Lately, I’ve caught a question or two about website builders like this in different Facebook groups about church communications:
Which is better? Platform X or Platform Y?
Squarespace vs. WordPress
Subsplash vs. Wix
TheChurchCo vs. Omega
Rock RMS vs. Ekkelesia 360
The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Jelly vs. Jam
This is, of course, the wrong question to ask mainly because it fails to define the parameters for what would determine a winner. What makes it “best” to you?
In other words, we return to the best question to start any discussion about church communication theory:
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?
So what do we mean by what you want to accomplish? OH we mean a lot. A LOT. What we’re trying to get at is what kind of functionality do you need?
Do you want your page to integrate with your database?
Do you want it to have easy-to-use SEO tools?
Do you want a back-end builder or are you going to code it?
Do you need it to work well with embed codes everywhere for sermons, podcasts, social media, etc?
Do you want your people to have a login and password to access features like check-ins and registrations?
Do you need something to integrate with your third-party giving platform?
See? It’s too vague to simply ask which is better when all of these factors exist. So, yeah, what are you trying to accomplish?
THE RIGHT QUESTION
In other words, which of these two platforms would be better suited to do XYZ? That’s the question you should ask when asking about website platforms. Who cares what platform it is as long as it’s helping you accomplish something important.
So maybe ask it like this: between these example platforms, which one is better for creating a login experience that integrates with our database, allows us to send emails, handles embed codes from Subsplash or our giving platform really well, and is easy to edit with a builder on the backend?
This will give you smart, intelligent answers to help you find a good platform instead of some rando’s opinion based on half-listening to a guru podcast while he did the dishes.
MY PREFERENCE
Personally, I build everything I can on a WordPress platform with the Divi theme & builder. The reason I do this is that Divi is the most flexible for a wider range of expertise. Volunteers or those who don’t have a lot of web experience can easily edit in a visual builder that functions like Wix, Squarespace, or Snap Pages (Subsplash’s website builder), while your more experienced users can edit in a wireframe builder or even the hard code/CSS of the site. Users can switch between these modes without screwing up the site.
I also think it’s the most affordable platform. A lifetime subscription to Divi is a one-time charge of $250. That plus Flywheel hosting which is about $160/year, all you need is a person with some know-how to set you up and your site is clean, fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to edit yourself.
I’ve used content delivery systems, WordPress, and just about every drag-and-drop builder out there and this is the one I like best. However, it may not solve the problem you are trying to solve. You have to figure that out yourself and it starts with asking the right questions.
So, what do you need your website to do?
What platform will allow you to do that with the greatest ease?
What other questions do you ask when determining your website platform or host?