How your website is built matters as much as how it looks. The three most common build paths — WordPress, headless and fully custom — each suit different goals, teams and budgets. Here's how to choose without the hype.
WordPress
Still powers about 40% of the web for a reason. A mature plugin ecosystem, familiar admin, and a huge talent pool make it easy to maintain. The catch: performance requires careful tuning, and the plugin stack can become a liability. Best for content-heavy sites where the team is comfortable inside the CMS.
Headless
A modern front-end — usually React or Next.js — talking to a separate content backend like Sanity or Contentful. You get near-perfect performance scores, complete design freedom and content that's truly portable. More to set up, but it scales cleanly and puts developers in full control of every interaction.
Fully custom
Maximum control and performance with zero platform overhead. Right for bespoke experiences, complex interactions or products that don't fit a template. Needs a capable team and a clear brief — but the result is lean, fast and built exactly to spec.
How to choose
Match the build to who will maintain it and where you're headed in 18 months. A good web design and development studio will recommend the approach that fits your goals — not the one that's easiest for them. If a studio only ever builds one way, that's a red flag.