How a Connecticut business decides what's right.
If you run a Connecticut business, you probably get pitched constantly. A friend recommends WordPress. Another says Wix is easier. A third tells you Squarespace looks great. Then someone asks why you would pay for a custom website when drag and drop tools exist.
This guide gives you a straightforward comparison based on what matters for most local CT businesses: performance, ownership, SEO, maintenance, and long-term cost.
WordPress comes in two very different forms. WordPress.org is free, self-hosted software that you install on your own hosting account. It gives you full source code control and complete custom development access. WordPress.com is a hosted platform that restricts custom code, custom themes, and third-party plugins unless you pay for the Business plan or higher.
The WordPress.com Business plan runs roughly $25 to $40 per month. It unlocks third-party themes and plugins, custom HTML/CSS/JS, and SFTP or SSH access. Self-hosted WordPress.org hosting costs anywhere from $3 to $15 per month for basic shared servers, up to $25 to $100 or more for managed hosts like WP Engine or Kinsta.
The tradeoff is maintenance. Self-hosted WordPress requires active management: core updates, plugin compatibility checks, PHP version upgrades, security patches, database optimizations, and backup validation. WordPress is powerful, but it is not set and forget.
Wix is popular because the visual editor makes it easy to get a basic site online quickly. But custom code access is limited. Velo, Wix's development environment, requires a paid plan if you want custom elements, a connected domain, or ad removal.
The biggest issue is ownership. Wix code cannot be exported. Wix runs on a closed proprietary framework, which means migrating away requires rebuilding the website from scratch. Content extraction is often manual or limited to basic RSS feeds.
Performance is another concern. Complex Wix sites often score lower on Google PageSpeed because of heavy client-side JavaScript, deep DOM structures, and visual editor overhead. Wix is fine for simple DIY sites and very small projects. It becomes limiting when your business depends on local search or lead generation.
Squarespace offers some of the best templates out of the box. For a small service business, a portfolio, or a restaurant, it can look professional quickly. Custom JavaScript, header and footer script injection, and third-party code widgets require the Business plan or higher.
Squarespace does not support server-side custom logic like Node.js, PHP, or direct database execution. Your customizations are limited to client-side HTML, CSS, and frontend JavaScript.
Exporting a Squarespace site only produces basic XML content. Site structure, CSS, custom code injection, index pages, and store configurations are not exportable. Like Wix, Squarespace is easy to start but difficult to leave.
Shopify is unmatched for e-commerce. It handles complex product inventories, variant listings, real-time stock synchronization, integrated POS hardware, and multi-region shipping.
For a pure service business, Shopify is usually overkill. Monthly plans run $39 to $399, plus recurring app fees. Frontend layout relies on Liquid, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but full checkout customization requires Shopify Plus at $2,000 or more per month.
Shopify makes sense when you sell products. If you sell services, you are paying for features you do not need.
A custom website built with clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on a private VPS gives you something the page builders cannot match: 100 percent client code ownership and zero vendor lock-in.
The cost structure is different. You pay a higher upfront build price, but you eliminate monthly SaaS plan upgrades, paid app subscriptions, and forced platform fees over time. Managed hosting on a private server starts at $30 per month through Maya Standard.
Performance and SEO are the biggest advantages. Custom sites load faster, produce cleaner markup, and give you granular control over structured data. That matters in Connecticut because mobile load speed directly affects local search placement. Our own site scores 90 on mobile and 99 on desktop in Lighthouse.
| Platform | Best For | Custom Code | Ownership | Monthly Cost | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.org | Content-heavy sites, technical owners | Full | Full | Hosting $3 to $100+ | Varies by setup |
| WordPress.com | Simple blogs, low maintenance | Business plan+ | Limited | $25 to $40 | Moderate |
| Wix | DIY simple sites | Paid plan required | None, not exportable | Paid plan required | Often slower |
| Squarespace | Portfolios, small service sites | Business plan+ | Basic export only | Business plan required | Moderate |
| Shopify | E-commerce | Liquid, HTML/CSS/JS | Store content locked | $39 to $399+ | Good for stores |
| Custom | Lead generation, local SEO | Full | Full | From $30 hosting | High |
If you serve Shelton, Fairfield County, New Haven County, or anywhere in Connecticut, your website is often your first impression. A slow site on a phone sends a potential customer back to Google, where your competitor is one tap away.
Local SEO also depends on technical details that page builders do not always expose. Clean markup, fast load times, proper schema, and accurate location data all help Google understand who you are and where you work. A local developer can handle those details directly without a ticket queue.
If you are deciding between these options, contact Maya Standard. We will give you a straight answer based on your business, your location, and your goals. No pressure. No confusing upsell. Just the right fit.
For a clear breakdown of our build and hosting options, see the pricing page or browse the Connecticut service areas we cover.
