This Insights article was contributed by Marc Mereyde of TiktoPlus.

When it comes to building a website or blog, there are lots of decisions to be made.
 
You’ll need to decide what theme to use. You’ll have to choose between a static landing page or one that changes with new posts. If you’ve got a product or service to sell, you’ll have to decide whether to sell directly through your site or link to a site like Amazon.
 
But before any of these decisions can be made, you’ll need to choose a website builder.
 
A website builder is the software your site is built on. There are plenty of builders out there, including free and paid versions. Two of the most popular options on the market today are WordPress and Wix.
 

WordPress vs. Wix

Choosing WordPress versus Wix is tough. Both options offer their own unique benefits, and each has its drawbacks.
 
WordPress has more current users. In fact, statistics show that more than 26 percent of sites are powered by WordPress. That’s more than 70 million websites.
 
Wix is newer to the website building game. Over one million websites use Wix today, but that number is constantly growing. That is in part due to improved options and functions from just a few years ago.
 
With both great options, it can be difficult to make a decision. To pick the right one for your website, keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of each website builder.
 

Tool vs. Service

The biggest argument in the battle of WordPress vs. Wix is how the basic function of the two applications differ.
 
WordPress is a tool. It can be downloaded and added to any hosting service. So, you can choose to host your website anywhere and add WordPress to it with a simple download.
 
Wix is a service. You can’t host your website just anywhere and download Wix to run it; instead, you are hosting and building through Wix.
 

The Need For Coding Skills

Another big difference in WordPress versus Wix is the need to know how to code.
 
With Wix, everything is automated. The software does the hard work for you, including any coding. Simply drag and drop the features that you want, and Wix builds them for you.
 
But with WordPress, you will need some coding skills if you go beyond WordPress’s most basic functionality.
 
If you’re using a professional website building service to build and run your site, it won’t matter that you don’t know how to code. But if you’ll be doing all of the work on your own, coding can have a tough learning curve.
 
In Part 2, Marc Mereyde of TiktoPlus will continue to compare Wordpress and Wix as website building tools. He’ll write about differences in plugins and apps, theme and template options, and customer support.

Diane Durance, MPA, is director of UNC Wilmington's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). The CIE is a resource for the start-up and early-stage business community to help diversify the local economy with innovative solutions. For more information, visit www.uncw.edu/cie.
 
TiktoPlus is a Wilmington, NC based web development, localization, SEO, and pay-per-click online advertising web design and digital marketing agency specializing in dental and healthcare practices. Their new education initiative is launching this week at TiktoPlusLearn.com.