Choosing The Right Platform for Your New Website Project

When we begin a new website development project, one of the most important early decisions is selecting the platform that will underpin the entire build. The platform determines how your site is managed, how easily updates can be made and how well the website can grow with your organisation.

To make a confident choice, it helps to ask a few practical questions. Who will manage the website day to day? How frequently will we want to update content? What type of changes will we make? Do we have the internal resource to handle updates or will we rely on external support?

Selecting the wrong platform can shorten the lifespan of a website and lead to unnecessary redevelopment work and ongoing website maintenance. Choosing the right one gives you a site that is flexible scalable and simple for your team to manage.

Below we outline two of the most common categories of website platforms.

Content Management Systems

If we expect to update content regularly whether that is uploading images, publishing new pages or posting blog articles a Content Management System is the appropriate choice.

WordPress is the best-known CMS with close to half of the global market share. It is free, open source and straightforward for non-technical users to edit. We typically recommend WordPress because it is user friendly, adaptable and supported by a huge developer community.

However bespoke CMS solutions also exist. Some agencies provide cms systems tailored specifically to an individual website. If your update requirements are minimal, a slimmer custom CMS may offer a cleaner and more intuitive experience.

eCommerce Platforms

For businesses that sell products or services online, a robust eCommerce platform is essential. These systems manage product catalogues, inventory, checkout processes and customer accounts. When it comes to creating an effective and successful eCommerce site, WooCommerce and Shopify both offer powerful solutions for powering your online business.

WordPress has become a strong foundation for e-commerce websites due to its flexibility and popularity. To start selling directly from your site, we can integrate eCommerce functionality using a plugin such as WooCommerce, which covers more than a third of the online shopping market. WooCommerce allows you to manage inventory, add payment gateways and configure shipping options efficiently.

Shopify is a complete hosted eCommerce platform used by leading brands worldwide, including Red Bull and Penguin Books. Its app store provides additional features to enhance your online store, and it is designed to scale with your business while offering powerful tools to manage content, products and customer experience.

Choosing between Shopify and WooCommerce is an important step for any business planning to sell online, as each platform offers distinct features and capabilities.

Do You Need a Platform at All?

In some cases, a pre-existing platform may not be required. Brochure sites that do not need regular content updates can be built without a CMS, often reducing development time and complexity.

This lightweight approach is increasingly relevant in today’s mobile-first landscape. Websites that load quickly and avoid unnecessary code tend to perform better with users and search engines.

Making the Right Choice

Taking the time to evaluate your platform options at the start of a project will streamline development, reduce long-term costs and ensure a website that supports your objectives today and in the future.

Bring Your Website Vision to Life with Platform 81

Ready to bring your website vision to life? Our team of experts specialises in web design and development, creating sites that are not only visually engaging but also built to perform.

Get in touch today to start your project and ensure your online presence delivers results.