What is the best website platform for a small business?
Short answerIt depends on what the site has to do. Squarespace suits visual businesses that want simplicity. Shopify suits product sellers. WordPress suits content-heavy sites with someone to maintain them. Webflow suits teams with a designer. A custom site suits businesses that depend on search, speed and ownership. Match the platform to the job.
Not sure which platform fits?
Tell me about your business and how you’ll use the site. I’ll recommend a platform, even if it isn’t me. Within two business days.
The longer answer
A quick guide by business type
- Photographer, artist, small studio: Squarespace or Showit, for polished templates and easy editing.
- Online store: Shopify, for reliable checkout and inventory.
- Content-heavy organisation or non-profit: WordPress, with good hosting and maintenance.
- Startup with a designer: Webflow or Framer.
- Service business competing on Google: a custom site, or a well-built WordPress site.
- Just getting started: Wix or Squarespace, to get online quickly.
These aren’t rigid rules. A wedding photographer can do well on WordPress, and a store with a few products can live happily on Squarespace. They’re sensible starting points.
Questions that narrow it down
Who will edit the site, and how often? Do you sell products online? How much do you rely on search to find new customers? Do you need the freedom to move hosts or providers later? How much ongoing upkeep can you handle? Answer those honestly and the choice usually becomes obvious. Most platform regret comes from picking one for its marketing rather than its fit.
It also helps to try the editors. Most builders offer free trials, and an hour inside each will tell you which one you’ll actually keep using.
Ownership and lock-in
Builders like Wix, Squarespace and Framer host your site on their systems, and leaving means rebuilding. That’s fine if you’re happy there. WordPress and custom code are portable, so you can change hosts or developers. If your website is a long-term asset, weigh lock-in alongside convenience. The renting vs owning comparison explains the difference.
Also check who holds the domain. Whatever platform you choose, register the domain in your own name with a registrar you control, so the address customers know stays yours whatever happens to the site.
What I’d do
Nick Lovett, founder of Tavro
I build custom sites, but if you asked me for the best platform without context, I’d say there isn’t one. I’d ask how you win customers and who will run the site. A wedding photographer living on Instagram referrals belongs on Squarespace or Showit. A product brand belongs on Shopify. A Calgary physio clinic competing for local searches, with several services and a real need for speed and trust, is where custom tends to pay off. The right answer comes from the business, not the platform.
Follow-up questions
Squarespace and Wix are the most approachable. Both handle hosting and security for you.
Most modern platforms cover the basics. Custom and well-built WordPress sites offer the most control over speed and markup.
Yes, though moving off a builder usually means rebuilding. Plan redirects to protect search traffic.
Squarespace is simpler to run. WordPress is more flexible but needs maintenance.
Keep reading
- nick@tavro.ca
- 587-439-9994
- Calgary, Alberta