whatever your brand’s needs are. You get all the benefits and easy-to-use functionality of a WordPress site without having to sacrifice your unique marketing needs.
For a visual breakdown of WordPress.org vs WordPress.com, check out this nifty infographic from iThemes.
Pros and Cons of WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
By now, you have heard us mention the customization options found within a WordPress.org site, but you may not know what we mean. See below for a breakdown in the differences between these two platforms.
WordPress.org
Pros
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- Users remain in control of 100% of their content
- Able to choose from thousands of custom plugins and themes to customize your website
- Ability to customized all backend code, database, and files
- Fully integrable with Google Analytics and other tracking software (i.e. Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insights tag, and Google Ads conversion tracking)
- Supports e-commerce
- Multisite capability
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Cons
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- Users are responsible for managing and implementing updates to the site
- Although the software is free, users must still pay for hosting and domain registration
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WordPress.com
Pros
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- 100% free
- Includes website hosting, a free subdomain name, and 3GB of free storage space for your site’s content and media
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Cons
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- Users are never completely own their content since everything is hosted and maintained on WordPress.com
- Limited customization options, domains defaulting to include “Wordpress.com” for all free accounts
- No access to backend code, database, or files
- No ability to fully integrate with Google Analytics without paying for a top-tier plan
- Does not support multisite integration
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Don’t waste your valuable resources on a website platform that doesn’t work for your business. Your brand deserves to work with a digital marketing partner who is experienced in developing customized websites to fit your needs.
Contact the experienced team at Alder & Co. today to discover how we can help you achieve your digital marketing goals. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]