Understanding Modern Website Platforms
When it comes to building a website, one of the first and most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right platform. Website platforms are the tools or systems that allow you to create, manage, and publish your site online. Broadly speaking, they fall into two categories: closed proprietary platforms and open-source platforms.
Closed proprietary platforms are all-in-one solutions that include hosting, design tools, and maintenance bundled together. They tend to be user-friendly and convenient, but often come with restrictions around customization and ownership of your content.
Open-source platforms, on the other hand, give you full control and ownership. They require you to manage your own hosting and maintenance but offer far greater flexibility and freedom to customize your website exactly how you want.
Understanding these differences is key to choosing a platform that fits your needs — whether you want simplicity and convenience or full control and scalability.
Closed Proprietary Platforms: Ease and Convenience
Popular closed proprietary platforms include Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, and WordPress.com (not to be confused with WordPress.org).
These platforms are designed for ease of use. They provide everything you need in one package: hosting, templates, drag-and-drop editors, and built-in maintenance. This means you can get your site online quickly without worrying about technical details.
Pros
- Very user-friendly, great for beginners.
- Hosting and maintenance are included, so you don’t have to worry about updates or security.
- Fast setup with pre-designed templates and tools.
Cons
Limited customization, vendor lock-in, less control over data and content, and often higher long-term costs. Additionally, as a customer, you are legally bound by the platform’s terms of service — they can suspend or shut down your site at their discretion and change their rules whenever they want. This means you don’t truly own your website or its content, and if they decide to terminate your account, there is little you can do to recover your site.
Ideal for
Small businesses, creatives, or anyone who wants a simple, no-fuss website without technical headaches.
Note on WordPress.com: It’s a hosted service owned by Automattic that offers a simplified WordPress experience with some free plans. However, it restricts certain plugins, themes, and code access unless you pay for higher tiers. It is not the same as WordPress.org, which is open-source software you host yourself.
Open Source Platforms: Control and Flexibility
The most prominent open-source platform is WordPress.org — a free, self-hosted content management system (CMS). Unlike WordPress.com, with WordPress.org you download the software and install it on your own hosting server, which means you fully own and control your website.
Other open-source CMS options include Drupal and Joomla, but WordPress.org is by far the most popular, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet.
Pros
- Complete ownership and control of your website and content.
- Unlimited customization possibilities through thousands of plugins and themes.
- Ability to scale and adapt your site as your needs grow.
- Large community and extensive support resources.
Cons
Steeper learning curve for beginners compared to proprietary platforms. You are responsible for managing hosting, updates, security, and backups. However, unlike proprietary platforms, you maintain full ownership and control over your website and data, with no risk of being shut down by a third party without your consent.
Ideal for
Users who want full freedom to customize and grow their website over time, with no platform restrictions.
Web365 Recommend Open Source (WordPress.org)
For this series, we will focus on WordPress.org because it offers the best balance of power, flexibility, and community support. While it requires a bit more effort to learn and manage, the control and scalability you gain are unmatched.
Learning WordPress.org will give you skills that can be applied to virtually any website project. You’re not locked in and can adapt your website exactly to your needs as they evolve.
Conclusion
Choosing the right platform is the foundation of your website’s success. Closed proprietary platforms offer convenience and ease, but at the cost of flexibility and ownership. Open-source platforms like WordPress.org put you in the driver’s seat, giving you freedom and control — with a bit more responsibility.
In the next article, we’ll help you define your website’s purpose and goals, so you know exactly what your site should do before you start building.
If you’re ready to dive into WordPress and want guidance on setup and customization, remember — I’m here to help.