Your website is your initial point of contact with your audience. And no one wants to make a bad first impression. Using the correct content management system (CMS) can help you create the best website for your business. Let’s explore Squarespace vs WordPress.
An Overview of WordPress Features
WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that lets anyone easily build and manage websites. Since it was launched in 2003, it’s become one of the most popular CMS, powering over 43.5% of all websites on the Internet.
Whether you have extensive coding knowledge or are learning how to code, WordPress has options to help you create and customize your site.
An Overview of Squarespace
Squarespace is a different website builder that, like WordPress, provides everything you need to build a website. It allows people who have little to no technical knowledge to quickly build and launch a custom site without worrying about day-to-day management.
WordPress uses the Gutenberg block editor for creating pages and posts. Each block represents a distinct element like text, images, or buttons, offering granular control over content structure. With over 60,000 plugins and countless free and premium themes, WordPress empowers you to build your website to your exact needs.
Easy to use once you learn
No coding required
Highly customizable
There is a learning curve at the beginning so need to invest time in playing with the tools
The dashboard can be cluttered and hard to navigate
Hard to navigate the menu and settings
Ease of Use: Squarespace
If you aren’t familiar with designing or building a website, it can seem like an intimidating process. However, Squarespace prides itself on being user-friendly and can help anyone build a website.
Uses a visual editor like WordPress
User-friendly interface and drag-and-drop editor
Great for beginners
There’s no autosave when editing so need to remember to save your work
Has a learning curve like any program
Winner: Both
WordPress is a great tool if you have some web development and coding skills. If you’re still working on those skills, or trying to find them, Squarespace has everything you need to help you easily build your new site.
Customization: WordPress
Your website needs to work for you. WordPress gives you total control over the design and functionality of your site with thousands of themes and plugins. You don’t have any limits with coding, which allows you to create customizations like lists, video insets, and tables that will set your business apart from its competition. For example, if you’re selling a product with a specific feature, you can create a video inset showing off that feature so the customer can get a full view of your product.
Doesn’t limit any major media types so you can use any combination of text, images, and videos
Coding opportunities to create custom elements like tables, block quotes, or specific designs for your business
Access to a large plugin library to add different functions to the site
Can be overwhelming for beginners
Need coding knowledge
Using too many plugins can slow your site down and potentially cause issues
Customization: Squarespace
You don’t want your website to look like everyone else’s. You want to stand out from the rest. Squarespace offers many different layouts, templates, and themes to help you create a custom look.
Have access to dozens of features, including gallery boxes, podcast support, and newsletter signup forms
Customization is limited compared to WordPress since you can’t develop your own themes or plugins
Only have access to what Squarespace offer
Winner: WordPress
Squarespace offers basic customization, but WordPress takes it to another level. From plugins to coding, you have the ability to create the exact website that works best for you.
Pricing: WordPress
WordPress is generally more affordable than Squarespace, with lower upfront costs and flexible monthly plans starting from $4. While the core platform is free, you’ll need to pay for website hosting and a domain name. Additional features like custom domains, extra storage, and e-commerce capabilities can be added through premium plans.
Has a free tier plan in addition to paid plans
Can pay for what you need
Can use most themes and plugins with any plan
Have e-commerce plans
Need to pay for domain name and hosting
Not all themes and plugins are free
Pricing: Squarespace
With Squarespace, your plan’s price is what you pay for everything, including hosting, templates (site themes), integrations, extensions, and a content delivery network (CDN) for swift page-loading times.
Price reflects all costs—from hosting to domain name to content delivery network
Get a discount when purchasing an annual plan
Have several different e-commerce plans
No free plan
Price increases when paying month-to-month
To become an e-commerce site, you need to purchase a premium plan
Winner: WordPress
Squarespace is one of the more expensive CMS systems on the market. While having one price for everything is convenient, WordPress gives you more cost-saving options.
SEO and Internet Marketing: WordPress
WordPress excels in SEO and internet marketing. Its SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math offer advanced features for optimizing your site. For e-commerce, WordPress integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and CRMs like HubSpot, enhancing marketing efforts.
Can download or purchase WordPress plugins to support your digital marketing
Can also optimize your site through the backend with technical SEO
Can edit any part of your site’s underlying code to remove any unnecessary HTML, CSS, or Javascript slowing down your site or preventing it from being indexed
Downloading, purchasing, and updating these tools will require time and money
Relies on plugins for SEO, which as we mentioned earlier can slow down your site
SEO and Internet Marketing: Squarespace
Unlike WordPress, Squarespace has the basics covered but that’s it. You’ll be able to do a few foundational tasks to support your site in search and other digital marketing initiatives. But you won’t be able to do more technical internet marketing work.
Can customize the title, meta description, image alt text, and URL of your posts and pages
Create 301 redirects to avoid broken links and 404 error pages
Can choose from over 60 mobile-optimized templates
No SEO plugins or add-ons are available
You’re limited to the marketing features Squarespace provides
Can’t do some of the more technical SEO work
Winner: WordPress
Squarespace is one of the more expensive CMS systems on the market. While having one price for everything is convenient, WordPress’s open-source nature and vast plugin ecosystem provide unparalleled flexibility and advanced features, surpassing Squarespace’s internet marketing capabilities.
Security and Maintenance: WordPress
If you choose WordPress, it’s up to you to keep your security updated. The positive is this gives you more control over your website.
Has features like logging out idle users and adding two-factor authentication
Has a community of developers to help support
Can do automated backups on some plugins
Requires more attention to security
You need to keep the core software, themes, and plugins updated yourself
Security and Maintenance: Squarespace
Squarespace reverses the process by handling many of the security updates itself meaning you can be more hands off.
Handles security updates and maintenance for you, making it a more secure option for beginners
Has a dedicated 24/7 email support team
Offer limited customized security options
Security settings are hidden in menus
Winner: Depends on Your Needs
Both sites have many of the same security features. If you’re someone who isn’t afraid of getting into your site and keeping things updated then WordPress will work for you. However, if you would rather let someone else assume that responsibility, then Squarespace has you covered.
So Which is Better?
Squarespace is a great option for creating your website. It’s a user-friendly platform that offers basic SEO features and strong security.
However, for a more flexible and powerful solution, we recommend WordPress. It provides greater customization options, advanced SEO capabilities, and a wider range of e-commerce features to cater to your business needs.
Your website should help grow your business—not cause problems.
Still unsure about Squarespace vs WordPress? No worries—our team is here to help answer your questions and find the perfect solution for your business.
Choosing a platform for your website is difficult — especially if you’re not sure what factors should be considered. Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Continue reading to see what it looks like to compare Shopify vs WordPress for your business’s website.
WordPress Features At A Glance
Before we dive into the details of Shopify vs WordPress, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the basic WordPress features and functions. As an open-source platform, WordPress makes creating, customizing, and managing content easy. It does this by offering various internet marketing tools and resources including, but not limited to:
An online platform designed for selling products, Shopify has become increasingly popular for building and managing eCommerce websites. Similarly to WordPress, you can find an assortment of Shopify features to support your business and create an accessible online storefront for users. Some of these features include:
When comparing Shopify vs WordPress, the first thing to consider is the ease of use. In some cases, WordPress user experience depends on your background knowledge of web design and coding.
It may take more time to learn the ins and outs of WordPress, but once you do, you’ll find it’s easy to use and provides opportunities for you to improve your website’s design, search visibility, and overall performance.
Several available plugins simplify site management and extend functionality
Highly adaptable to changing needs with numerous WordPress themes and customization options
User-friendly admin dashboard with advanced features and tools
More technical and may require basic web design and coding skills
A vast platform can be overwhelming with so many tools and options
You are responsible for finding your own WordPress hosting platform
Ease of Everyday Use: Shopify
The Shopify interface is simple and clean, making it easy to use whether you have web design experience or not. Its comprehensive guides provide you with the tools and direction you need to create and launch your site quickly and effortlessly.
The set-up guide helps beginners get their site running quickly
Intuitive navigation with no coding or web design skills required
Shopify hosting is automatically managed for you
Not as flexible with fewer customization options available
Less control over server environment and configurations
Fewer Shopify marketing integrations limit you in what you can do with your site
Winner: Both*
Since both platforms provide user-friendly features and tools, it’s hard to choose a clear winner.
It may take beginners a bit longer to learn the ins and outs of WordPress, but once you familiarize yourself, it’s straightforward and allows you to do more with your site. Shopify is ideal for beginners because of its setup guide, and you don’t need any background knowledge in coding or web design.
Customization: WordPress
When comparing Shopify vs. WordPress, a key element is each platform’s ability to adapt to your needs. As we mentioned in the section above, WordPress is highly customizable.
With countless WordPress themes and plugins available, you can customize even the smallest details of your website. This makes it an ideal choice if you want more control over its look and functionality.
More than 11,000 free WordPress themes with options to use paid themes as well
Flexible templates allow you to customize anything in your site’s design
WordPress themes can be used on a variety of websites including eCommerce stores
For beginners who are building a site for the first time and prioritize scalability over customization, Shopify may be the right choice for you because of its user-friendly tools and ready-to-use templates for eCommerce businesses of all sizes.
While it doesn’t have as many design options available as WordPress, Shopify still provides an assortment of themes, layouts, and editing features that will ensure your site looks professional and runs smoothly on any device.
More than 140 themes to choose from
Themes are professionally designed and ready to go right after installation
Only 12 themes are free while the rest vary in cost
Templates don’t allow as many editable features
Winner For Customization: WordPress
Pricing: WordPress
Pricing is another crucial factor to consider when comparing Shopify vs WordPress. Your budget and business goals will have an impact on your site’s design and functionality. At first glance, WordPress is the more cost-effective option because it’s free to use. The pricing comes into play once you decide what your needs are and which WordPress features you’ll want to use to help you meet them.
Free to use with the option to choose from a variety of pricing plans
Plans vary based on your needs and include personal, premium, business, commerce, and enterprise
Discounts are available on two-year or three-year plans
Pricing can escalate when paying for WordPress themes, hosting, plugins, and tutorials
Pricing: Shopify
You cannot use Shopify without signing up for a subscription. However, Shopify’s pricing plans vary depending on your website’s needs. The basic plan starts at $29 per month on a month-to-month subscription.
Provides a variety of pricing plans
Plans include everything you need to run a website including Shopify hosting, security, and support
Doesn’t offer a free plan
Must purchase a domain through Shopify for $14.95 per year
Winner For Pricing: WordPress
SEO And Internet Marketing: WordPress
From technical SEO to on-page optimization, the vast WordPress plugin ecosystem offers plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math, which give you more control over SEO and help you improve your site’s visibility in search results.
WordPress internet marketing tools also make it an ideal choice for businesses that want to adopt more content-driven marketing strategies. With advanced blogging capabilities and extensive formatting options, you can craft blog posts, product descriptions, and other content.
Available plugins to manage SEO activities
Can add/edit URLs, meta titles, descriptions, and meta tags with target keywords
Customizable blog designs and templates
Can embed multiple media types like images, videos, and audio
Site optimization requires basic SEO knowledge and skills
SEO set-up and management is time-consuming
WordPress internet marketing features are reliant on plugins
SEO And Internet Marketing: Shopify
While Shopify’s internet marketing capabilities aren’t as advanced as WordPress, they still provide basic SEO and blogging services to help you optimize your website. Shopify also specializes in eCommerce, so its focus is to provide everything you need to start and manage an online store or eCommerce shop.
Basic blogging functionality and user-friendly blog editor
Built-in Shopify SEO tools and features for website optimization
Proper WordPress security and site maintenance help you protect your site from being hacked. While some WordPress site maintenance needs can be handled automatically, you need to stay on top of software and plugin updates to ensure your site isn’t vulnerable. Since you are responsible for your hosting provider, most of the responsibilities will fall on you.
Gives you full control over your content, data, and site changes
WordPress software is built with secure code and regularly releases updates to address new vulnerabilities
Plugins can provide automated WordPress backups
You are responsible for all WordPress site maintenance and security measures
May require greater technical knowledge and resources
Customer support depends on the WordPress hosting provider
Security And Site Maintenance: Shopify
Unlike WordPress, when you use Shopify, they are responsible for ensuring your site doesn’t contain serious security vulnerabilities. From software updates to server configuration, Shopify site maintenance takes care of all the technical details that go into running a website.
Shopify software engineers address all technical issues
The bulk of responsibility for security falls on Shopify
Shopify backups won’t always restore content for individual sites
Shopify can remove content (or an entire site) if it conflicts with their acceptable use policies
Less control over content and product data
Winner For Security: Both*
WordPress and Shopify both provide users with the tools they need to keep their sites secure and up-to-date. When it comes down to it, choosing the best platform for security and site maintenance is about personal preference.
If you want more control over your site and responsibility for maintenance and security, WordPress is the best choice. However, if you’re new to running a website and would rather take a backseat to the technical details security, and maintenance required, Shopify may be a better fit.
Who Wins The Fight Of Shopify vs WordPress?
When it comes down to choosing between Shopify vs WordPress, the answer is clear. While Shopify may be the easy choice for beginners, we recommend using a platform that allows you and your site to grow.
WordPress offers the opportunity to create a website that’s uniquely yours. By leveraging the advanced WordPress features, you can ensure your brand’s name is not only being seen by your target audience, but when they visit your site, they have a positive experience.
Don’t settle for a site that blends in when you can build a site that stands out — let us help you navigate the complexities of WordPress. Talk to one of our developers to see what we’re capable of today.
Exploring your options for a content management system (CMS) and stuck between Wix vs WordPress? Here’s everything you need to know to pick which is the best fit for your business.
WordPress Features At A Glance
WordPress is an open-source content management system that’s used by 43% of businesses and individuals on the web. It’s a popular choice as it allows people to create and manage their websites without needing extensive coding knowledge.
That said, if you have coding experience or access to a developer, it’s also a powerful tool as there is a lot of customization you can do with it. (More on that to come.) WordPress features include:
Themes to choose from with a variety of artistic styles
Security features like DDoS, WAF, 2FA, and more
Flexible hosting options
Simple-to-use interfaces for publishing content and creating new pages
Custom content types
Access to a huge WordPress plugin ecosystem to support a variety of tasks (eCommerce, SEO, security, spam filtering, etc.)
An active developer community with lots of rich resources
Wix is another content management system that’s become popular over the years. Its original founders were frustrated with how difficult building a site was in the mid-2000s. So they had the idea to create a platform that’d make it easy to create a website without coding or design skills.
Wix features include:
Access to 800+ designed templates for various subject matters
A simple drag-and-drop editor for content
Starter SEO tools to optimize your site
eCommerce functionality
Code development platform
An app market for third-party integrations
Options for automation, custom forms, and a built-in CRM
Wix vs WordPress: Which Is Better?
Ease Of Everyday Use: WordPress
The WordPress user experience is top-quality, if you have access to developer support to set up your site. However, if built with the Gutenberg editor, it’s easy for anyone to make site changes without requiring code. There are also 60K+ plugins to choose from to boost the functionality of your website. Plus, you’ve got endless options of free and paid themes to pick from.
User-friendly themes and plugins
WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) visual editors make content changes easy
Robust dashboards of settings
Offers responsive themes and plugins for mobile display
Advanced functioning will require coding
Too many plugins lead to slower performance
Dashboard has a lot of settings that can be overwhelming for beginners
Need a business account or above to add plugins
Ease Of Everyday Use: Wix
When it comes to the WIX user experience, it’s designed with a beginner in mind. The drag-and-drop interface lets you customize elements intuitively. It also offers plenty of pre-designed templates to choose from.
Intuitive visual site editor
Offers responsive design without extra work
Easy access to customer support
Provides additional features like support designing a logo
Can’t change your template once your site is designed
Your website isn’t transferable if you decide to use a different CMS in the future
Can have site speed issues if you have a lot of photos or videos
Winner: Both*
Wix is the perfect solution if you’re a small business or just need to have a presence online. It doesn’t require extensive coding knowledge, and it’s easy to get started on. But if you’ve got plans to scale your business over time, it’s not a long-term solution.
WordPress is ideal if you want a CMS that can grow and evolve alongside your business. It offers a lot more customization, better performance for digital marketing, and robust eCommerce capabilities. And if your developer sets it up using Gutenberg in the back end, editing your site can be as easy as using Wix.
Customization: WordPress
With this CMS, what you want is what you can get. WordPress, with the help of a knowledgeable dev team, can deliver a site that’s unique to you. Plus, you can shop around your hosting and work with a partner that best fits your needs and budget.
Huge library of plugins with lots of different functionalities
Can use HTML, CSS, and PHP for advanced customization
Capable of doing complex, unique layouts
Hosting flexibility so you can choose your provider
Takes more time to create a custom site
Requires extensive coding knowledge
Risk of slow site performance if you’re using too many plugins
Customization: Wix
Wix offers some opportunities to tailor a site to fit your brand. Once you pick your theme, you will be able to make some key design adjustments to it. However, there are a lot more limitations in place, so you won’t be able to modify it as much as a WordPress site.
Large template library gives you options to choose from
Limitations on how much you can customize underlying code of themes
Not able to easily switch between themes
Site must be hosted through Wix
Winner For Customization: WordPress
Like the idea of a custom site where you’re in control? Our developers can build the site you want and make it easy for you to manage, no coding needed.
WordPress has fewer upfront costs and ongoing hosting and domain fees to consider. If you need advanced functionality like custom domains, extra space, or eCommerce capabilities, you can choose from plans ranging from $4 to $45+ a month.
Open source and free to install
Flexible hosting so you can price shop
Lots of free themes and plugins for use
Pay only for functionality you need
Some themes and plugins will be an additional cost
SEO and ongoing content generation are key in helping increase your site’s visibility online. WordPress has all the tools you need now and tomorrow to be successful and keep up with internet marketing trends.
Have full control over meta, tags, sitemaps, and more
Lots of SEO-focused plugins in the WordPress ecosystem
Wix offers some tools to help you cover some SEO basics that will help your site’s performance in search. But you won’t be able to implement more critical technical SEO tactics, which could ultimately hinder your potential online.
Includes built-in SEO tools
Can run a blog and add landing pages
Platform SEO tools are limited
Fewer SEO apps to choose from compared to WordPress
Blog templates are less customizable
Fewer ways to troubleshoot and control site speed
Winner For SEO: WordPress
Security And Site Maintenance: WordPress
With WordPress, you’re ultimately accountable to keep up with security. However, you have more control in doing so, which is a benefit if you have the right resources in place to manage your site.
WordPress and core plugins are regularly updated to fix vulnerabilities
Supportive community of developers that provide resources and tips
Plugins let you do automated backups
Security plugins are available to help you enhance security with firewalls, malware scanners, or brute force attack prevention
Site can have new vulnerabilities if you’re not regularly installing updates
Poorly crafted plugins or themes can be targeted by hackers
Ultimately, you’re responsible for managing your site’s security
Security And Site Maintenance: Wix
Wix assumes a lot of the responsibility in keeping your site safe. They automatically make updates and changes, but the tradeoff is that it’s out of your hands. You’re relying on them keeping everything up to date and patching vulnerabilities.
Wix takes care of security on its server, so you don’t need to worry about it
The platform is automatically updated to keep it secure
You have less control of Wix’s underlying security infrastructure compared to WordPress
You’re relying on Wix to responsibly handle security risks
Winner For Security: Both*
Both approach security differently, so there isn’t a clear winner. It’s all about which approach better serves you and the resources you have in house.
If you have the know-how to manage your site, WordPress will give you better control. But if you don’t have the resources in-house, then Wix will ensure you stay safe without requiring more work from your team.
Final Verdict: Is Wix or WordPress Better for Your Business?
The main difference between Wix and WordPress for businesses lies in their ease of use, customization, pricing, and SEO capabilities.
Ease of Use: Wix is user-friendly with drag-and-drop functionality, ideal for beginners. WordPress, especially with the Gutenberg editor, allows more customization but may require developer support for setup.
Customization: WordPress offers extensive customization options with over 60,000 plugins and flexible hosting. Wix limits template customization and requires hosting within its ecosystem.
Pricing: WordPress has flexible pricing, allowing users to choose hosting options, while Wix has all-inclusive plans with less flexibility.
SEO and Marketing: WordPress provides powerful SEO tools and control over technical SEO, suitable for long-term growth. Wix has basic SEO tools but limits technical SEO features.
Overall Verdict: WordPress is the better long-term choice for scalability, customization, and SEO, while Wix is a quick, accessible option for small business needs and beginners
Still on the fence about Wix vs WordPress? We’re here to help you learn more and find the CMS that’s right for you.
We all know that a bad website leaves a bad impression. In this day and age, the quality of your site is a reflection of your brand, and the last thing you want to do is drive people away. So let’s take it back to the beginning and answer the question: which content management system is best for your business? Today we’re going to analyze Duda vs WordPress.
Basic WordPress Features
Back in the day, WordPress was known for blogging, but it can do so much more. Used by over 40% of websites, WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS), meaning that anyone can access and edit the source code. It gets regular updates and is constantly improving as developers collaborate to customize the experience.
WordPress can support any type of website, from eCommerce to portfolios. However, you are responsible for finding a hosting provider. One of the biggest perks is the WordPress plugin ecosystem. Because it’s open source, there are thousands of plugins made by outside developers that can integrate with WordPress and add new functionality to your site.
Basic Duda Features
Duda is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that allows you to build a website in your own browser. It uses basic drag-and-drop content and design techniques to create each page, with no coding required. This may be a good option if you have zero experience in web development.
Unlike WordPress, Duda is not open source, meaning the source code is not publicly available. Some of the most useful Duda features include basic SEO tools, blogging capabilities, a widget builder, and designed templates. Any Duda site also includes hosting with Amazon Web Services.
One of the biggest ways Duda and WordPress differ is their editors. While neither requires coding, they each have a unique user experience.
Modern WordPress sites use the Gutenberg block editor to create pages and posts. Each block represents a different element, such as text, images, galleries, buttons, or even custom HTML.
This gives you complete control over how your content is structured. WordPress also integrates with page builders like Elementor, and its editor can be expanded with thousands of plugins to add new functionality.
Intuitive to use once you learn WordPress
No coding required
Access to thousands of plugins to expand functionality
Highly customizable
Advanced features like reusable blocks and saved templates to streamline content creation
Steeper learning curve
Can be overwhelming for beginners
Advanced customization requires plugins or an experienced web developer
No visual editor without using a plugin
Must have a business-level account or above to install plugins
Ease Of Use: Duda
Designed for ease of use, the Duda interface allows you to create a website by simply dragging pre-designed elements—such as text, images, and buttons—onto a page. It uses a visual editor, so no coding is required. Customizable templates and a user-friendly interface help you quickly build a site with limited experience, balancing flexibility and simplicity.
Good for beginners
Convenient and easy to use
Not much of a learning curve
Quick setup
Good for small projects
No coding required
Limited customization for personalized site features, design changes, or functionality tweaks
Less flexibility for complex sites
Simple editor can feel limiting as you try to grow
Winner: Duda
Customization: WordPress
A good website needs to be fully customized to your brand and that is where WordPress shines. You have complete control over the functionality and design of your site. Plus there are thousands of WordPress themes and plugins. These allow you to adjust the basics like layout and typography, along with more advanced features like eCommerce or membership portals.
WordPress also lets you add custom code. Overall, this CMS can adapt to any vision, making it a top choice for personalized websites.
Every aspect of your site is fully customizable
Custom coding opportunities
Hosting flexibility
Access to WordPress themes and page builders
Can personalize your theme to match your branding
Time-consuming to create fully customized sites
Complex for beginners
Potential for over-reliance on plugins
Customization: Duda
With Duda’s streamlined approach to web design, it’s clear they prioritize ease of use over customization. You can edit pre-designed templates by arranging and resizing elements. You can also adjust key design features like fonts, colors, and layouts, but that’s where the flexibility ends. Overall, Duda offers basic customization options, but it’s not as adaptable as WordPress.
Can customize templates, design features, and widgets
Can implement global design changes across the whole site, making it easy to manage style updates for multiple pages
Confined to Duda’s available templates and themes
Fewer extensions and plugins
Limited custom coding opportunities
Not ideal for complex sites
Only advanced plans allow for site export
Winner: WordPress
Web Design Is Our Specialty. Let Us Help You Customize A Site That Perfectly Matches Your Brand.
When deciding between Duda vs WordPress, price is a significant factor. WordPress itself is free, but the total cost of using it varies depending on your specific needs.
First, you need to purchase hosting from a provider such as WP Engine or InMotion. WordPress hosting fees typically range from $5-$30 a month. Additional costs can include premium themes and plugins. For advanced features like custom domains, more storage, and eCommerce support, you can opt into monthly price plans that range from $4 to $45 a month.
Has a free plan
Offers monthly price tiers
Cheaper than Duda
Requires additional fees for hosting, themes, and plugins
Lowest tier offers limited features compared to Duda
Pricing: Duda
Similar to WordPress, Duda offers a tiered pricing structure based on your website needs. The basic plan starts at $25 a month and includes their drag-and-drop editor, hosting SSL certificates, and responsive website templates. If you’re looking for advanced features like team collaboration, client management tools, and custom widget building, pricing can go up to $39, $69, or $199 a month.
Offers monthly price tiers
More features are available in the lowest tier than WordPress
No cost to host
More expensive than WordPress
No free plan
Winner: WordPress
SEO And Internet Marketing: WordPress
The internet marketing capabilities of Duda vs WordPress differ greatly. With the vast array of WordPress SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math, you can access advanced sitemaps, keyword tracking, and in-depth optimization.
For an eCommerce site, WordPress integrates with WooCommerce and CRM platforms like HubSpot to help advance your marketing efforts. Its open-source nature and the WordPress plugin ecosystem make it a powerhouse for internet marketing, offering more flexibility and advanced features than Duda.
Advanced blogging features
WordPress SEO plugins for comprehensive optimization
Vast marketing integrations
Supports advanced eCommerce marketing
Customizable content and analytics
Marketing features rely on plugins
Less-beginner friendly
Time-consuming to set up SEO plugins and analytics
SEO And Internet Marketing: Duda
Unlike WordPress, Duda marketing integrations are limited. Any Duda site will include built-in SEO tools like customizable meta tags, alt text, and automatic Google Page Speed optimization. It can integrate with Google Analytics and most social media platforms. However, the lack of plugins makes Duda eCommerce marketing more limited.
Built-in SEO tools for beginners
Simple blogging capabilities
Integration with GA4 and relevant social media platforms
Limited SEO customization that lacks advanced capabilities
Less extensive blogging features
Fewer marketing integrations
Only supports basic eCommerce marketing
Lack of advanced tools makes it harder to manage and expand marketing efforts
Winner: WordPress
Scalability: WordPress
When it comes to scalability between Duda vs WordPress, it’s obvious who takes the cake. The WordPress plugin ecosystem gives it a significant advantage. As your business grows, WordPress can easily accommodate complex websites, high traffic, and custom features. You have virtually unlimited options with a WordPress site, making it a strategic choice for someone looking to expand their online presence.
Plugins can optimize site performance without needing to change the core application
Can handle high-traffic volumes
Flexible hosting options
Easy migration to another host if needed
Offers multi-site management
Lower-tiered plans have limited storage
Costs increase as you install more advanced themes and plugins
Possible performance issues (such as slower load times) if you’re using a lot of plugins
Scalability: Duda
As we’ve mentioned previously, Duda’s growth potential is limited. While it supports multi-site management and basic eCommerce features, it lacks the extensive customization and third-party integrations needed for serious growth. In our opinion, Duda is well-suited for smaller businesses managing simple sites, but not for someone looking for long-term growth.
No storage limits
Automatically optimized for mobile
Includes client management tools
Limited eCommerce functionality
Lacks third-party integrations that are needed for growth
Doesn’t support complex coding features
Fewer hosting options
Migration challenges
Winner: WordPress
Security And Maintenance: WordPress
Looking for robust security and maintenance control? WordPress has you covered. However, it will require more active involvement on your end. You can install various security plugins which allows you to implement measures like firewalls, malware scanning, and login protection. Regular updates to the core WordPress software are crucial to maintaining security and functionality.
Greater control over site security
Strong community of developers that provide support and resources
Plugins allow for automated backups
Regular updates to the software, themes, and plugins help improve functionality
You’re responsible for managing maintenance tasks
Falling behind could make your site vulnerable
Customer support varies depending on the hosting provider
There’s a learning curve to WordPress site maintenance
Security And Maintenance: Duda
Because they provide a fully managed hosting environment, Duda site maintenance is quite simple. You benefit from automatic backups, security updates, and protection against common vulnerabilities without needing to worry about managing the server.
Duda’s system includes SSL certification for secure data transmission and built-in security measures to safeguard user information. While Duda simplifies maintenance for you, it also limits control over specific security configurations, which isn’t ideal for everyone.
Simple maintenance
Automatic backups
Fully managed hosting
Built-in security features like SSL certificates and updates
Dedicated customer support if needed
Limited control over security measures
Fewer community resources
Complex process if you want to move your site from Duda
Winner: Depends On Your Goals*
*If you have the resources and skills to stay up to date with maintenance, then WordPress offers much more control and security over your site. If you’re looking for something easy and simple, Duda is a good place to start.
Who Wins The Fight Of Duda vs WordPress?
The answer is simple: WordPress.
There is certainly a time and place for Duda. If you’re a beginner with a small site, Duda will feel less overwhelming. However, it will be harder to customize and scale your business with their reduced capabilities.
For most clients, we would recommend WordPress. You can’t beat its customization options, internet marketing features, advanced security controls, and the ability for unlimited growth.
Your website should help you expand, not restrict you. If you’re looking for maximum flexibility and scalability (especially for larger and more complex websites) it’s a no-brainer—WordPress is the way to go.
WordPress can be overwhelming—we get it. That’s why you have us. Reach out to our developers for a website that keeps your customers coming back for more.
Interested in learning more about the different types of hosting methods because you are ready to launch a new site, or make upgrades to your existing one? Maybe your site is, more often than you would like, creating problems for your organization, and you don’t quite understand how to fix them.
This blog will take a high-level overview of the key differences between shared vs. dedicated vs. cloud hosting. We will dive into the pros and cons of dedicated hosting, shared hosting, and cloud hosting.
Before we get into all that you may ask yourself, what is shared hosting? Or cloud hosting? Or dedicated hosting? And why may one be better for my organization? Don’t worry, we will cover that too.
Factors to Consider
Before you decipher through the different hosting options, ask yourself the following questions:
How many visitors come to my site monthly? The amount of traffic coming to your site helps determine the number of resources you need to run a successful site. If you have a smaller amount of traffic, shared hosting probably has enough resources.
What is your budget? With each hosting service, there will be differing costs based on whether you have a single server just for you or share a server with other organizations. There is also an option to pay an additional fee for managed hosting, which is like AAA Car insurance but for your website.
What are your website needs? Consider what your website’s purposes are. Users could be coming to your site to read blogs, get information, make payments, purchase a product or service, or fill out a form and request more information about your company.
What is Shared Hosting?
The main difference between shared vs dedicated hosting is the allocation of resources. In shared hosting, you “share” resources of one server with multiple companies. You’ll often see this referred to as “multi-tenant hosting.” This type of hosting benefits small businesses with low traffic, blogs, and personal websites.
Think of shared hosting as living in an apartment building. The building itself is shared by multiple people, and you may hear your neighbors through the walls or experience power outages all at once, but you are in your own space.
Advantages
Since you are sharing your resources, this type of hosting is the most economical. Also, since you do not own the server, there’s usually a web hosting company that can help you when there are issues with your website. This will depend on whether you decide to pursue managed vs unmanaged hosting, which is explained later in this blog.
Another benefit of shared hosting is simplicity. You’re not expected to manage the server yourself and many tools are often available to get your site up and running quickly. You’ll not require a dedicated person to operate and maintain the web server.
For smaller businesses that feel they don’t need a ton of resources to run a successful website, shared hosting may be your best option. This allows you to save some money and still get enough assets required for your site.
Disadvantages
While shared hosting does provide an economical solution, it isn’t without some drawbacks. Because shared hosting relies on a shared pool of resources, one site could affect other sites on the server. This could range from slow performance to being impacted by server crashes due to resource exhaustion.
If you become a repeat offender, you may end up in violation of a Terms of Service clause and may be evicted from the platform.
The simplicity of shared hosting may not be best for those who need something more complex. For example, if your website requires special software to be installed, your hosting provider may not be able to comply.
A special software could include an older version of PHP that is necessary for your site to run. In this case, because older versions of PHP may no longer be supported, your hosting provider may refuse your request, and you’d be unable to run the code that would need that version of PHP.
Just like living in an apartment building, sometimes a problem arises that affects the whole building. For example, a pipe bursts and floods a floor. The same applies to shared hosting. Sometimes your website may be impacted by an issue from another website on the same server.
What is Dedicated Hosting?
This type of hosting dedicates a server to a single business customer, meaning you have the most control of your physical hosting resources. Since all the resources are allocated to your server, and you have full control, dedicated hosting is the most expensive option.
If your website brings in high levels of traffic (300,000 or more page views monthly), and you’ll need all the resources, you may consider spending the extra money to provide dedicated hosting to your company.
Also, if you’re looking to build an e-commerce site where users need to make payments, dedicated hosting is the most secure option. Since credit card and personal information will be inputted into these types of sites, a more secure hosting option would be best.
Advantages
When comparing dedicated vs shared hosting, dedicated hosting allows you to have the most resources as well as the most control. You will not compete with other websites on your server for resources, since the server is strictly for you.
As your resources are only yours, so are your issues. With other hosting options, you have the potential to be affected by other websites’ problems. Dedicated hosting keeps everything isolated, so this not only makes your website more secure, but it keeps your website performing smoothly.
Disadvantages
Although having all the resources for yourself can be a dedicated hosting benefit, it may be the most expensive option. Additionally, dedicated hosting requires very skilled and technical management. Maintaining a server is an art unto itself and ensuring reliable and stable operation requires specialized knowledge and training.
VPS Hosting
VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a hybrid solution between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. It has a similar foundation to shared hosting, but the resources are specifically allocated to you. Because of this, VPS hosting is arguably the most popular type of hosting.
Advantages
This type of hosting runs on its own operating system and offers flexibility and a high level of performance. Having a VPS will give you full control of your allocated resources and what you want to do on the server. For many, a VPS may be the solution for cost and benefit.
Disadvantages
Since VPS is a blend of the best of both worlds, it may have those same drawbacks, but to a lesser degree. For example, a VPS may require technical expertise, as you may need to manage the server instance yourself, but you won’t have to worry as much about hardware issues.
Similar to shared hosting, you still have issues with rowdy neighbors, as hosting providers will frequently have many VPS instances sharing a server. This is comparable to living in a city, you have your own space, but you’ll still be able to hear what your neighbors are doing from time to time.
What is Cloud Hosting?
A completely virtual hosting service, cloud hosting uses distributed computing resources. You’ll often see this referred to as PaaS (Platform-as-a-service), SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-service). With the ability to move between regions relatively easily and quickly, cloud hosting is an effective solution for servers that need to be elastic and resilient.
Advantages
Cloud hosting allows you to pick and choose services you need without having to deal with resources that aren’t relevant to your needs. Your cloud vendor may also provide the means of easily scaling your resource needs on demand.
A good scenario would be planning for a surge in traffic and employing load-balancers to manage traffic load, spinning up additional servers to cover the surge, and then decommissioning those resources when the surge has subsided. Many times, a hosting company will partner with a Cloud Hosting provider to provide a solution for end-users.
Disadvantages
While cloud hosting has a lot of technological benefits, it can also be very complex and very costly. Many cloud services operate on an “à la carte” style price model, where your bill is based on the number of resources you use.
This structure may be affordable for low-resource sites, but you need to be aware of your usage so you don’t end up with a massive bill at the end of your term. It’s not uncommon to hear of a story where a company ran up a several thousand dollar invoice on Amazon Web Service because of some technical issue.
In the same vein as the high-tech aspect of cloud hosting, setting up a site on a cloud hosting platform can be complex and may require more professional knowledge. In some cases, cloud hosting providers take a hands-off approach to your server and will only cover support for the infrastructure surrounding it, leaving you to fend for yourself if an issue occurs.
Unmanaged vs. Managed Hosting
Now that we’ve determined the differences between shared vs. dedicated vs. cloud hosting, you have to decide whether your company will benefit from unmanaged or managed hosting. When comparing unmanaged vs managed hosting, consider the ability and goals of your organization.
Managed hosting means paying extra but gaining support services. So, when your site goes down, or you run out of resources, you won’t have to worry about how to fix it. You’ll simply call your web development team to help you out. With unmanaged hosting, you’ll be tasked with performing these issues yourself with minimal support from your vendor.
Managed hosting allows you to focus on your organizational goals and achievements rather than the technical management of your website. Here are some services that could be included in your managed hosting.
Automated Backups
Performance Monitoring
Malware Scanning and Removal
Hardware and Software Maintenance
Partnering with a Web Hosting Service
Once you compare shared vs cloud vs dedicated hosting and decide what’s best for you, your next step will be partnering with a web hosting service. Investing in a group of web developers and a marketing agency can help you focus on your organization’s success, with the assurance your site is taken care of.
At Tower Marketing, you have the opportunity to work with a full-service, innovative marketing agency with real people on the other side of the phone. Our development team works with WPEngine as a hosting solution provider for the majority of our WordPress clients.
Our developers also have the flexibility to utilize AWS (Amazon Web Services) for clients that require cloud computing solutions and use Linode and Digital Ocean for clients that need non-WordPress solutions.
Allow your organization to focus on what matters – your growth, your goals, and your future. Contact us today to learn more about our managed hosting and maintenance services.
If you haven’t read Part 1 of this blog, we recommend you do so first before continuing. We will reference and build on topics like DMARC, SMTP and DNS servers, and adding records.
In Part 1 of this blog, we provided a high-level overview of how to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) email authentication. Now that you have a solid understanding of these email authentication basics, you’re ready to take a deep dive into the necessary steps for you (or a trusted developer) to set up a BIMI record on your own domain!
What are the steps for implementing BIMI email authentication?
There are two main components of setting up BIMI on your domain.
1. Your email must be authenticated using a DMARC record. 2. You must publish a BIMI record alongside your other DNS records.
Although these requirements are fairly simple and straightforward, the work that goes into them has the potential to be complex and time-consuming. Let’s walk through how to set up BIMI step by step.
Step 1) Authenticating your email using DMARC
To comply with BIMI, your DMARC TXT record must be set to “reject” or “quarantine”. In addition, the “pct” (percent) element must be set to nothing less than 100. If you omit it entirely, it will be 100% by default.
Here are some BIMI compliant DMARC record examples:
In order to display correctly in the inbox, your logo will need to be in SVG format. This is a web-friendly vector format using code to create the image, meaning it can scale to any size. Specifically, your logo will need to be converted to the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG P/S) format.
If your logo already exists in another vector file type like .ai, .eps, or .pdf, you should be able to export it as a standard .svg file. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to export an image as the SVG P/S file type directly from Adobe Illustrator or other vector design programs. You can download a standalone SVG to SVG P/S converter tool for Windows or Mac on the BIMI website, or you can download a script designed to export this file type and add it to your Illustrator program.
If a vector version of your logo does not exist, it will need to be recreated by a graphic designer familiar with the programs used to generate these formats. Now may also be a good time to reevaluate the effectiveness of your current logo and consider an update before further steps are taken.
Uploading your logo
Once your logo is correctly formatted as a SVG P/S, you will need to upload the file to a public, web-accessible directory (more than likely, the same place you host your other website files) so you can generate a URL and link to it in the BIMI record.
Step 2) Purchasing a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate)
A Verified Mark Certificate provides proof of ownership for your logo. Although it is not strictly required for creating a BIMI record, some email recipient servers will require it to display your logo in the inbox, so it is strongly suggested that you purchase one.
The very first step in the process is ensuring that you own your logo in the form of a registered trademark. If you haven’t done so already, it’s recommended that you begin the process immediately as it can take some time to complete.
After you’ve registered the trademark for your logo, you can begin the VMC process. There are numerous organizations that sell VMCs, but the two recommended by the Authindicators Working Group are DigiCert and Entrust.
A VMC offered by these Mark Verifying Authorities (MVAs) can cost between $1000-$1500, and lasts for one year (the renewal price is the same as the initial purchase price). They will also ask you/your organization for documentation proving that you own the trademark of your logo.
It’s important to note that the acceptance of your VMC can vary by mail service provider. There is a chance a mail service provider may only accept certificates from a specific MVA, or it may not accept them at all. . This decision is entirely up to the recipient’s mail service provider, but having a VMC can only help the likelihood of your logo displaying for your customer.
Uploading your VMC
After you’ve purchased your VMC and proven you legally own your logo, you’ll receive a Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) certificate file. Just like your logo’s .svg file, you will need to upload this .pem file to your web server and add its resulting URL to the BIMI record.
Step 3) Setting UP BIMI Record
Your BIMI specifications are added to your DNS server as a TXT record, just like DMARC. Here is a BIMI record example:
v=BIMI1 – this indicates that it is a BIMI record.
l=https://images.yourdomain.com/brand/your-bimi-logo-file-name.svg – this is a link to your logo’s image.
a=https://images.yourdomain.com/brand/your-certificate-file-name.pem – this is a link to a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). This element is optional, but highly recommended, as some email recipient servers will require it.
Step 4) Testing your BIMI compliance
Once you’ve added your BIMI record to your DNS, including a link to your SVG logo and (optional) VMC, you can test for compliance using this tool on the official BIMI website. It will check to see if the necessary email authentication protocols are in place, as well as look for the BIMI record and a SVG logo image.
If your BIMI record is working correctly, you’ll be able to see an inbox preview and even check what your logo will look like if the recipient’s phone is in dark mode.
If you make any changes to your BIMI record, it may take some time to correctly reflect. You can reduce this delay by lowering the TTL (time-to-live) value for the DNS record to its lowest possible value (this value varies based on your DNS Provider). TTL is measured in seconds, so we recommend setting an initial value to be 300, which would be a 5-minute wait.
Still struggling with how to setup BIMI? Our web developers are available to meet all your hosting and maintenance needs.
If you’re familiar with the world of email marketing, you’ve probably heard about the Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) specification and are excited to try it out for yourself. Having your company’s logo on display next to each email you send? Pretty sweet!
As you begin to research how to set up BIMI email authentication, however, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the technical requirements. Most documentation around email security is written for web developers already familiar with the subject, not your typical marketing professional or business owner.
Yes, you will probably still need help from an IT Specialist to implement SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI, but you don’t need one to understand what those terms are and why they’re important. This blog will explain all the basics of authenticated email, so you can be one step closer to setting up your own BIMI email marketing.
What is Email Authentication?
Email authentication is the process and practice of confirming an email actually came from the person or business it alleges to be from. Setting up email authentication is important for keeping your sender rating and deliverability rates high .
It’s the responsibility of the brand’s domain to make sure they aren’t being impersonated by malicious actors. How do you accomplish this? By putting in place a series of rules and parameters that must be met for an email that claims to be sent on the domain’s behalf to actually be delivered to the recipient’s inbox.
Specifically, you will need to add TXT records to your DNS server(s) and SMTP server(s) to set up your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC specifications. (We’ll break all that jargon down for you next.)
What Is a TXT Record?
TXT records (short for text records) are strings of characters (letters, numbers, and symbols) meant for human-readable purposes. They are also used now by applications to read data (for example, domain ownership verification checks).
What Is a DNS Server?
A Domain Name System server tells your browser and others servers where resources (such as a website) are located. Typically, you can access your DNS configuration by logging in as an administrator on GoDaddy, Bluehost, or wherever you purchased your domain. Or, you may have an external vendor manage your DNS such as AWS or CloudFlare. You (or a trusted developer) can add TXT records here.
What Is a SMTP Server?
A Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server is used to distribute outgoing and incoming email (you can think of them like a mailman). In most cases, this server will belong to a 3rd-party email service provider you’ve set up an account with, like MailChimp, ConstantContact, or ActiveCampaign.
What is SPF?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an email authentication open standard based on a list of allowed IP addresses or hostnames your emails can be sent from. You can think of SPF like a bouncer outside of an exclusive club; if the sender’s IP address isn’t on the list, the email won’t pass the authentication check.
For example, here is the SPF TXT record for towermarketing.net:
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an authentication method that uses encryption to ensure your message content hasn’t been tampered with.
To set up DKIM, you must first create a pair of keys: one public and one private. There are several third-party tools you can use to generate these keys, or you may be able to create them through your email service provider.
The public key is added as a TXT record to your DNS server. Here is an example of a public key:
The private key, stored on your SMTP server or with your email service provider, is used to generate a signature before the email is sent. This signature is comprised of several parts, but the header and body content are converted into unique strings of letters and numbers called “hashes .” These hashes are then used in the encryption, decryption, and validation processes to prove the content is legitimate and has not been modified by someone else before it arrives in your inbox.
What is DMARC?
Your DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) policy is a TXT record added to your DNS server. It is used by a sender to indicate their messages adheres to SPF and DKIM, and provides instruction to the recipient with what to do with an email that isn’t authenticated by SPF and DKIM. It can be set to one of the following:
None: Do nothing and allow the email into the inbox even though it failed authentication. For obvious reasons, this is not a recommended approach.
Quarantine: Send the email to the spam folder.
Reject: Do not deliver the message at all.
In addition to checking the pass or fail results of SPF and DKIM, DMARC adds an extra layer of security by ensuring that the email’s sender domain (in our case, towermarketing.net) is the same as the email address listed in the DMARC record.
If you’re like me, it helps to have a visual aid when trying to understand a complex topic like authentication. Learndmarc.com provides step-by-step explanations and examples of SPF, DKIM and DMARC in action.
What is BIMI?
Brand Indicators for Message Identification (pronounced bih-mee) is an industry specification for message identification that builds on your DMARC policy. If your email passes SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication, you can then set up BIMI to display your pre-approved logo in inboxes that support this functionality.
BIMI is the brainchild of The AuthIndicators Working Group, a collection of companies including Fastmail, Google, Mailchimp, Proofpoint, Twilio SendGrid, Validity, Valimail, and Verizon Media (the owners of Yahoo). Their joint goal is to improve inbox security and reduce fraudulent messaging by making authentic emails instantly recognizable.
BIMI is a way of rewarding people for putting in the hard work of securing their emails by allowing them to put their brand’s logo on display. This also builds brand recognition and trust with your email recipients.
Before you jump into the world of SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI, it’s important to understand the basics of email marketing. Creating a strategic plan, a healthy customer list, and relevant messaging are all keys to success–and if you need some help, Tower has you covered.
With 50,000+ free and paid WordPress plugins available, it can be time-consuming and overwhelming to choose the best ones for your website. There’s a plugin for every need or problem, but this wealth of options can complicate your decision-making, especially if you don’t have web development experience.
If you’re asking yourself, “what are the best plugins for WordPress?” or “what WordPress plugins do I need?”, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, we’ll review ten of the best WordPress plugins in alphabetical order, including their main features, cost(s), and pros and cons.
You can also use the index to the left (or above if you’re on mobile) to jump to any of the most popular WordPress plugins based on the capabilities you’re looking for.
1. Advanced Custom Fields
This WordPress tool allows you to easily add extra content fields (known as Custom Fields) to your WordPress edit screens without writing any code. This means you can build your website more quickly, regardless of your theme template or web development skills. You can use Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) on any of the following WordPress edit screens:
Attachments
Categories
Comments
Custom Posts
Custom Taxonomies
Menus
Options
Pages
Posts
Taxonomies
Users
Widgets
Advanced Custom Fields comes standard with 30+ field types, and there are also hundreds of user-created fields available. These field types include basic, choice, content, jQuery, layout, and relational, among others. The plugin also provides PHP functions that developers can use to display stored field information in their front-end templates.
What It Costs
Advanced Custom Fields is a free plugin. However, there is also a paid version (ACF PRO) that includes five premium features: repeater field, gallery field, flexible content field, clone field, and options pages. You can find ACF PRO pricing below:
ACF PRO Personal (1 website): $49/year
ACF PRO Freelancer (10 websites): $149/year
ACF PRO Agency (unlimited websites): $249/year
Pros & Cons
Advanced Custom Fields make it easy to create and manage custom fields for WordPress, making it one of the best WordPress plugins for blogs. However, it may require some web development knowledge to implement your custom fields into WordPress themes and plugins.
2. Bulk Page Creator
Bulk Page Creator allows you to generate multiple pages in bulk batches, which can save you time when you create your WordPress site. Once you’ve added all of your pages, you can create them with a click of a button. This plugin also offers backwards capability, which means the full length of the short description will be used and the markdown parsed if a section is missing.
What It Costs
Bulk Page Creator is a free, open-source plugin that you can download from the WordPress plugin library.
Pros & Cons
If you already know the structure of your new website, Bulk Page Creator is a great way to quickly generate all of your pages. However, you can only bulk create pages – not posts or custom post types. That means it’s more useful for setting up new sites with existing content than building out established ones.
3. Gravity Forms
This plugin allows you to quickly create and build WordPress forms using an intuitive visual editor tool. You can easily select fields, configure options, and embed forms on your website to create a superior, streamlined user experience.
Gravity Forms comes standard with 30+ ready-to-use form fields, allowing you to create customized forms that facilitate your marketing goals. Plus, built-in conditional logic means you can configure your form to show or hide fields, sections, pages, and the “submit” button based on your needs.
Additional Gravity Forms features include:
Advanced calculations
Email autoresponders
Entry limitations
Form scheduling
File upload fields
reCAPTCHA, Really Simple CAPTCHA, and Akismet
Responsive design
Save partially-completed forms
WordPress Post creation
Depending on the license you choose, Gravity Forms includes a variety of add-ons and integrations. These include ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, HubSpot, Mailchimp, PayPal, Square, Zapier, and many more.
What It Costs
Gravity Forms is a paid plugin with three license tiers: Basic, Pro, and Elite. You can find pricing below:
Basic License (1 website): $59/year
Pro License (3 websites): $159/year
Elite License (unlimited websites): $259/year
Pros & Cons
As one of the best WordPress form plugins, Gravity Forms offers easy form creation and is highly customizable to meet any need. However, it’s a paid plugin, and the Pro and Elite licenses offer many more useful features than the Basic one.
4. Intuitive Custom Post Order
Intuitive Custom Post Order allows you to arrange Custom Post Types, Custom Taxonomies, Pages, Posts, and Sites using drag-and-drop, sortable JavaScript. You can use the parameters included in your WordPress theme and override auto-converted parameters for additional customization.
What It Costs
Intuitive Custom Post Order is a free, open-source plugin that you can download from the WordPress plugin library.
Pros & Cons
One of the best free WordPress plugins, this tool is great for rearranging the order of your Pages and Posts, even if they’re customized. It also allows for custom sorting and is useful if you need to order items anachronistically. However, it’s important to realize that your designated order will remain the same even if you remove the plugin. And depending on your page build, Intuitive Custom Post Order may not be helpful since posts are naturally ordered by descending date.
5. Query Monitor
This essential WordPress plugin is geared towards web developers and allows you to inspect and debug many aspects of your website. These include database queries, PHP errors, theme template files, rewrite rules, and more. Query Monitor presents information in a logical, organized manner, allowing you to efficiently determine which plugins, themes, and functions are underperforming.
What It Costs
Query Monitor is a free, open-source plugin that you can download from the WordPress plugin library. It’s also included in some of the most popular WordPress platforms, including Altis and WordPress.com VIP.
Pros & Cons
This plugin is great for checking theme template file errors and inspecting and debugging your website. However, if you don’t have a web development background, you may need to consult a developer to fully utilize its capabilities.
6. Regenerate Thumbnails
Regenerate Thumbnails allows you to recreate all thumbnail sizes for any images you’ve uploaded to your WordPress Media Library. You can also delete old thumbnails to free up space on your server, making it one of the best WordPress gallery plugins. This plugin is particularly useful if you want to:
Update the thumbnail size of past uploads
Change the dimensions of existing thumbnails
Update thumbnail sizes to match a new WordPress theme
What It Costs
Regenerate Thumbnails is a free, open-source plugin that you can download from the WordPress plugin library.
Pros & Cons
This plugin is ideal for resizing images if you’ve changed the dimensions of the three default WordPress image sizes (thumbnail, medium, and large) in your Media Library settings. It’s also useful if you’ve created a custom image size after already uploading images. Plus, it can fix issues with image sizes, especially if new ones have been uploaded. However, it doesn’t work with WebP image formats or upscale images to fit sizes larger than the original.
7. Safe SVG
This plugin for your WordPress website allows you to safely upload scalable vector graphic (SVG) files to your Media Library. Safe SVG includes features like SVGO optimization, Gutenberg block compatibility, previous file upload scans, and restricted upload capabilities.
Scalable vector graphics are used to render two-dimensional images and are optimized for search engines, programmable, and capable of dynamic interactions. However, they’re also inherently insecure because they open your server up to XML-based attacks.
What It Costs
Safe SVG is a free, open-source plugin that you can download from the WordPress plugin library. There’s also a paid version (called WP SVG), but it’s currently unavailable from the third-party developer.
Pros & Cons
Another one of the best WordPress plugins, Safe SVG provides a secure, convenient way to upload SVGs to your Media Library and embed them via code. However, it hasn’t been tested in WordPress 5.5 yet, so it may be unsafe in newer versions until it’s updated by the developer. It’s also somewhat hampered by how WordPress incorporates SVGs and may be inaccessible to users who are unfamiliar with this file type.
8. The Events Calendar
The Events Calendar allows you to manage your organization’s events in one place, making it one of the best calendar plugins for WordPress. You can share important dates with users while keeping details organized using categories and tags. It’s also fully responsive, developer-friendly, and designed for use on the go.
There are two versions of The Events Calendar: free and Pro. With the free version, you can choose from day, month, and list calendar views, all of which integrate seamlessly with your WordPress theme. You can also promote featured events to boost user engagement and attendance.
The Pro version offers all of the capabilities of the free one, along with the following additional features:
Photo grid, map, week, and summary calendar views
Monthly, weekly, and custom recurring events
Shortcodes for easy embedding
Advanced widgets
Premium support
Elementor integration
Custom fields
Location search
What It Costs
If you upgrade from the free version, The Events Calendar Pro costs $99/ year for one website.
Pros & Cons
While this WordPress tool makes it easy to manage and create or edit events, the free version is rather limited in comparison to The Events Calendar Pro.
9. WooCommerce
With everything you need to start selling merchandise online, WooCommerce is WordPress’s premier eCommerce plugin. It’s developer-friendly and built with a REST API, and you can add extensions from the WooCommerce Marketplace to extend your store’s functionality. These range from customer relationship management and product types to shipping and subscriptions, among many others.
WooCommerce allows you to customize your homepage, site structure, menus, and payment and shipping options. Plus, it comes bundled with the ability to accept major credit cards, bank transfers, checks, and cash on delivery. Best of all, there are no fees on transactions beyond that of the payment service provider, making it the most affordable way to sell your products online.
WooCommerce is a free plugin that you can download from the WordPress plugin library. Some of the extensions you may choose to add cost extra, though.
Pros & Cons
Because it’s a free plugin, WooCommerce is very popular among users who are new to eCommerce. However, it’s important to understand that it requires additional plugins for enhanced functionality, which often vary in cost and quality.
10. Wordfence Premium
Wordfence Premium is an endpoint firewall and malware scanner plugin that’s specifically designed for WordPress. It pairs a firewall and security scanner and is armed with the newest firewall rules, malicious IP addresses, and malware signatures. Because it runs at the endpoint (your server), Wordfence Premium provides superior protection than cloud alternatives.
This plugin also includes the following standard features:
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Source code verification
Country blocking
Malicious network blocking
Live traffic monitoring
Leaked password protection
What It Costs
Wordfence Premium is a paid plugin that costs $99/year for one license. However, there are percentage discounts available if you purchase additional licenses or extend your license span.
Pros & Cons
Arguably the best WordPress security plugin, Wordfence Premium is customized to protect your WordPress website. However, it costs money and requires knowledge to properly secure your WordPress installation.
The smartest way to select the best WordPress plugins for your website is by partnering with a digital marketing agency like Tower Marketing. Contact us today and connect with our web developers to outfit your WordPress website with the right plugins.
