Choosing a website is one of the first big decisions for a small business, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Pick something too simple and you'll outgrow it within a year. Pick something too complex and you'll pay for features you never use.
In this article, we'll walk through three types of websites (a landing page, a multi-page website, and an online store), compare four popular platforms, and finish with a short cheat sheet to help you choose.
Start with three questions
- What do you offer? One main service, or several different ones?
- Do you need to take payments on your site? Or is it enough for customers to call, message, or book?
- How often will the site change, and who will make the changes? You, a specialist, or no one for months at a time?
Your answers point to a type of site first, and only then to a platform.
Which type of site do you need
Landing page
A landing page is a single page that explains what you do, shows proof (photos, reviews, past work), and gives people one clear next step: call, message, or book.
It works well for home-service pros and mobile services such as handymen, mobile detailing, cleaning, and moving, as well as barbers and beauty pros, photographers, fitness trainers, small cafés, and food trucks. If you mainly get customers through Google and Yelp, a link to a clean landing page in your profile already sets you apart from competitors who have no site at all.
Multi-page website
A multi-page website has a separate page for each service, plus pages like About, Contact, and FAQ. It gives you more room to explain, and more chances to show up in search results.
It's the better fit for auto repair and collision shops, beauty salons, dental and medical clinics, lawyers, realtors, roofers, remodeling contractors, HVAC, and landscaping. These businesses usually need a page for each service and for each city they serve, so customers searching for “roof repair in Pasadena” can land on exactly the right page.
Online store
If you sell products and want customers to pay on your site, you need an online store: product pages, a cart, checkout, and order management. This is a different kind of project, and it needs a platform built for it.
Platforms: pros and cons
| Platform | Pros | Cons | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom HTML | Fast loading, clean code, no monthly platform fees. You own the site completely. | Changes are not drag-and-drop. Edits take a little more effort unless you work with an assistant or a specialist. | Landing pages and small multi-page sites that rarely change. |
| Wix | Easy visual editor, built-in hosting, and an AI assistant that can help with edits. | Monthly subscription, and the site lives on Wix. Less flexibility, and pages can load slower. | Owners who want to edit the site themselves. |
| WordPress | Very flexible, with thousands of plugins and a big community. Good for blogs and content-heavy sites. | Needs regular updates, hosting, and security upkeep. Too many plugins slow it down. | Larger sites with lots of content that will keep growing. |
| Shopify | Built for selling online: payments, inventory, shipping, and orders in one place. | Monthly fees plus transaction costs. More than you need if you are not selling products. | Online stores. |
How you make changes
Wix. You edit everything in a visual editor. Wix also offers an AI assistant, Aria, that can help build and change a site. Wix itself recommends reviewing everything before you publish.
WordPress. Day-to-day edits are easy, but the site needs ongoing upkeep: updates, backups, and security checks.
Custom HTML. HTML sites come with a step-by-step guide, so you can make changes with an AI assistant (for example Claude) and publish them through a free host like Netlify.
Major structural changes are best left to a specialist, on any platform.
Cheat sheet
| If this sounds like you… | Choose this type | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| You offer one main service and want calls or bookings | Landing page | Custom HTML or Wix |
| You offer several services or work in several areas | Multi-page website | Custom HTML, Wix, or WordPress |
| You want to edit text and photos yourself | Landing page or multi-page website | Wix |
| You plan to publish articles or add content often | Multi-page website | WordPress |
| You want the fastest site with no monthly platform fee | Landing page or multi-page website | Custom HTML |
| You sell products and take payments online | Online store | Shopify |
| You are just starting out and the budget is tight | Landing page | Custom HTML or Wix |
Still not sure?
If you're still unsure, send me a short description of your business and I'll point you in the right direction. You can reach RDM Studio through the contact page or at rafa.digital.la@gmail.com. Starting prices for each option are on the pricing page.