When I think of WordPress being used for websites, I think of the saying, "A camel is a horse designed by committee." Way, way back in 2009, WordPress was a godsend to people who were being held hostage by "Tech" firms who used .net developers to build websites on Content Management Systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars.  WordPress was a money saver. This nifty little blogging tool took the place of content management systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, it has become a bloated, complex and inefficient tool for marketers that perpetually needs to be secured from hackers. For architects, interior designers, landscape and design-build firms, we almost always recommend using Squarespace. Squarespace makes website building and maintenance easy and HubSpot provides a better way of integrating with content marketing. Each uses a walled garden approach which means the burden of updating plug-ins and worrying about malware virtually disappears.

A History of Wordpress

Wordpress was born in May of 2003 as an easy to use, easy to monetize, content management system that quickly established itself with the online blogging community. The beauty was the price. From the beginning, it has existed as a free download. While it came complete and ready to use, a community of designers began to create and charge for “themes” or templates. For new users, this made the learning curve even shorter as themes offered drag and drop frames for text, images videos and more.

WordPress as a design tool was so flexible due to the multitude of plugins available and it’s open source format. As you develop your site, you can download and install plugins to increase functionality. Plugins range from the simple, like a related post plugin that finds content similar to what you are currently reading, to complex full blown e-commerce systems.

Because of this flexibility and cost, WordPress became the “design format of choice” among new users and experts alike. As of August 2013, there are over 60 million websites created using Wordpress, 18.9% of the top 10 million sites are using the platform. That’s a large community of users.

Because it’s an open source program, WordPress is constantly evolving, not always in a good way. Its strengths have become its weakness. As it has gotten more complicated, it has become a target for hackers and security has become an issue. While still a viable CMS platform for many, HubSpot has taken content management to the next level.

Hubspot COS

HubSpot’s system is called the Content Optimization System. Unlike CMS, COS helps you to optimize your content to perform better in the marketplace. Hubspot’s management system is built directly onto their platform, and that means no outside plugins and greater security. Though Hubspot COS has great advantages, it is less flexible than Squarespace. We  find that using Hubspot as a marketing platform and Squarespace as a website CMS fits our built environment clients need for ease of use and timely content changes.  

HubSpot’s integrated platform will take your site to the next level of functionality. COS offers:

• Secure, social and search optimized blogging
• Integrated forms, lead Intelligence and email
• Out of the box, social media publishing and analytical tools
• Call to action and landing page tools
• Social media monitoring tools to help you interact with your visitors quickly

HubSpot COS is the first contextual management system. It offers visitors a unique experience as they interact with your content. Working on the platform, it’s easy to create customized user experiences for visitors based on certain criteria. COS lets you tailor your message and offer site visitors customized content based on their interests or level of involvement. This allows you to create effective CTA’s based on your user’s needs and is a remarkable tool for generating leads and closing sales.

While WordPress is workable CMS platform, Hubspot’s COS is the next generation of content management complete with advanced security features and contextual content management. Squarespace is a remarkably easy to use CMS that is a better system for companies who convey value through portfolio based websites. When deciding on a platform for your website, ask yourself if you want to spend your time updating plugins to prevent hackers and malware or would you prefer to work on the activities that make you money like posting to your blog and writing automated email workflows to attract clients?

About Michael Conway

I'm the owner and strategist at Means-of-Production. My firm builds Squarespace websites, Houzz profiles, and content marketing and advertising solutions for architects, interior designers, design-build contractors and landscape design firms. Our all-in-one marketing tactics attract the right clients with exceptional architectural photography and brand messaging that sets you apart from the competition.