There’s a moment every business owner dreads. It starts with excitement—launching a fresh new website on a platform that promises ease, speed, and no coding nightmares. Then, months (or even weeks) later, reality sinks in. That beautiful, drag-and-drop website now feels like a locked-down prison. Suddenly, you’re battling slow page speeds, limited SEO options, skyrocketing costs for features that should have been included, and a customer support team that takes longer to respond than a 1990s dial-up connection.
I’ve heard this story too often, and it always leads to the question: “Is it time to switch to WordPress?”
The answer is almost always yes. Trust me, I’ve seen this firsthand, especially with businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina. There’s a reason companies of all sizes—e-commerce stores, educational platforms, and local service providers—are making the shift.
Above Bits, a company with almost two decades of experience has been behind some of the most complex WordPress migrations out there. They’ve seen it all: botched site transfers, bloated databases, and security disasters waiting to happen. Their team of WordPress developers in Charlotte doesn’t just move sites; they optimize them to perform better than ever before.
But why are businesses so eager to leave Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify in the first place? Let’s talk about that.
The Wix and Squarespace Trap: Simple, Until It’s Not
Wix and Squarespace have built billion-dollar businesses on the idea that websites should be easy to create. And they are—for a while. Their intuitive interfaces make it simple to drag and drop elements, add images, and publish a site without needing a single line of code. But here’s the kicker: things get messy when you need something slightly custom or scalable.
One of the biggest pain points business owners face is SEO. Wix, for example, has been criticized for years for its lackluster SEO capabilities. Until 2019, Wix didn’t even allow for proper URL structures—Google had to crawl through random alphanumeric gibberish instead of clean, optimized URLs. While they’ve made improvements, professional marketers still rank Wix among the least SEO-friendly platforms.
And then there’s speed. Google’s PageSpeed Insights consistently ranks Wix and Squarespace sites lower than WordPress-powered websites, mainly due to bloated JavaScript and limited hosting control. Studies have shown that a one-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%. That’s not just an inconvenience; it’s lost revenue.
Meanwhile, WordPress (when properly configured) can run circles around these platforms. With the right setup—think optimized caching, fast hosting, and minimal plugin bloat—sites load quickly, rank higher, and keep visitors engaged.
When “All-In-One” Becomes “Locked-In”
Wix and Squarespace’s biggest selling point is their biggest flaw: they control everything. They provide the hosting, the themes, the apps, and the updates. That sounds great in theory—until you need to change something and realize you’re stuck.
Need to move to a different hosting provider to improve performance? Too bad.
Want to tweak the checkout process for better conversions? Good luck.
Are you thinking of switching to a different email marketing tool? I hope they have an integration.
This is called vendor lock-in, and it’s the digital equivalent of renting an apartment. The landlord decides the color of the walls, what kind of stove you can use, and whether you can install a security system.
Businesses in Charlotte looking for real ownership of their websites are switching to WordPress because it puts them in control. They own their content, hosting, and data—no surprises, no fine print.
The migration process, however, isn’t always straightforward. That’s where experts like the WordPress developers at Above Bits in Charlotte come in. They don’t just transfer content; they rebuild sites from the ground up, ensuring better speed, SEO, and functionality.
The Real Cost of “Free” Website Builders
If I had a dollar for every business owner who told me they picked Wix because “it’s free,” I could probably buy out GoDaddy and shut it down for good.
The truth is that free website builders aren’t really free. Wix’s free plan forces your website to display its branding (which makes your business look unprofessional), and the moment you need a custom domain, an e-commerce store, or extra storage, you’re stuck with hefty monthly fees.
A feature-rich Wix site can cost anywhere from $35 to $50 monthly. Over three years, that’s more than $1,200—far more than what it costs to own a self-hosted WordPress site on premium hosting.
And that’s not even considering scalability. Need a membership system? A complex booking form? Custom integrations? With Wix or Squarespace, you’ll either have to pay extra for third-party tools or face the reality that your platform simply can’t do what you need.
WordPress has thousands of free and premium plugins that let you customize your site however you want—without waiting for the platform to roll out updates that may never come.
Why Even Shopify Users Are Jumping Ship
Now, let’s talk about Shopify—a platform that does serve a real purpose but also comes with its headaches.
Shopify is great for people who want an e-commerce store that is up and running quickly. But what happens when you need to avoid transaction fees or implement a truly custom checkout experience? That’s when people start looking elsewhere.
Shopify charges an additional transaction fee of up to 2% on top of payment gateway fees unless you use their built-in payment processor. That’s a silent profit-killer, especially for high-volume businesses. WooCommerce, WordPress’s e-commerce solution, doesn’t have that issue. Companies can choose payment processors, avoid platform fees, and own checkout processes.
A great example is a Charlotte-based business that came to Above Bits’s team of WordPress developers in Charlotte after struggling with Shopify’s limitations. They needed a multi-vendor setup that Shopify simply didn’t offer at their price point. The solution? WooCommerce, custom-built for their needs, costs less in the long run than Shopify’s endless monthly fees.
Why More Businesses Are Choosing WordPress (Even If They’re Not “Tech People”)
Many assume WordPress is “too technical” compared to Wix or Shopify. That’s understandable—WordPress does have a bit of a learning curve if you go at it alone. But with the proper setup and guidance, managing a WordPress site isn’t any more complicated than managing an email inbox.
This is why more businesses in Charlotte are partnering with professional WordPress teams like Above Bits. These teams don’t just hand over a website and wish you luck; they provide training, maintenance, and support to ensure business owners understand how to run their sites efficiently.
The days of “easy” drag-and-drop builders locking businesses into expensive, slow, and frustrating platforms are coming to an end. The future is flexible, scalable, and optimized for success.
The Migration Game: Why Moving to WordPress Isn’t as Scary as It Seems
By now, most business owners stuck on Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify know they need a change. But there’s one primary reason many hesitate: the dreaded migration process.
I get it. Moving an entire website sounds like a nightmare—what if something breaks? What if Google rankings take a hit? What if you wake up to find your site looking like a Picasso painting, with menus floating in places they shouldn’t be?
That’s why working with professionals with experience handling these migrations without turning them into digital disasters is critical. The WordPress developers in Charlotte at Above Bits have migrated websites of all sizes—some with just a few pages, others with tens of thousands of products, orders, and customer records.
One of the most significant risks of migration is data loss—especially for e-commerce businesses. A poorly executed move can lead to missing orders, broken customer accounts, or even incomplete payment data. Businesses trust Above Bits because they use database integrity checks, temporary staging environments, and rollback plans to ensure no data goes missing.
And let’s not forget SEO migration. The last thing any business wants is to wake up to a nosedive in search rankings after moving their site. Without proper redirects, URL structuring, and metadata transfers, Google can get confused and treat a new site as a completely different entity, resulting in months of lost traffic.
Above Bits follows Google-approved migration strategies, ensuring every URL, ranking, and link remains intact after the transition. The result? A website that not only looks better but also performs better than ever.
The Future of WordPress: How It’s Beating the Competition
It’s worth noting that WordPress isn’t just the most significant player in the CMS world—it’s also the fastest-growing.
Right now, over 43% of all websites run on WordPress, which continues to climb every year. Meanwhile, platforms like Wix and Squarespace remain stuck at less than 2% market share each.
One reason for this is constant innovation. Unlike closed platforms that release updates at their own pace, WordPress is open-source, meaning thousands of developers worldwide contribute to its growth. In the last two years alone, WordPress has rolled out:
- Entire Site Editing (FSE): Allowing drag-and-drop customization without locking users into rigid page builders.
- AI-Powered Enhancements: The rise of AI plugins like Bertha AI and WP AI Assistant are making content generation smarter.
- Stronger Security: Major improvements to core security features, making WordPress far more secure than most people realize.
Meanwhile, platforms like Wix are still trying to play catch-up. And don’t even get me started on Shopify’s struggles—they recently laid off 20% of their workforce due to financial struggles, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in their long-term stability.
For businesses looking for a future-proof solution, WordPress remains the clear winner.
But Wait, What About the Downsides?
Alright, let’s be honest—WordPress isn’t perfect, either. No platform is. And I wouldn’t be doing my job as a tech reporter if I didn’t address some of the criticisms people have.
One common complaint? The dreaded update cycle.
WordPress releases frequent updates, which is good for security, but it can also mean plugin conflicts and occasional breakages. If a theme or plugin hasn’t been updated by its developer in a while, there’s always a risk that a new WordPress update might make it incompatible.
Businesses should never use DIY when setting up a serious WordPress site. The WordPress developers in Charlotte at Above Bits test updates in staging environments before pushing them live, ensuring nothing breaks unexpectedly.
Another common issue? Too many bad plugins.
With over 60,000 plugins available in the WordPress repository, it’s easy to install unnecessary ones and slow down your site. Inexperienced users often overload their websites with bloated, poorly coded plugins, leading to performance issues.
That’s why having experienced developers matters. Instead of throwing 20 plugins at a problem, Above Bits often custom-codes lighter, faster solutions that don’t slow down the site.
The Final Verdict: Should You Switch to WordPress?
If you’re running a small business in Charlotte or anywhere else, and you’re frustrated with the limitations of Wix, Squarespace, or Shopify, the answer is a resounding yes—but only if you do it the right way.
WordPress offers the flexibility, control, and cost-efficiency that growing businesses need. But like any powerful tool, it requires expertise to set up and maintain properly. That’s where Above Bits comes in.
With nearly two decades of experience, their team doesn’t just migrate websites—they transform them into high-performing business assets. From custom WooCommerce stores to SEO-optimized blogs, they’ve built some of the most complex WordPress solutions out there.
So, if you’re ready to break free from the restrictions of drag-and-drop platforms and take control of your website’s future, it’s time to talk to the experts.
You can check out their work and learn more about their services here: WordPress developers in Charlotte at Above Bits.
After all, your website should work for you—not vice versa.
