You’re ready to create a website for your wellness business but what platform do you choose? Or you’re running into issues with your current web platform. You’re hearing all the things about Wix, SquareSpace, WordPress, Webflow, and many others. Don’t worry – we’re going to put your information and choice overwhelm to rest as we break down 6 reasons why WordPress is perfect for wellness businesses.
Sets You Up for Scaling & Longevity
A lot of wellness business owners make the mistake of thinking, “I only need something simple right now so I’m going to set up a Squarespace or Wix template.” While we agree – starting simple is important instead of getting bogged down with all the bells and whistles, this decision needs a little more consideration. We work with a lot of business owners who started with a simple CMS (content management system) like Wix and then find that they’ve grown out of it – it no longer can offer more advanced website functionality or it’s hurting them in their SEO efforts. A migration to WordPress from another platform is a full website rebuild as the two platforms don’t communicate. You can’t simply copy/paste your website content over, unfortunately. This is why we highly recommend starting with WordPress so you’re already within a system that can fully support your business when you begin growing.
You Have Full Control Over the Features and Functionality
A lot of these “turn-key” website platforms will ask you to pay more monthly/annually for additional features or functionality. Want to add e-commerce? That’s an upgrade to your subscription. Want detailed analytics? That’s an upgrade. Want an events calendar app? That’s an upgrade. With WordPress, you can eliminate a lot of extra costs and have the freedom to explore 1,000s of features and functions via the Plugin library. You’ll find a plugin that exists for nearly any feature you’d like to add to your website – for free! (If it’s a very advanced feature or sophisticated plugin, there may be a one-time payment to access “pro” features but at this stage generally, your business is bringing in enough revenue to cover this expense.)
Adding Integrations Are Nearly Limitless
We’ve seen people time and time again run into odd issues trying to integrate other tech tools with platforms like Squarespace or Wix. Your website serves as the central online “anchor” to your wellness business, so it’s important that it can integrate with every tech tool you may need it to.
Let’s say you’ve decided to push marketing efforts via Pinterest this year, well if you’re on Squarespace – there’s nearly no way to become a verified Pinterest merchant unless you turn on Developer Mode and risk losing support from Squarespace or the ability to update templates or site versions. Let’s say you’ve decided to push marketing efforts via SEO this year, well if you’re on Wix you are so limited on the custom search data you can define, and every detail counts when the competition on Google is fierce. Running your website on WordPress eliminates issues like these.
You have full control over the code you need to verify via Pinterest, track user actions via Facebook pixel, or edit important search data for all site content for search. These may not be avenues you’re looking to market on right now, and that’s okay – but being on a platform that will allow you to do it in the future will save you from a major headache.
Many VAs Are Trained in WordPress Management
Are you feeling intimidated by the WordPress interface? It’s very common these days for online virtual assistants (VAs) to have WordPress management experience. They can publish blogs on your behalf, make important plugin/theme updates, add products to your e-commerce store, and more. If you’re looking for a WordPress website studio to manage your updates, maintenance, and security for you each month – book a fit call with our team to see how we can best support you.
It’s Excellent for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
WordPress was initially designed to be a blog-centered platform. It has since morphed into the robust content management system that it is today. Because of this blog-centered foundation, WordPress is structured excellently to publish content fit for Google and other search engine’s requirements. Even if you are brand new to SEO, WordPress has plugins you can install that optimize your site and highlight simple steps you can take to increase each page’s rankings. Our tried and true plugin recommendation for SEO is Rank Math. The free, out-of-the-box version is fantastic and we’ve seen our clients receive search boosts after making the switch.
You Aren’t Locked Into a Single Template
Often, other website platforms ask you work within certain templates which creates limitations within your page layouts. In WordPress, you can choose to work with ready-made templates or a perfectly black slate – meaning the sky is the limit! You can create a website that works for your business, instead of trying to fit your business into a website that works.
So you want to go with WordPress but have no idea how to set it up nor have the time/budget to hire someone to design it for you? Check out our DIY Wellness WordPress Website Templates. Put an end to the mystery behind launching a beautiful website that tells your story – they include everything you need to build or redesign your website, with video training for every step of the process.