I went to a conference in Phoenix where I met thousands of passionate entrepreneurs who are building businesses online. One of them said to me that he was going to switch to Wix because WordPress is too hard.

People go to sites like Wix and Squarespace because they want something now, they want something fast. It's quick and it's easy and they think that's going to be the right thing to do to get going quick. A lot of times money is also a factor.

I’m not saying that building and maintaining WordPress websites is easy, but you should ask yourself this:

What is it that you are trying to build?

Will the decision to go for easier and cheaper options help get you there?

An article that came out in October of 2015 discussed how tons of Wix sites got delisted from the Google index entirely. That meant that if somebody searched for your business or your website, even when using your actual business name in Google, you just wouldn’t show up. If one of those Wix sites was yours, do you know what you could do about it? Nothing. You just had to wait for them to fix it because when you build your website on Wix or other quick and cheap website platforms, you don’t own the website that you create. Wix doesn't even allow you to export your content.

If you are building a website for a business that will help support you and your family, is Wix the kind of platform that you want to do it on?

[Related: Organizer and non-profit founder Noni Causey talks about the importance of own your website]

Think about your long term business goals when deciding what online platform to use

To better explain my point, let me share an analogy from an article written by my friend Aaron Hockley,  WordPress is a DSLR, Squarespace is a Point and Shoot.

I often put my DSLR on P for program and use it in that mode. I like photography, and consider it a hobby, I'm not that great at it. But I wanted a nice camera that had the fancy features. Sometimes I use those features, but sometimes I just want it to be easy. Using the automatic mode will still give me pretty good quality, without me having to work too hard at it.  But when I get into a situation where I really want to focus and I really want to get better results, I will have the capability to do that because I have the equipment that will do that.

This is the kind of analogy that I like to think of and that’s why I continue to recommend WordPress. Even though it's not always easy, it is worth it. 25% of all websites run on WordPress, so those people must be onto something. 

For beginners, WordPress can be confusing and overwhelming, but it will also get you where you want to go in the long-term. The more you learn about it, the easier it is to use. More importantly, it is a platform that you can start out on that can scale with your business. Websites That Work is a course that will help guide people through the overwhelming number of choices within WordPress so you can get up and running quickly in a way that will scale with your business. 

Garbage in, garbage out

Imagine going to the doctor and saying, “I want to breathe easier but I don't want to quit smoking,” or, “I want to get stronger but I don't want to work out.” If you want results, you need to be willing to do the necessary things to get those results.

I’m a terrible homeowner. We have a really nice house that my wife bought and she is an awesome homeowner. She does things like change the furnace filter, which I would never ever think about doing in a million years. She is the catalyst for the beautiful garden that we have in progress and I just show up and do the work.

Sometimes she’ll ask, “What would you do if something happened to me?” I say, “I’d probably get an apartment because you can live in an apartment and it’s easier to take care of and you have more time for other things.”

Apartment living sounds nice and easy (especially when you spend all weekend doing yard work), but you also wouldn't get to enjoy having a big, beautiful garden and enjoying fresh veggies that come out of your yard.

[Tweet “If it was easy, everyone would do it. It pays to do your website right the first time.”]

What are you trading off in the long run?

If you want to see great results but don’t want to do the necessary things to get those results, you're probably going to be disappointed.

I needed to give you a little tough love because I meet so many people saying they want results in their business that are completely out of proportion to the investment they're willing to make, in time, money, energy, or all three.

That’s not how life works and that's not how business works.

Disagree with me? Singing the hallelujah chorus? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks and don’t forget to level up this week!