Comparison
WordPress vsa managed lawfirm website
WordPress is a powerful, flexible choice for a law firm that has a developer or agency to host, update and secure it, or that wants full control of its own code. If nobody at the firm wants to own plugins, updates, hosting and security, a managed law firm website is the better fit: the same kind of pages, with speed, upkeep and compliance handled for you.
The other option
What WordPress is, fairly described
WordPress is widely used open-source website software. A firm installs it on hosting it chooses, picks a theme and adds plugins for forms, SEO, caching and security. It can do almost anything, provided someone maintains it.
GetLawyerWebsite is a fully managed, custom-coded website for law firms: we write, build, host and update it, and you approve. Plans start at $137 a month, with a $797 build fee invoiced only after launch.
Side by side
How WordPress and a managed law firm website compare
Twelve things that decide how a law firm website performs and who carries the work. Where a column says "depends", that is an honest answer: the result is down to whoever builds and runs it.
| What matters | WordPress | GetLawyerWebsite |
|---|---|---|
| Speed and Core Web Vitals | Can be fast with careful hosting, theme and caching; page builders and plugins often add weight. | 90+ PageSpeed on mobile and desktop, written into the terms. Static pages served from Cloudflare's edge. |
| SEO control | Full control, usually through an SEO plugin configured by someone at the firm or an agency. | Titles, descriptions, URLs, internal links and redirects set page by page for you. |
| Schema (JSON-LD) | Available through plugins; law-specific markup needs configuring. | LegalService, Attorney, Service, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList markup, matched to the visible text. |
| AEO and GEO readiness | Achievable with deliberate writing and plugins. | Answer-first pages, FAQ blocks, an llms.txt file and identical firm details everywhere. |
| Hosting and security | Your choice of host; security depends on updates, plugins and configuration. | Cloudflare hosting, SSL, CDN, DDoS protection, backups, monitoring and security headers. No admin login to attack. |
| Maintenance burden | Core, theme and plugin updates, backups and security are ongoing work for someone. | None for the firm. Weekly detail updates plus 5 revisions a month, each within 2 to 5 working days. |
| Who does the work | You, a developer or an agency. | We write, build, host and manage it. You approve. |
| Content and blog | Excellent built-in blogging; someone still writes. | 2 researched articles a week (3 on Firmwide), always general information. |
| Design quality | Anything from a stock theme to fully custom. | Custom-coded for your firm on a design system made for law firms. |
| Accessibility and compliance pages | Added by whoever builds it; cookie consent usually via a plugin. | Built with WCAG in mind; privacy, cookie consent, terms, accessibility statement and advertising disclaimers included. |
| Cost model | Software is free; hosting, premium themes, plugins and developer time are separate. | From $137 a month plus a $797 build fee invoiced after launch. Domain and hosting included; AI usage at cost on Chambers. |
| Lock-in and ownership | You own and can move the whole install. | No fixed term. Domain in your firm's name. Content and articles exported within 14 days of cancellation. |
When WordPress is the better fit
- You have an in-house developer or a trusted agency on a maintenance plan.
- You want to own and self-host the code and change anything, any time.
- You need a specialist integration that only exists as a WordPress plugin.
When a managed law firm website wins
- Nobody at the firm wants to think about plugin updates, backups or a hacked site.
- You want 90+ PageSpeed guaranteed, not dependent on which plugins were added last.
- You want practice area pages, bios and articles written for you every week.
- You want one predictable monthly fee with hosting and domain included.
Switching or combining
Moving from WordPress without losing what ranks
We move the content worth keeping from your WordPress site, rewrite what needs it, and redirect every URL that holds rankings to its new page. If you want to keep a WordPress blog for a while, it can live on a subdomain during the move.
- Send us your WordPress address (admin access helps but is not required).
- We inventory pages and posts, keep what ranks and plan redirects.
- We build the new site and set the redirects; forms go to your intake CRM.
- Launch, approve, and cancel your old hosting when you are ready.
What you get with us
Every feature inour three plans
Everything below is managed for you. The AI receptionist, chat widget and messaging agents are on Chambers and Firmwide; social posts, reels and your Google Business Profile on Firmwide.
Counsel $137/ monthChambers $297/ month + usageFirmwide $747/ month
Every plan carries the $797 build fee, invoiced only after the site is live and approved. Chambers adds AI usage at cost, billed monthly in arrears.
In the firm's words
What firms say after switching
It opens on a phone before the person has time to go back to the search results, and the calls that come in at two in the morning get answered in the firm's name. That was the whole reason we changed.
Each visa path is its own page now, and the weekly articles answer the questions our intake team used to repeat all day. I review them on a Monday and they are live that week.
Illustrative sample reviews. The names, firms and details are examples written to show what a review of this service covers, not statements from real clients. Verified client reviews replace them as they are received.
Answers
Questions about WordPress for law firms
Is WordPress good for law firms?
Yes, when someone maintains it. The question is who handles hosting, updates, plugins, security and content, because WordPress leaves all of that with the site owner.
Is your site faster than WordPress?
A well-built WordPress site can be fast. Ours are static and custom coded with almost no JavaScript, and 90+ PageSpeed on mobile and desktop is written into our terms, so speed does not depend on plugin choices.
Can we move our WordPress blog to your site?
Yes. We move the articles worth keeping and redirect their old URLs, so the search visibility they have earned carries over.
Do we lose control compared with WordPress?
You trade hands-on editing for having it done. Changes come through weekly updates and revisions rather than a dashboard. If direct editing matters most to you, WordPress may be the better fit.
What about WordPress security?
WordPress security depends on keeping core, theme and plugins updated. Our static sites have no database or admin login to attack, and hosting, SSL and security headers are managed for you.
Is WordPress cheaper?
The software is free, but hosting, premium themes, plugins and developer time add up and vary. Our plans start at $137 a month with a $797 build fee after launch, with hosting and upkeep included.
Can you keep our SEO plugin settings?
We carry across the titles and descriptions that already rank and set them per page on the new site, along with schema and redirects.
Do we own the site like we own WordPress?
Your domain is registered in the firm's name and your content and articles are exported within 14 days if you leave. If owning and self-hosting the code itself matters, WordPress gives you that directly.
Other comparisons
WordPress is a trademark of its owner; GetLawyerWebsite is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by it. Descriptions are general and based on publicly available information, checked September 2026.
The next step
Compare it on your own screen
Book a demo and see the site your firm would get next to what WordPress would give you. No build fee until the site is live and approved.
Or email hello@getlawyerwebsite.com. A person replies within one working day.