The most common question we get from businesses planning a new website sounds something like: "Do we need WordPress, or will you build it differently?" The answer depends on what you expect from the site — not today, but in three years.
Why WordPress dominates
WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet. The reason is simple: it's free, has a massive ecosystem of themes and plugins, and can be managed by anyone with minimal technical knowledge. For a blog, a simple presentation site, or a small e-shop, it's a legitimate choice.
The problem comes when the business grows and the website has to grow with it.
Where WordPress stops working
Every plugin added to WordPress is a compromise. Plugins are third-party code that you need to update, that can conflict with other plugins, and that slows down page load times. The average business WordPress site has 20–30 active plugins. That's not sustainable long-term.
Concrete problems we see at businesses:
- The site loads in 4–6 seconds, customers leave (every second of delay reduces conversions by 7%)
- Security incident — WordPress accounts for 95% of infected CMS websites
- You need a new feature, but the developer says "that's not possible in this theme"
- After three years of updates, the site looks different from the original and nobody knows why
What it actually costs
This is where businesses most often miscalculate.
WordPress website:
- Initial development: $1,500–4,000 (premium theme + customization + plugins)
- Maintenance and updates: $50–150/month
- After 3 years: site starts falling behind technically, plugins stop being maintained
Custom website (Next.js, React):
- Initial development: $3,000–10,000+ depending on scope
- Maintenance: $30–80/month (hosting, minor updates)
- After 3 years: still works, the code is yours, adding new features is straightforward
The difference in total cost over 3 years is much smaller than it appears at first glance. And performance, security, and flexibility favor the custom solution.
When WordPress makes sense
Let's be fair. WordPress has its place:
- You need a website quickly and for minimum cost
- Your team will regularly add content and doesn't want to depend on a developer
- You have a small team with zero internal technical capacity
- It's a simple informational site with no complex logic
If these conditions are met, WordPress is a reasonable choice. With the caveat: minimal number of plugins, quality hosting, regular backups.
When you need a custom website
- The website is your primary business tool, not just a business card
- You care about performance and search rankings (Google Core Web Vitals)
- You need integration with internal systems (CRM, ERP, payments, logistics)
- You're planning an e-shop or customer portal with non-trivial logic
- You want full control over the code and infrastructure
The middle ground: Next.js + headless CMS
You don't have to choose between "developer needed for every change" and "limiting template." Combining Next.js as the frontend with a headless CMS (like Sanity or Contentful) gives editors an intuitive interface for managing content while developers get a clean architecture without compromises.
An editor adds an article or product in the admin panel, the website updates automatically. Performance stays at 95+ Lighthouse score. Security surface is minimal — no database accessible from outside, no wp-admin.
Summary: how to decide
If you're on the fence, answer three questions:
- Will the website need new features in 3 years that you don't know about today?
- Do you care about loading speed and SEO performance?
- Do you need integration with other systems?
If you answer yes to at least two, a custom website will pay for itself.
At BASAD Studios, we design websites based on what a business actually needs — not what's technically easiest to deliver. If you're working through this decision, reach out and we'll walk through it together.