How to Create a Website Without WordPress (Easy Guide)

Please note, if you click and buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Learn More

WordPress stands out as a favored content management system (CMS) for many web creators. However, there are other choices worth considering for building your website, offering unique features and benefits that might better suit your needs.

Want an easy guide on creating a website without WordPress? Or just curious about the options available? I’ve got you covered!

Things to Know about Website Creation without WordPress

  • Custom Websites: Creating a custom website gives you complete control over design and functionality, free from WordPress constraints, but requires coding knowledge and higher costs.
  • Wix: An intuitive website builder with Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), numerous free themes and apps, and tools like Logo Maker and SEO Biz.
  • Shopify: Ideal for eCommerce, offering integrated shopping carts, tax calculations, and abandoned cart recovery, though it’s more expensive than other options.
  • Squarespace: User-friendly drag-and-drop editor with mobile-optimized templates and integrated shopping cart functionalities, good for various types of websites.
  • Joomla! & Drupal: These CMS alternatives provide more flexibility and security than WordPress, ideal for larger websites but come with steeper learning curves.

Create a Custom Website

If you put in a bit of extra effort, you can create a custom website from scratch without using WordPress or any other CMS.

This option needs some coding skills or help from a web developer. It gives you full control over your website’s design and features.

Other benefits of the custom website include:

  • You’re not limited by WordPress’ design options
  • Tailored branding that fits your business
  • Can be more secure (no WordPress vulnerabilities)
  • Fewer performance issues
  • You can add any type of functionality you want

The biggest downside to this option is that it’s not as easy as using a CMS like WordPress. Building a custom website from scratch takes more time and money than using WordPress.

Create a Website without WordPress – Alternatives

Many page builders and CMSs let you build a website without using WordPress. Here are some popular choices:

Wix (Website Builder)

Wix is a popular website builder that lets you create a site without coding. It’s great for small businesses, restaurants, and personal projects. With its attractive templates and beginner-friendly platform, Wix makes website creation easy.

Wix’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) can automatically design a website based on your preferences. It also offers an integrated app ecosystem to add more features to your site.

Wix also offers tools like Logo Maker and SEO Biz to assist with your website’s branding and marketing. Start building your Wix site for free. To add custom domains and other features, upgrade to a paid plan.

Here are some of the top features of Wix:

  • Wix ADI to create a personalized site automatically.
  • Hundred of free themes and apps at free of charge.
  • SEO Biz to create a customized SEO for your site.
  • Wix bookings to sell your service online securely.
  • Track your website performance and stats easily.

Wix offers a free plan, but it has Wix branding, limited storage, and fewer features. For a better experience, it’s best to upgrade to the paid plans.

Shopify (E-Commerce Website Builder)

Shopify is a popular choice for eCommerce websites. It’s perfect for selling products online, offering features like an integrated shopping cart, automatic tax calculations, and abandoned cart recovery.

Shopify offers a wide range of free and paid themes, letting you find one that matches your style and budget. Setting up a Shopify website is fairly straightforward, though not the simplest. It also has a built-in blog engine, making it easy to add a blog for your store.

Shopify offers strong SEO support, helps optimize your website, and markets your products. It’s a great choice if you want to create an online store without using WordPress.

  • Some of the top features of Shopify are:
  • Attractive and modern free/paid themes
  • A wide range of features for online stores
  • Abandoned cart recovery to increase sales.
  • Integrated shopping cart for a seamless checkout experience.

A downside of Shopify is that it’s a bit more expensive than other options here. There are no free plans, and the paid ones are pretty costly.

Squarespace (Website Builder)

Squarespace lets you create and customize a website without needing to use WordPress. You can drag and drop elements, add your own photos and videos, and use pre-made templates to give your site a professional look.

You can use Squarespace to create an online store, blog, or service website with ease. Every layout and template is already optimized for mobile devices, so you won’t need to stress about how your site appears on various screen sizes.

Squarespace offers some excellent features:

  • Pre-made Mobile-optimized templates and designs.
  • Easy drag-and-drop editor.
  • Easy to customize and maintain.
  • Integrated shopping cart with unlimited products.
  • Let you sell physical, digital, or services easily.

If you’re after an easy way to create a website without WordPress, Squarespace is a fantastic option. Although Squarespace doesn’t have a free plan, its paid plans are quite affordable.

Joomla! (CMS)

Joomla! is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) perfect for creating websites, blogs, or online stores. It’s highly popular, second only to WordPress, and offers many features and benefits. 

Joomla offers many features and add-ons to boost your website’s functionality. It’s also easy to use and doesn’t need any coding knowledge, similar to WordPress.

Joomla! offers several top features:

  • Hundreds of free/paid themes and extensions.
  • Easily extend the functionality of your website.
  • Powerful ACL for security and access control.
  • Flexible and easily customizable.
  • Multilingual support out of the box.

Joomla’s a great choice if you need more flexibility and scalability than WordPress for a larger, high-traffic website.

Drupal (CMS)

If you want a strong alternative to WordPress, Drupal is worth considering. This open-source content management system offers many features and options.

Drupal offers more flexibility and power than WordPress. It performs impressively under high traffic and provides better security and accessibility.

Some features of Drupal include:

  • Advanced user management.
  • Multilingual support.
  • Built-in caching for improved performance.
  • Better accessibility, scalability, and security.
  • Wide range of themes and modules.

Overall, Drupal is an excellent alternative to WordPress. It provides more power and flexibility, making it a great choice for large businesses or organizations.