Website platforms: WordPress, Craft CMS and Shopify
I build in all three, so I've no reason to sell you the wrong one.
What each platform is good at, where it falls short, and how I build, move and look after sites on each. Sometimes the right answer is the platform you already have.
Some platforms and tools I work with
Craft CMS
WordPress
Shopify Partner
ClickUp Certified expert
Which CMS should we use?
For most content-led sites, WordPress. Craft CMS when the content is complex, several people edit it and the site has to last. Shopify when selling online is the main job. Your content, your team and who will look after the site decide the rest.
The platforms I work in
Each page covers what I do on that platform, how pricing works and when I'd recommend something else.
What I do on every platform
The same person from the first call to support after launch.
How WordPress and Craft CMS compare
Shopify is a different kind of platform, a hosted store, so it has its own section below.
| Compared on | WordPress | Craft CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Content-led sites on a tight budget | Complex content, several editors and a long life |
| Editing | Familiar; depends on the theme and page builder | Fields built around your content, with live preview |
| Plugins and upkeep | A huge choice, and the most updates to keep on top of | Fewer plugins, and predictable updates |
| Licence | Free core; premium plugins often charge yearly | Free for one user; Team and Pro are paid, then a yearly fee for updates |
| Finding a developer | Easy to find; quality varies widely | A smaller pool in Australia and New Zealand |
| Hosting | Runs almost anywhere | Any PHP host, Craft Cloud or Servd |
WordPress
- Best for
- Content-led sites on a tight budget
- Editing
- Familiar; depends on the theme and page builder
- Plugins and upkeep
- A huge choice, and the most updates to keep on top of
- Licence
- Free core; premium plugins often charge yearly
- Finding a developer
- Easy to find; quality varies widely
- Hosting
- Runs almost anywhere
Craft CMS
- Best for
- Complex content, several editors and a long life
- Editing
- Fields built around your content, with live preview
- Plugins and upkeep
- Fewer plugins, and predictable updates
- Licence
- Free for one user; Team and Pro are paid, then a yearly fee for updates
- Finding a developer
- A smaller pool in Australia and New Zealand
- Hosting
- Any PHP host, Craft Cloud or Servd
Selling online? Start with Shopify
If selling is the main job of the site, I'd usually start with Shopify: hosting, security and checkout are handled for you, and it goes a long way before you need Shopify Plus. I'm a Shopify Partner and build native, custom and headless stores. More on Shopify.
Selling to trade or wholesale customers, with account pricing or an ERP behind the store, is a bigger project. That's B2B ecommerce.
Changing platform, step by step
Most of the risk in a platform move sits in the URLs, content and integrations, not the design.
- 1 · AuditRecord what you haveEvery URL, the pages that rank or bring in enquiries, the forms, the integrations and the content.
- 2 · ScopeA brief and a fixed priceA reverse brief and tech spec in 1 to 2 weeks, so the build is priced on the real job.
- 3 · BuildBuild and move the contentContent modelled first, then migrated, with every old URL redirected.
- 4 · LaunchLaunch and checkTitles, redirects and tracking checked, then Search Console watched for anything that drops.
How pricing works
Nothing starts until you've agreed the price.
- A free 20-minute callTell me what's going on. I'll ask about the site, the systems around it and what you need.
- A ballpark by email, when the scope is clearFor most jobs, such as a takeover, a fix, an upgrade or a straightforward build, I can send a ballpark after the call.
- Paid scoping, when it isn'tIf the work means learning your internal systems and processes, such as a platform move with integrations into your CRM or ERP, it starts with a paid scoping agreement. It's credited against the build if you go ahead.
Case study · Large residential home builder
As Head of Digital at a large home builder, I chose the platform, wrote the brief, ran the tender and led the rebuild. The conversion rate went up 75% after launch, from better structure and content, not tricks.
Read the case studyCommon questions
Should we change platform, or fix the one we have?
Usually fix it first. A platform move is expensive and disruptive, and it won't fix a slow approval process or a thin brief. A Website Health Check shows whether the platform is really the problem.
How much does it cost to rebuild on a new platform?
It depends on your content, your integrations and how much has to move, more than the number of pages. After a free 20-minute call I can usually send a ballpark by email. Complex moves, such as ones with CRM or ERP integrations, start with paid scoping, credited against the build: 1 to 2 weeks, ending in a reverse brief, a tech spec and a fixed price.
Will we lose our Google rankings if we change platform?
Not if the move is planned. Before anything moves I record every URL and the pages that rank or bring in enquiries, then redirect every old URL and carry titles and descriptions across. Expect some movement in the weeks after any launch, so I watch Search Console and fix what drops.
Do you build the site yourself?
Yes. I design and build on most platforms, including WordPress, Craft CMS and Shopify. On the biggest jobs I bring in Keal Collective, vetted people I work with, and stay your lead.
Can you help us choose a platform if someone else builds it?
Yes. A 2-hour paid discovery session is often enough to settle the platform. If you then need an agency, vendor and agency selection covers the brief, shortlist and tender. If I could be one of the options, with Keal Collective on a larger build, I'll tell you up front.
Do you work in Webflow or Wix?
I don't build in Webflow. If you're on Wix or Squarespace and it does the job, I'll tell you to keep it.
Not sure which platform fits?
Tell me what the site needs to do and who will run it. I'll tell you which platform I'd choose and why, even if it's the one you already have.
Book a 20-minute call or send me a message. I answer both myself.
Bigger project? I bring in Keal Collective, vetted people I work with, and stay your lead.