You're reading or listening to this blog post on our HubSpot Content Hub-based website. It's HubSpot's CMS offering, and directly compared to WordPress, it's expensive. Let's face it: anything's more expensive than something free. But should you use HubSpot, or are WordPress, Joomla, or any of the other open-source systems just as capable? Here's our take if you're asking the question, HubSpot CMS vs WordPress for B2B?
In The Beginning, There Were Text Editors
Before intuitive website builders like FrontPage and Dreamweaver emerged, crafting a website was a more manual and technical task. In the early days of the World Wide Web, businesses relied on basic text editors to carve out their online presence.
Imagine a world devoid of drag-and-drop interfaces or visual design tools. Web developers diligently constructed lines of code in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) using simple text editors like Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on Mac. Every website component required manual coding, from layout and content to images and links.
This method required a grasp of HTML and attention to detail. Developers had to ensure that every element was precisely structured and formatted. While this process was complex, it provided a lot of control over a website's design and functionality.
Though this method might appear outdated by today's standards, it played a crucial role in shaping the early web. It fostered a community of skilled developers passionate about crafting online experiences from the ground up. Even as tools have advanced, the fundamental principles of web development remain steadfast.
Then Came Microsoft FrontPage And Dreamweaver
Microsoft FrontPage and Dreamweaver changed web development forever and put the skills required to develop a great website into the hands of creatives instead of geeks.
Suddenly, you no longer needed to be a coding expert to establish a credible online presence. FrontPage and Dreamweaver introduced a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface. This innovation allowed users to design visually by dragging and dropping elements, formatting text, and inserting images, much like using a word processor. The software then seamlessly translates your visual designs into the underlying HTML code.
This was a significant advancement. It revolutionised web design, empowering businesses to create and manage their websites without the need for costly developers. Small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, reaped substantial benefits. They could now establish a professional online presence, showcasing their products and services to a broader audience without the previous technical hurdles.
While some purists might contend that these tools occasionally produce less-than-perfect code, and they absolutely do; their transformative impact is undeniable. FrontPage and Dreamweaver dramatically lowered the barriers to website development, propelling rapid web expansion and empowering businesses of all sizes to engage online. They laid the groundwork for the more advanced website-building platforms we utilise today. Platforms like WordPress.
WordPress: A True Game-Changer for Businesses Online
Before WordPress, creating and managing a website could be challenging. Even the WYSIWYG tools mentioned above kept creating web pages out of reach for many. Businesses often relied on web developers or clunky, proprietary Content Management Systems (CMS). Then came WordPress, which fundamentally transformed the online landscape for businesses of all sizes.
Initially conceived as a blogging platform, WordPress became a powerful and versatile CMS. Its open-source nature meant it was free to use, and a vast community of developers contributed to its growth, creating thousands of plugins and themes that extended its functionality.
This accessibility and flexibility were revolutionary. Suddenly, businesses could create professional-looking websites without needing extensive coding knowledge. The intuitive interface allowed users to easily manage content, update pages, and add new features through plugins. This firmly put website control in business owners' hands, reducing reliance on external developers for every minor change.
For small and medium-sized enterprises, WordPress was a godsend. It offered a cost-effective way to establish a professional online presence, compete with larger rivals, and reach a wider audience. Its search engine optimisation, or SEO-friendly, structure also helped businesses rank higher in search engine results, driving organic traffic and boosting visibility.
The impact of WordPress is undeniable. It democratised web publishing, empowering businesses to create and manage their online presence easily. From simple brochure sites to complex e-commerce platforms, WordPress became the backbone of countless companies online and continues to evolve, adapting to the ever-changing digital landscape.
But the story doesn't end there. Running a WordPress website requires a degree of technical knowledge and relies on hobbyists to keep some of its thousands of plugins up to date and secure. So, the question of HubSpot CMS vs WordPress for B2B is a little more complicated than the cost of HubSpot alone. In short, WordPress isn't the free lunch it appears to be; there's a catch.
So, Where's The Catch With WordPress?
I'm going to leave myself wide open to criticism here, but WordPress comes at a price. It's not actually free.
While WordPress itself is open-source and free to download, running a successful business website on the platform often involves significant costs. The perception of "free" can be misleading, and many businesses find they need to invest considerably to maintain a professional and effective online presence. Here are some key areas where costs can mount up:
Professional Theme or Custom Design: While free themes exist, they often lack the polish and functionality required for a business website. Premium themes or a custom design tailored to your brand can be a significant investment. This ensures your website looks right, reflects your brand identity, and provides the necessary user experience.
Essential Plugins: WordPress's functionality is often extended through plugins. While some are free, many crucial plugins for things like SEO, security, backups, contact forms, e-commerce integration, and performance optimisation come with a price tag, often recurring annually. These costs can accumulate quickly.
Hosting: You'll need reliable web hosting to store your website files and make the site accessible online. Shared hosting might be cheap initially, but as your business grows and traffic increases, you'll likely need more powerful and expensive hosting solutions like VPS or dedicated servers.
Maintenance and Updates: WordPress, themes, and plugins require regular updates to ensure security, compatibility, and performance. This can be a time-consuming task, and many businesses opt to pay a WordPress maintenance service to handle these updates, along with backups and security monitoring.
Security: WordPress websites can be vulnerable to hacking. Investing in security measures, such as security plugins, firewalls, and regular vulnerability scans, is crucial to protect your business data and reputation. Ignoring security can lead to costly consequences.
Development and Customisation: If you need custom functionality beyond what's offered by themes and plugins, you'll likely need to hire a WordPress developer. This can be a significant expense, especially for complex projects.
Content Creation and Marketing: A beautiful website is useless without compelling content. You'll need to invest time and resources in creating high-quality content, including blog posts, product descriptions, and marketing materials. SEO and digital marketing efforts also require ongoing investment.
In short, while the initial download of WordPress is free, running a successful business website on the platform involves ongoing costs for design, functionality, security, maintenance, and marketing. Treating it as a "free" solution can be a costly mistake in the long run. Budgeting realistically for these expenses is essential for any UK business considering WordPress.
None of the above means WordPress isn't a great platform used by thousands of businesses, it's both of those things. And it's obviously the case that no matter what platform you choose to use, content creation, SEO etc are an essential and ongoing expense.
So, what about SaaS platforms? What's the story with them? If the costly bit is growing the site, where's the advantage in increasing the ongoing costs by choosing a system that's not free?
You Can Buy A Car Or Lease A Car, Which Do You Prefer?
At Red Evolution, we love a good car analogy. When it comes to cars, you can perpetually drive a new car by leasing, or you can buy a car, maintain it, and keep it for the long term. There are variations on this theme, but keeping it simple illustrates my point. Each to his or her own. So it is with website systems.
If you want to use and enjoy your car and never worry about looking after it beyond regular oil changes, leasing probably suits you. You'll always be driving the latest model - more or less - with the latest safety and performance improvements, and you'll never, normally, have any hassle. It will just do its job and let you spend your time doing other stuff.
Of course, this luxury comes at a price, but you'll remove the worry of not having a reliable car in your drive. A SaaS-based website builder, like HubSpot, is similar.
Saas-Based Website Builders, Like HubSpot, Are Less Hassle
For us, the number one benefit of SaaS-based website builders is that you can focus all your efforts on making sure your site drives tangible business benefits without allocating any resources to the tech. The SaaS company keeps the tech working, including improving it, while you and your team focus on business growth. So the answer to the question of HubSpot CMS vs WordPress for B2B is as simple as that, HubSpot is just less hassle.
Also, in most cases, your monthly subscription covers 24/7 support, which no website management company will give you, no matter what they claim in their service level agreement. When the stuff hits the fan, they may well be nowhere to be seen - not ideal.
In essence, that's it; a SaaS approach to managing your website content is just less hassle than a self-hosted approach, and the cost pales into insignificance when the real benefits are weighed up. No hosting, no software updates, backups taken care of, security taken care of and 24/7 support.
Yeah OK, But Why HubSpot CMS?
We're HubSpot partners, which means we make a small commission when we sell HubSpot. However, we pay for and use HubSpot for our own website because our devs love developing using HubSpot, and our non-techs love adding and managing content using HubSpot; it's that simple.
We've written an in-depth view of the HubSpot CMS or Content Hub, and it's a good read if you're looking for some information on its ever-evolving toolkit. Furthermore, to date, every client we've put onto HubSpot loves it, with no exceptions. It's easy to live with and makes business sense.
But What If The SaaS System Doesn't Do What I Need It To?
When you're locked into a SaaS tool and it "doesn't do" what you need it to, there's a simple option. Put the required functionality into a sub-domain. So if you need e-commerce, create shop.yourwebsite.com, and you're in great shape, using - probably - another best-in-class SaaS tool to take care of your e-commerce requirements, for example, Shopify.
If this doesn't appeal and you think I can just use WordPress with some plugins and run my website and e-commerce, you'd be right. But if you've read and digested the content of this article, you'll also realise that by increasing the complexity of your self-hosted solution, you're making a rod for your own back.
The choice is simple: in an ever more complex and demanding business environment, it makes sense to focus on what you're good at and let others help you with the stuff you're not.
If you want to discuss the pros and cons of SaaS-based website tools and see if they fit your needs, drop us a line. We also have the answer if you're asking yourself the question, what is HubSpot? After all, it's not just a great SaaS-based website management tool.
