by Carlos Valladares, CIS Agency Manager
Whenever I take on clients, I like to be transparent about their website platform options. I’ll outline exactly what both Wix and WordPress provide. I’ll explain that with Wix they can get the same results but in a much simpler, less expensive way—plus they’ll get better support, hosting, and uptime. And each time the client says, “I like that better. Let’s switch.”
At this point, I’ve built about 500 websites on Wix. I’ve switched more than 90% of my clients over to Wix, and not a single one of them has asked to change back. In the last five years, we’ve gone from a ratio of about 80-20 of our sites on WordPress to 90-10 on Wix.
The bottom line is that for my agency, Wix is much simpler, smoother, and more effective, from beginning to end, in virtually every way:
Coding
Speed
Migration
Onboarding and Training
Cost and Maintenance
Support and Looking Forward
Coding
Wix Code and Corvid have been game-changers. In the last two years, there’s almost nothing my clients have asked for that I can’t do. With WordPress, many features require plugins, which are basically third parties you’re attaching to your site. These need to be manually, and constantly, updated and upgraded. We’ll find bugs, or clients will call and tell us their site is down. Whenever we get a pre-built WordPress site, we have to address built-in bugs, firewalls and encryptions.
Wix, on the other hand, does all that work for you. This enables my software engineers to focus on customization, and my web developer to ensure we’re covered on SEO, Google Analytics, Google WebMaster, and all the other connections that go with a website. So our productivity has jumped.
I’ve switched more than 90% of my clients over to Wix, and not a single one of them has asked to change back. In the last five years, we’ve gone from a ratio of about 80-20 of our sites on WordPress to 90-10 on Wix.
Speed
When it comes to building, WordPress takes double the time. Before we can get started, I have to make sure we have a developer who can work on the platform, and then we have to check that all the plugins are trusted and compatible. We go through a 40-point checklist, and our graphic designers can’t work directly on the page.
With Wix, our graphic designers can log into their Wix account, design right on the page and send a feedback link to our clients for approval. At this point, we’re able to organize all our websites in folders, which helps us work in one place and stay organized. As a result, creating the site—from closing the account to connecting the domain—takes two weeks or about 20 hours. My clients are thrilled with the speed and results.
Migrating from WordPress to Wix
In one specific example, my client, “Leyen and Son” felt his current WordPress site was too simple. He wanted to revamp his image, start selling online, display his product offering on his homepage and have a header that changed on an on-going basis.
We looked at his WordPress site and knew right away we could build a much more dynamic site with Wix. In two weeks, we finished the design of his site and sent him the Get Feedback link, which is a white labeled version of his site that he can leave comments on. In under 24 hours, we completed all the edits and my client was extremely impressed.
The same applies once the site is up. When my client needs a change, we can do it almost instantly. He’ll be on the phone, and I’ll tell him to refresh the page—and that change is right there for him to see. If we open a ticket on WordPress, it would take 30 minutes to an hour to edit something simple.
Wix Code and Corvid have been game-changers. In the last two years, there’s almost nothing my clients have asked for that I can’t do.
Onboarding and Training
In terms of onboarding, it only takes 2 months to fully train my designers on Wix, whereas WordPress takes about eight months to a year. A freelancer most likely won’t understand the ins and outs of a WordPress site, but with Wix, they’ll have a whole team behind them offering guidance.
Cost and Maintenance
Comparing the two, WordPress takes around 2 months or 40 hours to build a site and costs $5000, if they want ownership. Wix takes around 3 weeks or 20 hours and costs $2500—including site ownership. Plus, we can cut the cost of web development.
Our service retainer on a Wix site costs from 15% to 40% less (roughly $129 monthly compared to $149-$199 monthly on WordPress).
These Wix advantages end up reflected in both the value and the management-ease we’re able to pass on to our clients. Once the site is up and running, clients feel much better equipped to manage it themselves. After a build, clients ask, “Can I still edit my site?” And I’ll say, “Absolutely, we can add you as a collaborator. We offer free editing up to 30 minutes, but you can do it yourself.” They find the Wix Editor very simple to use, and when they encounter an issue, they just give us a call. They love having their own CRM and database too. Everything is in one place—for my agency and for my client.
WordPress offers none of those options.
Comparing the two, WordPress takes around 2 months or 40 hours to build a site and costs $5000, if they want ownership. Wix takes around 3 weeks or 20 hours and costs $2500—including site ownership. Plus, we can cut the cost of web development.
Support and Looking Forward
I know that there’s a “WordPress community,” but Wix’s community actually feels like family. Everybody is on the same page. And the new community for agencies has taken this feeling to the next level, offering more events and opportunities to collaborate.
Bigger-picture, Wix always seems to be looking to improve. Every month they’re launching new features and updates that change the game. They’ll boost speed, personalization, coding and security.
There you have it. Simplicity and efficiency. Speed and trust. Wix just does it better—which allows me to focus on building my agency.
CIS is a Wix Partner and full-service agency offering businesses a comprehensive marketing solution including web design, social media and branding. To explore their portfolio and learn more about the services they offer, visit CIS's website.
