Great Question.

There are two ways people use WordPress, and the names can be confusing: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is hosted for you by Automattic. It’s quick to start and the platform handles most maintenance, but customization is limited by your plan and by the guardrails of the service. WordPress.org is the self-hosted version. You install the open-source software on your own hosting, choose any theme or plugin you like, and configure the site to match your goals. In short, WordPress.com favors convenience, while WordPress.org favors control and ownership. We work with both, but most growth-minded businesses choose self-hosted WordPress because it gives them the freedom to scale performance, SEO, and integrations without running into paywall surprises.

If you’re wondering whether it scales, look at who uses it. Major publishers and brands rely on WordPress, including the TechCrunch network, BBC America, the PlayStation Blog, the TED Blog, and properties from companies like Microsoft and Sony Music. The common thread is that WordPress can handle serious traffic and complex editorial workflows while staying manageable for non-developers.

Compared with builder platforms such as Squarespace and Wix, WordPress stands out for three reasons that matter to small businesses. First, performance can be tuned to meet modern standards like Core Web Vitals, which leads to faster pages, better mobile experiences, and stronger organic visibility. Second, SEO and structure are fully under your control—from clean URLs and schema to sitemaps, redirects, and on-page templates—so you’re not operating inside a black box. Third, conversions flow more naturally because you’re free to design the exact intake you need: clear mobile calls to action, short forms with confirmations, calendar hand-offs, and direct routing into the CRM and email tools you already use.

There’s also the question of ownership. With WordPress you’re not boxed into a single app store or template system. You can keep your current look, change hosts, swap tools, and extend features as your needs grow. The ecosystem is enormous, which means faster iteration today and a lower total cost of ownership over time.

If you’re deciding between staying on a builder or moving to WordPress, the choice usually comes down to where you are in your growth curve. Builders are excellent for getting online quickly. When you need speed, SEO control, deeper integrations, and true ownership, WordPress is where you go to grow.