WordPress vs. Shopify vs. SquareSpace vs. Wix vs. GoDaddy: Which Website Builder Is Best for Your Small Business?

If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur, you already know that having a professional website is no longer optional. In the digital age, customers expect to find you online, whether you’re selling physical products, offering local services, or building a personal brand – which is why knowing which website builder is best for you needs should be a high priority on your start-up list.

If you’re here, you probably already know that. 

But the big question remains: which platform should you use to build your business website? What kind of business website can you realistically achieve with your current skill level and/or budget, your specific business type (service-based vs. product-based), and your goals? 

Let’s walk through the pros, cons and ideal uses for each website builder. This way, you leave with more clarity and confidence regarding which website builder is right for you. 

Why your choice matters!

Choosing the right platform will affect your professionalism and credibility. If your content is hard to manage, your graphics are all over the place, and it’s a constant pain to update your site, your image will suffer. 

But if you choose a platform based on your skill-level, your realistic budget, and your business type, you can have a website that works all the time (not just sometimes), that looks good all the time (not just when you update it), and that is easy for your customers to navigate, then trust that you will feel those choices reflected in your profits. 

Let’s take a look. 

WordPress: The Powerhouse (But With a Learning Curve and Constant Maintenance)

WordPress works for all kinds of businesses – It’s called a powerhouse for a reason. You can set up everything, from the simplest service-based business websites, to more complex e-commerce sites with inventory tracking and payment systems. 

If you’re willing to spend the time and/or budget on WordPress, it’s a no-brainer. There isn’t a single business type I can think of that would not benefit from a well-set up, well-ran wordpress website. 

But that’s exactly the catch – it’s tricky. It requires the person to know how to develop, or at least spend a significant amount of time learning. 

For this reason, the skill level required is intermediate (for simpler websites) to advanced.

Pros:

• Extremely customizable for any type of business.
  
• Excellent for blogging and content marketing.
  
• Availability of endless plugins for SEO, e-commerce, booking, memberships, etc.
  
• Scales well as your business grows.
  

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve if you’re a beginner, or requires a good developer.
  
• Requires separate hosting (SiteGround, Bluehost, or WP Engine are popular choices).
  
• Needs ongoing maintenance (plugin updates, security checks).
  

Maintenance: You’ll need to update plugins, back up your site, and occasionally troubleshoot issues. Many small business owners either hire a freelancer for maintenance or use managed WordPress hosting to simplify it.

DIY or Hire an Expert? If you’re tech-savvy and willing to learn, you can build a simple WordPress site yourself. But if you want a highly customized design or advanced features, hiring a WordPress developer is often worth the investment.

Workarounds: 

Let’s say you are convinced that wordpress is absolutely the best choice for you. How can you work around the skill-level needed to build, scale and manage a wordpress site? 

• Learn the basics and outsource the rest to a freelancer – or vice versa – hire a freelancer to build it, and then learn the maintenance yourself (but make sure you hire a GOOD freelancer, this part can be tricky and it likely requires a decent budget).
• If your website is simple enough, you may take the time to learn it (but then again, if a simple website is your goal, you might not need to waste time learning WordPress in the first place and might be better off with any of the other website builder options). 

Squarespace: The Sleek, All-in-One Website Builder

The best thing about Squarespace for beginners is that it’s all-in-one: meaning that the hosting, design and maintenance are all done in the same place, giving you less things to worry about. 

Skill level: beginner to intermediate. Most people with zero web-design skills can build a functional Squarespace website by themselves. 

Squarespace might be the better option if your business relies on visuals: portfolios, creative agencies, or other service offerings. 

Pros:

• Beautiful, mobile-friendly templates.
  
• Simple drag-and-drop builder.
  
• Hosting and security included.
  
• Decent e-commerce features for small shops.
  

Cons:

• Less flexible than WordPress.
  
• Limited third-party integrations.
  
• E-commerce tools are not as strong as WordPress or Shopify.

Maintenance: Virtually none. Squarespace manages security, updates, and hosting for you (which is major! Since updates, security and hosting can be the biggest pain points in other builders like WordPress)

Shopify: The E-Commerce Specialist

Shopify is the most straight-forward builder for e-commerce. While other builders like WordPress also have strong e-commerce capabilities, it doesn’t come close to Shopify in terms of ease-of-use, especially for business owners. 

Skill level: beginner to intermediate. 

Note: there is still a learning curve with Shopify – but the great thing is that there is an extensive library of tutorials and help on Youtube that can help you with virtually any problem you could find. 

Pros:

• Designed exclusively for online stores.
  
• Easy to set up and manage products.
  
• Supports multiple payment gateways.
  
• Strong app ecosystem for marketing and sales tools.
  

Cons:

• Monthly subscription fees + transaction fees (unless you use Shopify Payments).
  
• Limited blogging and content features compared to WordPress (but still great – you may not need more than what Shopify offers in this category)
  
• Customization beyond templates requires coding knowledge or a developer. 

Maintenance: Shopify handles hosting, security, and updates. You only manage products, orders, and apps, allowing you to focus on the aspects of your business that bring in money, instead of worrying too much about maintaining your website. 

DIY or Hire an Expert? A motivated beginner can definitely set up a Shopify store without hiring anyone. However, if you want advanced features (custom checkout, complex product variations, or third-party integrations), hiring a Shopify expert can save you time.

Wix: The Beginner-Friendly Website Builder

Skill level needed: Beginner.

Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder that’s incredibly beginner-friendly. It’s great for entrepreneurs who want to get online quickly with minimal fuss. Wix also has an AI website builder (Wix ADI) that can generate a site for you in minutes.

Pros:

• Very easy to use with no coding required.
  
• Hundreds of templates to choose from.
  
• Affordable pricing tiers.
  
• Built-in SEO and marketing tools.
  

Cons:

• Less scalable than WordPress or Shopify.
  
• Once you choose a template, you can’t switch without rebuilding.
  
• Not ideal for large or complex websites.
  

Maintenance: Wix handles hosting, updates, and security with means that maintenance is minimal.

DIY or Hire an Expert? Definitely DIY-friendly. If your business is small and you just need an online presence, Wix works perfectly without hiring outside help.

GoDaddy Website Builder: The Fast and Simple Solution

While GoDaddy is better known as a domain registrar, their website builder is targeted at entrepreneurs who want a very fast, simple solution, making the skill level needed extremely beginner-friendly. It’s not as feature-rich as the others, but it works for businesses that just need contact info, hours, and basic services online.

Pros:

• Extremely simple to set up.
  
• Hosting and domain bundled together.
  
• Basic marketing tools included.
  

Cons:

• Very limited design flexibility.
  
• Not ideal for e-commerce or content-heavy sites.
  
• Outgrown quickly as your business expands.
  

Maintenance: GoDaddy handles everything.

DIY or Hire an Expert? Almost always DIY. If you only need a digital “business card” online, GoDaddy can work. But for most long-term businesses, it’s better to invest in a more flexible platform.

So, Which Website Builder Should You Choose?

Here’s a cheatsheet: 

• E-commerce store (physical products, dropshipping, print-on-demand): Shopify or WordPress, depending on how much customization you want, and how much time and/or money you’re willing to spend – but Shopify might be the easiest.
  
• Service-based business (consultants, coaches, local services): Squarespace or WordPress.
  
• Content-heavy business (bloggers, online educators, SEO-focused brands): WordPress.
  
• Small local business (salon, coffee shop, plumber, freelancer): Wix or Squarespace.
  
• Basic, quick online presence (digital business card site): GoDaddy.
  

• If you’re on a tight budget and just need something live, DIY with Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy is a great start.
  
• If you want to scale your business online, focus on SEO, or sell products, WordPress or Shopify will give you more flexibility—but may require outside help.
  

Remember that…

Hiring an expert is worth it if your time is better spent running your business than learning web design. Think of it like outsourcing your accounting or legal work… It frees you up to focus on growth and profits. But like any smart business owner, you have to consider whether it’s an absolutely necessary expense, and ways you may be able to work around this. 

Your website doesn’t have to be perfect on day one. What matters is choosing a platform that matches your current stage of business while leaving room to grow.

• Starting small? Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy might be enough. 
• Ready to scale with content marketing? WordPress is king. 
• Building a serious e-commerce business? Shopify is the gold standard, but WordPress works just as well if you’re willing to spend the money and/or time.
• Just need something quick and basic? GoDaddy.
  

Before you choose, write down your business goals for the next 12 months. Are you aiming to sell 100+ products? Book more client calls? Build a brand through blogging? Once you’re clear on that, the right platform will become obvious.

Still have questions? Leave us a comment below and we’d be happy to help you! 

– Business Mentor Studio Team

P.S. For more resources like this, don’t forget to check out our blog!