Choosing a platform
There’s an overwhelming number of options when considering how to setup your website. From your domain host that will generate something in a few seconds to a web agency who will develop your site in a few months.
The following are some of main platforms and methods that can be used:
- a web builder (e.g. WIX, Squarespace)
- a hybrid (e.g. Webflow, HubSpot)
- a content management system (CMS) (e.g. WordPress, Drupal)
- an eCommerce platform (e.g. Shopify, Magento)
In most cases, we suggest using WordPress for the following reasons:
- being the most popular CMS in the world, this means capabilities (plugins) are endless
- web builders or hybrids try to do more for you and limit what you can do to how they like the do both design, performance and technical aspects – WordPress doesn’t; it’s unrestricted in terms of design and performance
- eCommerce platforms are designed for one purpose – to sell products, which places limits on other capabilities of the business
The most common objection to using WordPress is that it isn’t secure. But that’s only true (of any technology) if it isn’t kept up to date and properly secured – which is simply a good common practice responsibility that comes with the extra freedom of a CMS. Many businesses will pay an agency to build them a website, then it just goes untouched. This makes them less secure over time because the nature of WordPress is that its always evolving its Core (making updates) and hence requires the same of the plugins to remain compatible.
Choosing a WordPress builder
Since 2018, WordPress overhauled its Classic page builder capability, which was very limited being a blog building platform on its own. They called it Gutenberg, transforming design capabilities from a tedious, clunky or messy process into a clean, next generation, easy-to-use drag-and-drop experience. Due to WordPress’ limited design capabilities, all sites require a WordPress Builder provider to be selected which provides: a theme, and a page builder.
The problem in industry at the moment is, because there were large companies that had created these complex design builders during the classic times, that they still exist! Elementor being the most common culprit, which established businesses today are still using, which is very well known in the web dev and hosting world to be resource intensive and to cause many issues.
Cue the new type of WordPress builder providers that have been slowly emerging, which are built purely from the Gutenberg based technology, which provide a much cleaner, beautiful and speedier experience. Since the start of 2025, Shepherd® has partnered with a very new provider which has changed the game, making both responsiveness and animations automatically built-in. Prior, both device responsiveness and animations were separate investments that required additional development time. Since other web builders like WIX and SquareSpace now do the same, this is now the standard for WordPress websites to keep up – think amazing interactive experiences you get like on an Apple landing page when they release a new product. This is now very achievable and affordable – something you naturally expect from technology advancement.
Nectarblocks
Now before you give them all of your money, our partnership means that we have unlimited licences, and we’d like to give it to you for free if you have an ongoing membership with us. Request it here.
Now, go take a look at Nectarblocks!
Web and domain hosting
Building your own CMS requires your own hosting provider, ideally a WordPress one. We have also partnered with WPMU Dev, which provide their own suite of necessary plugins included in their affordable and flexible hosting plans, which means you don’t need to go to several other separate providers for the following:
- performance optimisation including imagery and page speed
- SEO configurations
- website security (we actually discovered WPMU Dev initially by using their security plugin alone because of how robust it was)
- GA4 connection
- Form building
They provide 24/7 live technical support and they have always been helpful which can’t be said about some other major providers.
Through our partnership with WPMU Dev, Shepherd® is able to sell generic domains and WordPress website hosting (including Pro versions of all the above plugins) at wholesale prices to our ongoing members.
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