Freelance Developer looking to change methods

[joshparrish95]

Hey guys,

So I am a freelance Web Developer who has always used Asp.Net/C#, it's what I learned in college and so I've stuck with it however since last year I haven't been doing so well due to people having sites made for them by "developers" using wordpress, mainly due to them being able to do a similar site in half the time and cheaper, I did a little research and I can see it runs on PHP but it looks super basic and I feel like you wouldn't have as much control over a site as you would with pure code. I was considering switching to it so I can kinda keep up but I'm not sure if it's worth the investment, my other question is. I've seen another CMS called Drupal, now they look similar(ish) but I've been told they're vastly different in how they're used. My clients are usually small businesses or people wanting personal sites.

So my two questions to summarise are:

1) Do I make the switch and start with WP to keep up with the times?

2) If I switch do I research into WP or Drupal? Which would be better for my needs?

 

[Ralston18]

I doubt that your customers will really care about what development tool you use for their website. Only becomes an issue if you cannot provide some whistle or bell that they require or otherwise decide to have.

From your standpoint you are being "underbid" because competitors can and do use other tools to make the work easier and thus faster/cheaper.

Since you have looked at WP and determined that it appears "super basic" then go for it and learn it in detail. You can always fall back on some other tool to provide extra control over the site if and when necessary.

Go with WP/PHP but keep an eye on Drupal and work with it as time and circumstances permit. Code Academy is a good source for adding to your skillset. (Did not see Drupal listed but it is probably out there somewhere.)

And also work on distinguishing your skills, design abilities, customer support, etc. from the competition. You want to be the high end provider.

It will really boil down to the craftsman and not the tool(s).