Most people only see the surface: a slick-looking template, a low monthly cost, and a few buzzwords. But site builders and free WordPress themes often come with serious compromises.
Performance, accessibility, legal compliance and ownership are rarely prioritised - but if you’re running a business, charity or public-facing service, those things aren’t optional. They’re essential.
The Problems with Site Builders
Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and other drag-and-drop builders can be fine if you just need a basic placeholder. But they’re not built for long-term use, growth, or anything that needs to work properly across all devices and users.
Where they fall short:
-
You don’t own your site
Stop paying, and it disappears. You can’t take it elsewhere, and you’re locked into their platform. - You’re stuck with templates The designs are generic and built to suit them - not you. You end up working around limitations instead of building something that fits.
-
Poor performance
These platforms produce bloated code that slows everything down. That hurts SEO, frustrates users, and increases bounce rates. -
Accessibility is often ignored
Fancy layouts and animations often break keyboard navigation, screen readers or contrast standards - especially if you’re not testing properly (and most builders don’t). -
Limited support
Unless you’re on their most expensive plan, you’re mostly on your own. And when something breaks, you’re stuck with boilerplate advice.
The Truth About WordPress
WordPress is everywhere. But just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s always the right choice.
It started out as a blogging tool, and over the years it’s been pushed and stretched into something resembling a CMS or e-commerce platform. But underneath, it’s still running like a blog - and that causes problems:
-
Security risks
It has a long history of vulnerabilities. If you don’t stay on top of updates and plugins, you’re leaving yourself wide open. -
Plugin bloat
Most WordPress sites rely on a mix of third-party plugins. That leads to performance issues, bugs, and things breaking for no clear reason. -
Constant maintenance
Updates often clash with plugins or themes. You end up firefighting bugs instead of getting anything done. -
Accessibility issues
Most WordPress themes and page builders aren’t built with accessibility in mind. Unless you know what to look for, they’ll let things slip through. -
You still need help
WordPress itself is free, but keeping a WordPress site fast, secure and working properly usually isn’t.
A Better Alternative
I build websites that:
- Are tailored to what you actually need
- Meet accessibility standards from the start
- Load quickly and run efficiently
- Can be hosted anywhere - you own them outright
- Don’t rely on themes, plugins or subscriptions to stay online
When your contract ends, you still have a working site. You can take it with you, run it wherever you like, and you’re not tied to me or anyone else.
Not Sure What You’re Using?
If you’re not sure whether your current setup is helping or holding you back, I can take a quick look. The Site Score gives you a clear, honest breakdown of what’s working and what isn’t - and the quick report is free!
Want Something Proper?
If you’re looking for a website that works, loads quickly, meets legal and technical standards, and actually reflects who you are and what you do - I can help.
Get in touch or view current packages
Or request a Site Score for a no-nonsense performance breakdown of your current site - the quick report is free.