“The best tool is the one you can ship early and maintain.”
Not every creator needs the same level of control.
To make things simple, we grouped website platforms into 4 clear tiers.
Each tier shows:
- Who it is best for
- Why it works
- Its main strengths & trade-offs
Move through the tiers 1-by-1, and pick the tool based on your goals, scalability, and how much you enjoy tweaking.
TIER 1: STARTER
Wix
Best For:
Creators who want the fastest, easiest setup with no learning curve. It removes the fear of “I’m not technical enough” and lets you focus on art or content instead of infrastructure.
Why it works:
Drag-and-drop builder, minimal setup, no technical skills required. Ideal for creators who want a professional-looking site but are not ready (or willing) to learn WordPress or Elementor yet.
Strengths:
Speed, simplicity, accessibility.
Weaknesses:
Limited long-term flexibility and customization.
TIER 2: STYLISTIC
SquareSpace
Best For:
Creatives who value strong visuals, minimalistic modern templates, and clean typography. Perfect for designers, artists, and creators who want a “premium-feel” without customizing every detail.
Why it works:
Squarespace is known for its sleek, gallery-like visual templates. It provide style, cohesion, and simplicity right out of the box, without time spent tinkering with structural elements.
Strengths:
Polished design, minimal maintenance, premium gallery.
Weaknesses:
Less flexible for advanced features or custom systems.
TIER 3: PORTFOLIO
Format
Best For:
Photographers, illustrators, designers, and artists whose primary goal is portfolio presentation, not blogging or complex site features. Especially strong for creatives whose work is the product.
Why it works:
It’s specifically engineered for creatives. Featuring built-in gallery types, project formats, client proofing tools, and print-friendly layouts. They remove all unnecessary features and focus purely on showcasing finished work beautifully.
Strengths:
Premium for visual work, simple project organization.
Weaknesses:
Not ideal for complex funnels, or multi-purpose sites.
TIER 4: TECHNICAL
WordPress & Elementor
Best For:
Entrepreneurs wanting full control, customization and scalability. Featuring a free tier, so you can upscale when ready. Elementor is extremely popular with creatives who aim for empire.
Why it works:
WordPress has a massive plugin ecosystem, one of which is Elementor which offers advanced design control. Others offer powerful SEO options. If you want to lean into learning code, you can still make use of those skills as you learn with this loadout.
Strengths:
Integrations, long-term growth, full ownership.
Weaknesses:
Higher learning curve and more setup time required.
Version 1.0
Having trouble choosing?
I’ve personally had a Wix ,SquareSpace & now use WordPress.
I simply switched tools as was necessary. Iterations are key.
Which of these statements align with your goals?
1. “I want the EASIEST option possible.”
- → Choose: Wix (Speed > Customization)
2. “I want my site to LOOK the cleanest with minimal effort.”
- → Choose: SquareSpace (Aesthetic > Features)
3. “I need a PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO to showcase my work.”
- → Choose: Format (Portfolio > Everything else)
4.“I want FULL CONTROL and ROOM TO GROW.”
- → Choose: WordPress & Elementor (Scalability > Ease)
Community Hub
Optional
Not every creator needs the same level of control.
Not every creator has the capacity to maintain a community.
Even still, This aspect is a recurring subject at GHG for the following:
- Your homesite is about your work.
- Your socials are about you.
- A hub is for your clients or collectors.
It’s not a replacement for a public-facing website, but a inner circle where you connect on a deeper level with those who really matter.
A simple landing site like Beacons or Stan can connect your homesite, hub, and socials all in one “link in bio”.
Great Options for a comunity hub:
- Skool
- Discord
- Private Groups on any Social
Your Platform Stack
Your digital domain.
No matter what your skill, brand or product is.
If you’re ready to make the largest impact.
You benefit from a platform stack which becomes mental real estate.
Build your digital domain:
1. Homesite / Portfolio:
- Your official homesite. Base of operations.
- Bio, portfolio/case studies, offers,links to everything else.
2. Skool (or community hub):
- Your inner circle or workshop floor.
- Courses, deeper discussions, vip benefits, feedback loops.
3. Satellites (Social Media):
- Outposts that send traffic home.
- Treated as signposts, not full homes.
“Modern web design today is ecosystem design.”
- Your Website and Skool should feel like two rooms in the same house.
