The Differences Between Custom Code and WordPress

WordPress is a nice solution for anyone without basic coding skills who still want to regularly update their content on their own. This includes adding new blog posts, updating copy, or swapping out images.

To get an example between the two options, our blog is a WordPress website, the rest of our website is custom-coded.

So What is The Difference Between Custom Code and WordPress?

WordPress is more limiting in the customization options, but gives you access to plugins for different functionality (such as easily adding social media share buttons or creating forms). It also has an editor for adding content without needing to know any code. It’s a visual editor and functions similar to how Microsoft Word would function.

Custom code is completely customizable, down to the last tiny pixel. However, it’s harder to maintain and update if you don’t know at least a basic level of HTML/CSS (the basic web development languages used to create websites on the Internet).

If you don’t plan on updating your own content, custom code is preferable, as it loads faster, because there is nothing unnecessary added; it’s more SEO-friendly (Search Engine Optimization – your website will be listed higher in search results on search engines), and a lot of the time, it’s more responsive on different devices, such as mobile (small screen sizes).

We use the Bootstrap Framework for our custom-coded websites and the Divi theme for our WordPress websites. The Bootstrap Framework ensures your custom-coded website is as mobile-friendly, responsive and optimized as possible. The Divi theme allows even the most basic user to make quick and easy changes to their website.

Blogs Are a Different Story

If you would like a blog, we only offer WordPress blogs even if the rest of your website is custom-coded. Why? Because custom coding a blog with all of the necessary blog functionality would take too long and would use up too many resources, costing you an-arm-and-an-unnecessary-leg when WordPress already offers the same functionality pre-built—saving us time, saving you money, and saving both of us an enormous migraine.

Plus, as I had mentioned before, WordPress offers the visual editor with no need for coding knowledge, so you can easily add blog posts on your own, whenever the mood strikes. If it were a custom-coded blog, even if you wanted to add your own blog posts, you wouldn’t be able to. WordPress is already great for blogs, as it was created specifically for that purpose and evolved into a Content Management System (CMS) over time, allowing websites to be built on it rather than strictly blogs.

What if You Don’t Want to Update or Maintain Your Website and/or Blog?

If you don’t feel the need to update the website yourself or don’t want to deal with the hassle, custom-coding is, in our opinion, the better option. Having a custom-coded website with a WordPress blog is encouraged.

We also offer affordable ongoing maintenance packages if you would like us to continue to update your website for you as well as backing up your website, maintaining it, fixing any issues that happen to arise (ah, the tumultuous world of web development), or just for general website support.

The choice between these two options is really based on your level of skill and your own personal needs. Either option will result in a bitchin’ website, and we’d be happy to assist you in your decision.