Questions from a New Business Owner Trying to Navigate WordPress, Wix, and GoHighLevel
Starting or growing a business sounds exciting and then you get hit with the behind-the-scenes reality:
- Your website needs work.
- CRM is confusing and overwhelming
- Your emails are not automated.
- Leads are scattered. (Am I not supposed to put them on Post-Its?)
- Your training videos are piling up.
Next thing you know, instead of serving clients, you are scrambling to become a website developer, marketing strategist, copywriter, SEO expert, CRM builder, and tech support department all at once.
Recently, I had a conversation with a home healthcare provider who was navigating this exact situation. She was trying to figure out whether to keep working on her WordPress website, move it into GoHighLevel, learn the platform herself, and eventually use those tools to help other healthcare businesses with marketing.
It was a great conversation because it reflected what so many new business owners experience: they are smart, capable, and motivated, but completely overwhelmed by the number of tasks, tools and decisions in front of them. It’s a lot!
So, I wanted to share some of the questions that came up, along with my honest perspective from working with websites, funnels, CRM systems, client strategy, and business growth. I’ve been there and want to save you some time and grief.
Question: Should I use WordPress for my business website?
WordPress can be powerful, flexible, and highly customizable. It is one of the most widely used website platforms for a reason.
But here is the honest answer: WordPress is not always the easiest platform for a business owner who wants to manage everything themselves.
WordPress can involve themes, plugins, hosting settings, form integrations, SEO tools, updates, security, design settings, and layout builders. For someone who is not working in websites regularly, it can become frustrating very quickly. Most of the business owners I work with who use WordPress do not update the site themselves. They usually hot-potato it right back to me, which I’m happy about. I like solving challenges. They need to focus on more important activities.
That does not mean WordPress is bad. It means you need to know what you are signing up for. WordPress may be a good fit if you:
- want a highly customizable website.
- are working with someone who can help you maintain it.
- need advanced SEO options.
- want more control over design, plugins, and functionality.
- are comfortable learning a more technical platform.
But if you want something simple that you can easily update yourself, WordPress may not be the easiest starting point.
Question: Is Wix easier than WordPress?
For many small business owners, yes. If your main goal is to have a clean, professional website that you can update yourself without feeling overwhelmed, Wix can be a more user-friendly option.
It is often easier for business owners who want to change text, swap images, update services, or make simple edits without needing to understand plugins, hosting, or backend settings. That said, the “best” website platform depends on your business goals.
A home healthcare provider, consultant, coach, advisor, or service-based business may not need a highly complicated website at the beginning. What they need is clarity. They need a site that answers:
- Who do you help?
- What do you offer?
- Why should someone trust you?
- How do they contact you?
- What happens next?
A beautiful website means very little if the messaging is confusing or the lead process is broken.
Question: What WordPress tools or plugins should I consider?
If you are using WordPress, a few tools can make the website stronger and more functional.
For SEO, a tool like Yoast can help guide you through page titles, meta descriptions, keywords, and readability.
For forms, a more advanced form builder like Gravity Forms can be useful, especially if your business needs more structured intake forms, conditional logic, notifications, or compliance-minded form setup.
For businesses in healthcare or other sensitive industries, you need to be especially careful about what information you collect, where it goes, and whether the tools you are using are appropriate for your privacy and compliance needs.
This is where many business owners make mistakes. They add a form to a website without thinking through what happens after someone submits it.
- Where does the information go?
- Who receives it?
- Is it stored securely?
- Does it trigger an email?
- Is the right person notified?
- Is the client contacted quickly?
Your website form is not just a form. It is part of your business process.
Question: Should I build my website inside GoHighLevel?
GoHighLevel can do a lot. It can manage contacts, workflows, email automations, funnels, calendars, forms, pipelines, social posting, and follow-up systems.
Personally, I would not recommend GoHighLevel as the first choice for every business owner who wants to build a traditional website. Can you build websites in GoHighLevel? Yes. Is it always the easiest or most enjoyable way to build a full website? Not in my experience.
Coming from being someone who trains people in technology, where GoHighLevel really shines is in the systems behind the business. This includes:
- CRM organization (my favorite!)
- Review requests and business reputation management
- Social media scheduling (I use this for many of my clients)
- Lead capture
- Follow-up emails
- Text message automations
- Appointment scheduling
- Pipelines
- Funnels
- Client communication
- Workflow automation
For many business owners, the website is only one piece of the puzzle. The real opportunity is what happens after someone fills out a form, books a call, downloads a guide, or asks for more information. That is where a CRM becomes incredibly valuable.
Question: What is the difference between a website and a funnel?
A website is usually designed to give people information about your business. It may include pages like Home, About, Services, Contact, Blog, and Testimonials.
A website helps people learn about you. A funnel helps people take a specific action. A funnel is more focused. It usually has one main goal. That goal might be:
- Booking a consultation
- Downloading a free guide
- Registering for a webinar
- Requesting pricing
- Applying for a service
- Joining an email list
For many new business owners, the mistake is thinking they need a massive website when what they may really need first is a clear offer, a strong landing page, and a follow-up system.
Question: Is GoHighLevel hard to learn?
It can be. GoHighLevel has a lot of features. When you first log in, it can feel like you are staring at a cockpit. Do I have my pilot’s license?
There are contacts, opportunities, workflows, calendars, triggers, forms, funnels, campaigns, automations, tags, pipelines, snapshots, emails, SMS settings, and more. That is a lot for any business owner to absorb.
My advice is simple: do not try to learn everything at once. Start with one practical thing. This is where a lot of people come to me for individual coaching. Whether it is making a strategy for their business or teaching them where to start with the technology, time is a hot commodity that needs to be protected.
For example:
- Set up your contacts. (I have best practices to help you score in the long run.)
- Create one form.
- Build one landing page. (Sometimes I hire these out if I don’t have the time.)
- Create one simple email follow-up.
- Set up one calendar. (I live by my calendar.)
- Create one pipeline. (I coach people how to use this to see how much $ is on the table…or sliding off of the table.)
- Automate one basic process.
The best way to learn a platform like GoHighLevel is not by rushing through hours of training videos. It is by building one useful thing at a time.
Question: What if I bought training but never finished it?
This is more common than people admit. Many business owners buy a course, training, or platform because they are excited about what it could do for their business. Then reality hits.
- Client work gets busy.
- Family needs attention.
- The business still has to run.
- The training feels overwhelming.
- The platform changes.
- You forget where you left off.
Then guilt sets in. You had such good intentions! Here is the truth: buying training does not automatically create implementation. From more than a decade of training financial advisors, I know implementation is the hardest part. Habits are tough for even the most disciplined. That’s why people hire me. We implement, learn together, and grow the skill set and flex it. Otherwise, you can have the best systems and tech in the industry, but if you don’t use them, they are worthless. Flex those tech muscles! You’ll want to show them off after you’ve earned them at the CRM gym.
Please don’t beat yourself up because you have not finished the course. You need a practical plan for applying what matters most. Instead of asking, “How do I finish all of this training?” ask:
- “Is there someone who can support me to get to my goals?”
- “What do I need this system to do for my business right now?”
These questions change everything. It gets easier from there.
Question: Should I master GoHighLevel before helping other businesses with it?
You do not need to know everything before helping someone, but you do need to understand the basics, the strategy, and the responsibility that comes with building systems for another business.
If you want to help other businesses with marketing, websites, or CRM setup, start by learning through your own business first.
When I was a Senior Tech Success Consultant for a Fortune 100 company I remember learning that I had to teach a new software program that rolled out in 2 days. I had to learn it from scratch and quickly. Boy did my audience have great questions, but the questions always pushed me to be curious enough to find out the answers. Then I would make suggestions to the software product team based on how the end user wanted to use the product and more. However, I think I might have liked the adrenaline. And I am not asking you to do this. Instead, here is a much calmer process:
- Build your own process.
- Make a few mistakes.
- Test your own automations. (My sister gets a lot of tests!)
- Understand what works. (Listen to feedback good and bad.)
- Document what you are doing.
- Create simple repeatable systems.
That experience becomes valuable because you are not just selling software setup. You are helping another business owner avoid confusion. I’m sure you’d want someone to care about you and your business like that. I know I would!
Rushing into client work before you understand the tool can create stress for both you and the client. Take your time and learn it properly. Build confidence through implementation.
Question: What matters more: the website or the CRM?
This may surprise people, but sometimes the CRM is more important than the website. However, each business and situation is different.
Your website matters because it creates a first impression and gives people a place to learn about your business. You must have a presence. A website without follow-up is like handing someone a brochure and hoping they call you back.
Your CRM is where the relationship is managed. A CRM allows you to:
- Capture leads
- Track conversations (What was their dog’s name?)
- Follow up automatically
- Organize prospects
- Manage appointments
- Send reminders (This helps cut down cancellations.)
- Nurture relationships
- Create consistency
- Avoid losing opportunities
For service-based businesses, especially healthcare, coaching, consulting, financial services, home services, and professional services, relationships drive revenue. Your CRM supports those relationships.
Question: Why do business owners get so overwhelmed by tech?
Because they are not just learning software, they are making business decisions and managing everything else under the sun. Most tech questions usually lead to a strategy question.
For example:
- “What platform should I use?” really means, “What am I trying to build?”
- “What should my website say?” really means, “How do I explain my value?”
- “How do I set up my CRM?” really means, “What is my client journey?”
- “What emails should I automate?” really means, “What does my audience need to hear before they trust me?”
- “What pages do I need?” really means, “What decisions does my customer need to make?”
This is why business owners often need more than tech support. They need strategic support.
Question: What should new business owners focus on first?
Before you build a complicated website or buy another platform, start with some questions. Ask yourself:
- Who am I trying to help?
- What problem do I solve?
- What service do I want people to buy?
- How do people find me?
- What action do I want them to take?
- What happens after they take that action?
- How will I follow up?
- How will I track leads?
- How will I stay consistent?
Once those answers are clear, the technology becomes easier to choose. The tool should support the strategy. The strategy should not be built around the tool.
Question: What is the biggest mistake new business owners make with websites and CRMs?
The biggest mistake is trying to build everything at once.
They want the full website, the CRM, the email sequence, the funnel, the course, the social media calendar, the automation, the lead magnet, the blog, the booking calendar, and the perfect brand and NOW! That creates overwhelm…for everyone invovled.
Instead, build in phases.
- Phase one: Clarify your offer and message.
- Phase two: Create a simple website or landing page.
- Phase three: Set up lead capture and follow-up.
- Phase four: Build automations.
- Phase five: Add content, SEO, funnels, and advanced systems.
You do not need everything today.
Question: When should I hire someone to help?
You should consider hiring help when:
- You are spending too much time trying to figure out the technology.
- You are unsure which platform is right for your goals.
- Your website does not clearly explain what you offer.
- Your leads are coming in but not being followed up with consistently.
- Your CRM feels confusing or underused.
- You bought GoHighLevel but do not know where to start.
- You are trying to turn your knowledge into a service, offer, or system.
- You need someone who understands both strategy and implementation.
Sometimes the most expensive thing is NOT hiring help and staying stuck for months trying to piece it together alone. Been there, done that.
You Do Not Need to Figure It All Out Alone
If you are a new business owner trying to navigate websites, WordPress, Wix, GoHighLevel, funnels, CRMs, and marketing systems, take a breath. Like a deep one! You are not behind, incapable or the only one confused by all of this.
These platforms are very powerful, but they can also be overwhelming when you are trying to run a business at the same time. The goal is not to become an expert in every tool. The goal is to build a business that is clear, organized, professional, and easy for your clients to engage with.
That is where strategy matters. At MatczakMethod, I help business owners move from stuck to strategic by clarifying their message, organizing their systems, improving their websites, and creating practical processes that support growth.
Whether you are trying to clean up your website, understand GoHighLevel, build a funnel, improve your client follow-up, or simply figure out what to do next, you do not have to navigate it alone.
Need help figuring out your website, CRM, or business systems?
Schedule a Discovery Call to see if we are a good fit to work together.