If you watched the Super Bowl last year, you probably saw the ads. A celebrity builds a stunning website in 30 seconds using a DIY builder like Wix or Squarespace. They hit “publish,” and suddenly their business is booming.
It looks easy. It looks affordable. And if you are running a hobby blog or a temporary project, it’s a perfectly fine solution.
But if you are building a legitimate business in Eastern Iowa—whether it’s a construction firm in Cedar Rapids or a boutique in Iowa City—those platforms come with a hidden cost that isn’t mentioned in the commercial.
When you build on those platforms, you are renting your digital presence.
At Team 218, we believe you should own your assets. Here is why we build exclusively on WordPress, and why we think you should too.
The “Walled Garden” Trap (Wix & Squarespace)
Platforms like Wix and Squarespace are what we call “Walled Gardens.” Everything inside the garden is pretty, tidy, and easy to use. But you don’t own the garden; you’re just renting a plot.
Here is the reality of the “rental” model:
- You Can Check Out, But You Can Never Leave: Let’s say your business grows. You need custom features that Wix doesn’t support, or you get tired of their monthly price hikes. You cannot simply “move” your website. You cannot export your code. To leave, you have to tear the whole thing down and start from scratch on a new platform.
- You Play by Their Rules: If they change their algorithm, remove a feature you rely on, or double their pricing, you have no recourse. You are a tenant, not an owner.
- Limited SEO Ceiling: While these platforms have improved their SEO over the years, they still have a low ceiling. You have limited control over the technical structure of your site—the exact stuff that helps you rank for competitive terms like “HVAC repair Iowa City.”
The WordPress Advantage: Digital Real Estate
WordPress powers over 40% of the entire internet, from the White House to major news outlets. Why? Because it represents ownership.
When we build a site for you on WordPress, it is your property.
- You own the code.
- You own the database.
- You own the content.
If you ever decide to move your hosting to a different provider, you pack up your files and go. Nobody can hold your business hostage.
But Isn’t WordPress Hard to Use?
This is the most common objection we hear: “I heard WordPress is complicated,” or “My cousin had a WordPress site and it got hacked.”
Ten years ago, that might have been true. But today, with the right setup, it’s a different story.
At Team 218, we use the Divi Theme framework. This gives you the best of both worlds:
- The Power of WordPress: Infinite scalability, robust SEO tools, and total ownership.
- The Ease of Visual Editing: Divi allows for “drag and drop” editing just like Wix. If you want to change a photo or update text, you can do it right on the screen without touching a line of code.
And with the pending release (Feb 2025) of the all new Divi 5, the performance improvements will be huge.
The “Maintenance” Myth
The other reason people choose “rental” platforms is fear of maintenance. “I don’t want to worry about updates or security.”
We get it. You run a business; you don’t want to be a server administrator.
But think about your physical office or storefront. You own the building (or have a long-term commercial lease), but you probably don’t fix the HVAC unit yourself. You hire a pro to maintain the asset.
That is exactly how our Website Care Plans work. We handle the “scary” stuff—security hardening, daily cloud backups, plugin updates, and uptime monitoring. You get the security of a managed platform with the freedom of an open-source CMS.
The Verdict for Iowa Business Owners
If you are building a landing page for a weekend event, go ahead and use a site builder. It’s fast and cheap.
But if you are building a business that you plan to run for the next 5, 10, or 20 years, build an asset you own.
Don’t build your house on rented land.
Confused about your options?
Let’s look at your current setup. We’ll give you an honest assessment of whether you should stay put or if it’s time to move to a platform you can actually control.
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