SiteGround Site Builder vs Wordpress: Which Is The Right Website-Building Application For Me?
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There are plenty of content management systems (CMS) and site builders out there, and choosing the right one for your website can often be overwhelming. If you are just starting out and don’t have a lot of experience with building and managing websites, we recommend starting with the SiteGround Site Builder – a great option for owners who want to build and manage their websites easily, with no technical knowledge required.
If you’re already familiar and comfortable with WordPress – you can easily install it on any SiteGround hosting plan. You should consider the WordPress option if you’re looking to get custom or advanced functionality and have sufficient technical background to manage it. Both SiteGround Site Builder and WordPress are free and available on our hosting plans.
What is SiteGround Site Builder?
SiteGround Site Builder is a beginner-friendly site builder designed by SiteGround to make website creation fast and effortless. With no coding required, you can simply add and edit elements to launch a professional-looking website in minutes.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a powerful CMS that can accommodate advanced and custom functionalities through plugins, themes, or custom code. It’s a great fit for tech-savvy web administrators or professional developers.
SiteGround Site Builder vs WordPress
| SiteGround Site Builder | WordPress | |
| Ease of Use | Beginner-friendly | Has a steeper learning curve |
| Customization | Plenty of customizable pre-designed templates | Advanced customization through plugins and themes (many of them are paid) |
| Maintenance and Updates | Maintenance and updates are handled by SiteGround | Requires regular updates. SiteGround faciliates automatic updates |
| SEO optimization | Built-in SEO optimization | Requires SEO plugins or manual SEO optimization |
| Site Analytics | Integrated site analytics tools | Requires additional analytics plugins |
Ease of Use
SiteGround Site Builder
The SiteGround Site Builder is designed with beginners and business owners in mind. It doesn’t require previous site-building or coding experience. Its intuitive interface allows you to easily build your website by customizing pre-built templates and sections with your own text and images. It includes an AI assistant that helps you generate engaging text in an instant, and an image gallery with over 6 million ready-to-use images.
WordPress
WordPress is a powerful content management system that can add custom and advanced functionality through plugins and themes. It has a steep learning curve, especially if you’re using multiple third-party themes or plugins that bring additional functionality and interfaces.
Customization
SiteGround Site Builder
SiteGround Site Builder offers free, professionally designed templates that give you a head start with layouts optimized for popular industries and the opportunity to customize them if needed. Each template maintains a balance of aesthetics and functionality. The builder is perfect for users who prefer to start with a ready-made design but still be able to edit the text, fonts, and colors or play with the order of the sections of their website.
WordPress
WordPress has multiple third-party themes you can choose from, a lot of them being paid. Most of the themes are customizable with various functionalities integrated or provided by third-party plugins. Keep in mind that many of the plugins and themes may require an additional purchase or subscription. More advanced customizations can also be implemented if you have the required coding skills.
Maintenance and Updates
SiteGround Site Builder
SiteGround Site Builder offers a quick setup and minimal upkeep because SiteGround handles all updates and maintenance for you, offering a hands-off experience that’s perfect for beginners and seasoned professionals managing numerous websites.
WordPress
WordPress sites hosted on SiteGround get automated, managed updates covering core files, plugins, and themes. Keeping a WordPress site up-to-date is essential to its functionality and security.
SEO Optimization Tools
SiteGround Site Builder
SiteGround Site Builder comes with built-in SEO features. It allows you to easily manage meta descriptions and titles and control on-page elements hierarchy to boost your search engine rankings – all essential features for being listed and ranked high on the search engine result pages.
WordPress
To optimize your WordPress site for search engines, you can consider adding an SEO plugin, hiring a professional, or conducting а manual SEO optimization.
Site Analytics Tools
SiteGround Site Builder
Visitor behavior can be easily tracked with integrated site analytics for SiteGround Site Builder – sessions and page views are available, as well as breakdowns on individual pages, locations, and technology. Additional tracking services can also be implemented through no-code Google Tag Manager integration, such as Google Analytics, Google Ads or Meta (Facebook) Pixel. Instructions for these are provided within SiteGround Site Builder.
WordPress
Installing tracking services on WordPress websites can be achieved either through adding the tracking snippet to the website code yourself or using a plugin built for this purpose. Using a plugin is the preferred way for beginners as it minimizes the risks of making unexpected changes to your website while editing the code.
Conclusion
Choosing the right site-building platform that grows with your needs is a key decision in the online journey of your new site.
The SiteGround Site Builder stands out as an excellent choice for users who want to manage their own websites and get started quickly with a polished, professional look. It comes with a rich set of ready-to-use templates designed by experts, perfect for both personal and business websites. The visual editor makes frequent site changes easy as a breeze, making it the ideal solution for creators with portfolio sites or businesses showcasing a range of products or services. It’s suited for both beginners in site building and professional webmasters who want to save precious time and scale their projects.
In contrast, WordPress delivers more opportunities for customization for users who need advanced features, such as booking systems and e-commerce integrations. While this flexibility comes with a steeper learning curve for beginners who have little experience with WordPress, more advanced users can use their coding skills to customize their website in almost any way they like. First-time users should be aware that many website plugins and themes are also paid and can stack up their website costs.
Regardless of the website platform you choose, managing both SiteGround Site Builder and WordPress websites is seamless with your SiteGround hosting account. Simply navigate to the Websites section in your Client Area to get started.
