Confused about which platform is best to start your website? Learn the difference between Squarespace vs. Wix vs. WordPress, and which one is best for your online business needs in 2021!

This post is sponsored by Bluehost. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make it possible for us to provide free content and blogging business inspiration.

Hands down, the most common question I get asked about starting your blog (or any website) is: “What platform do I use? Do I really have to use WordPress? It seems so complicated!”

The most important thing to ask yourself and keep in mind before reading on is: what is the primary purpose of your website? If you are an artist who simply wants to showcase their portfolio, that’s incredibly different than if you are a high-traffic blogger, or if you have a business that requires a more robust website that serves as a strong foundation for your online business success.

But perhaps the most important question you need to ask yourself is: do you want to be searchable or findable on Google? Do you want people to be able to type in something related to your business or blog and have your website show up on the first page? If so, there’s a clear winner in terms of Wix Vs. Squarespace Vs. WordPress. But before we get there…

In this post, I’m going to give an overview of the three most popular platforms–Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress–along with their pros, their cons, things to keep in mind, and then make my recommendation based on what I’ve seen to be best after 7 years in online marketing.

So without further ado, let’s get into it!

Table of Contents:

• Should I start my blog on Wix?
• Should I start my blog on Squarespace?
• Should I start my blog on WordPress?
• Which platform is best? My recommendation
• Web Hosting for your blog
• Next Steps: How to Start A Blog

RELATED POST: How to Start a Blog (That Actually Makes Money!) in 6 Easy Steps

Should I start my blog on Wix?

Wix is the easiest to use platform for beginners with drag-and-drop functionality; however, there are some major cons that need to be considered depending on your website goals.

Wix Pros:

• Easiest to use
• No coding required
• Comes with built-in hosting
• Has good customer support via phone and email

Wix Cons:

• Once you’ve hit publish, you can’t switch themes
• Limitations with customization
• Has some SEO features, but not as complete when compared to WordPress
• The worst platform for blogging
• You need to separately edit the mobile and web view of your website (which is time consuming and challenging)

The bottom line: Wix is good for total tech beginners who don’t mind having a simple website and do NOT, I repeat do NOT:

• have an intention to grow an online business of any kind
• want to focus on organic marketing or traffic (meaning you don’t care about ranking in SEO, like on Google)
• have a blog

Wix has a free plan to start, but you’re likely going to need to upgrade to one of the seven premium plans, ranging from $14 to $49 per month.

RELATED POST: 9 Reasons to Start a Blog in 2021

Should I start my blog on Squarespace?

Squarespace is known for having stylish websites, but definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

Squarespace pros:

• Beautiful templates, great for creative industries
• No coding required
• Comes with built-in hosting
• Has decent customer support via chat and email

Squarespace cons:

• Trickier to design than Wix and not super customizable
• Has the worst SEO capabilities of all three platforms
• Is the worst platform for eCommerce

The bottom line: Squarespace is good for design lovers who want a beautiful, sleek, creative aesthetic and don’t mind a little learning curve. But like Wix, Squarespace is NOT for you if you:

• have an intention to grow an online business of any kind (especially eCommerce)
• want to focus on organic marketing or traffic (meaning you don’t care about ranking in SEO, like on Google)
• have a blog

You can trial Squarespace at no cost for 14 days, then pick from one of four premium plans ranging from $12 to $40 a month.

RELATED POST: My Monthly Blog Income Reports Archive

Should I start my blog on WordPress?

WordPress is a free, self-hosted software, which means you have total freedom and unlimited capabilities to do whatever you want to do with your website.  

WordPress Pros:

• Hands down the most customizable – anything is possible on WordPress!
• Best for SEO (meaning you’re more likely to get organic a.k.a. non-paid traffic from search engines)
• Likely the cheapest to get started since WordPress is free and hosting is super affordable

WordPress Cons:

• Has the steepest learning curve
• Need to set up web hosting yourself (though I actually think this could be a pro since you have great options here – see the next section on how to do this!)
• Coding knowledge needed for more advanced tactics and design
• WordPress itself doesn’t have a support team, but once again, I think we can turn this into a pro! Often your theme comes with support (if you buy a premium theme – we talk about what that means in this post) and there are tons of free WordPress tutorials on YouTube and in forums where you can find how-to information. You can also hire web designers to support whatever you want to do on WordPres.

RELATED POST: The Best Plug-Ins for WordPress

WordPress Vs. Squarespace Vs. Wix: Which Platform is Best?

And the winner is… WordPress!

WordPress is the ONLY platform that gives you total control over your website, supports your longterm growth, and is most likely to give you results when it comes to SEO rankings (truly the holy grail of online business). WordPress is the only platform I can fully endorse.

While you may be tempted to go with what feels easier up front (Wix or Squarespace), those benefits come at a cost. According to ahrefs: 

• The average Domain Rating (DR) for WordPress sites is nearly 3x higher than for Wix sites.
• The average number of “dofollow” referring domains is more than 22x higher for WordPress sites. (a.k.a. great for SEO)
• The average monthly organic traffic is around 49x higher for WordPress sites.

In my Six-Figure Blog Academy and 21 Days to Impact courses, I encourage (okay, pretty much require) that all my students use WordPress. To be honest, there’s really no point in starting a blog (that you want to be profitable) unless it’s on WordPress. I beg you–don’t get enticed by those other platforms.

It will be so much harder to migrate everything to WordPress later on if you start with Wix or Squarespace (or Weebly or Shopify or Blogger or any other platform out there these days), so it’s best to roll up your sleeves in the beginning and start embracing WordPress. You’re going to need to understand at least the basics if you’re serious about monetizing a blog, or really growing ANY profitable online business for that matter!

(Please note: I don’t make a single penny for recommending WordPress. There is no affiliate program for WordPress. I am 100% truly recommending it because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is the very best choice for you.)

In summary: in the long run, if you’re blogging as a business, you will regret going with such a limiting system as you’ll miss out on organic search traffic, the best support and functionality, and advanced tools and features. 

Web Hosting

If you’re following my advice and going with WordPress, you’re going to need to buy hosting for your domain name.

Hosting is like renting space online to display your website. There are dozens of hosting services out there, but the best, cheapest and easiest option for beginning bloggers is Bluehost (plus, they give you your domain name for free if you decide to host with them!).

Bluehost also has a one-click WordPress installation, saving you a step and making this process even easier, whoop!

They’ve got a few different plans, but I recommend just starting with the Basic Plan for just $2.95/month (this is a special deal for Kate Kordsmeier readers; normally it’s $8.99/month). The basic plan will provide everything you need when just starting out, and you can always upgrade to a more robust plan later as needed.

I also recommend choosing the 36-month plan, which will help you save money, too.

Here’s why Bluehost is my recommendation:

• It’s the cheapest way to get started with your website
• They offer 24/7 support
• You get a free domain name at registration
• One-click WordPress install
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Already on WordPress with a different host? Get a free migration to Bluehost

Get started here with Bluehost for just $2.95/month!

RELATED POST: 5 Reasons ALL Businesses Need a Blog (Even if the Term “Influencer” Makes You Cringe)

Next Steps: How to Start A Blog

If you’re ready to learn how to start your blog from scratch the RIGHT way, get started now with my free video series!

You’ll Learn:

• Demystify the scary tech with so-easy-your-Grandma-could-do it tutorials and video walkthroughs (including the best tools)
• The BIG paradigm shift happening in the blogosphere in 2021 and what this means for your business (yes, business…it’s not a hobby!)
• What you need to know to start your blog in 21 days or less…and NOTHING you don’t. The secret isn’t in doing more things, it’s in doing ONLY the right things!

Get free instant access now to How to Start Your Blog from Scratch…The RIGHT Way!