BeeHiiv Review: Unlikely Choice Over WordPress for My Website

Unpacking the factors that made me stick with BeeHiiv instead of Wordpress for my website.

Author

Corey Koehler
July 08, 2023

Most BeeHiiv reviews are about the email side of their newsletter platform.

Not this one.

Instead, I wanted to share a few thoughts on the website side of things.

I recently began building a WordPress website for this project. But. after investing a crap ton of time researching and building, I took an unexpected turn.

Curious?

Stick with me as I share my journey, which might save you a ton of time and trouble.

Table of Contents

Super Quick Backstory

Just to clarify - I'm a big fan of WordPress. Been using it since 2007, and it's been great. However, when this project kicked off, I needed to hit the ground running quickly.

Enter BeeHiiv.

My main focus was building an email list, and BeeHiiv seemed perfect for that. Plus, it was a shiny new toy (I love exploring new tools!). Also, one goal for this site was to demonstrate how others can build an online business for early retirement. BeeHiiv's simplicity made it an attractive choice.

BeeHiiv lets you publish your articles both as an email and a public blog post (two birds, one stone).

On the other hand, a WordPress site isn't as beginner-friendly and requires an additional email service to build an email list effectively.

As this project grew, it seemed the right time to settle down with a proper website. And I thought I needed WordPress. Let's dive into why.

Why WordPress?

Here's why I initially leaned towards a WordPress-BeeHiiv combo.

1. Control over page design: WordPress, coupled with a good theme, gives me complete control. This is crucial for generating sign-ups via proven strategies I've developed over 15 years. For instance, an "upside-down" homepage, which has the sign-up form above the fold, helps capture more emails. BeeHiiv almost gets you there but falls short when adding a bio or lead magnets.

2. Organic ranking: WordPress stands a good chance of earning a high rank on search engines. Organic search traffic is key. Previous sites I've built attracted thousands of daily visitors and earned affiliate commissions (aka passive income) on autopilot for years. This is essential because, as a content creator, organic traffic is one of your most potent leverage sources.

3. Plugins: WordPress boasts a huge array of plugins, like Yoast SEO and PrettyLinks, that help customize your site. Yoast SEO allows you to optimize your content's SEO as you write. PrettyLinks is great for shortening, branding links, and tracking traffic to affiliate offers.

All compelling reasons, right?

Yet, I decided against continuing with the WordPress site.

Here's why.

What Changed My Mind?

After observing the BeeHiiv team's progress and diving deeper into its features, I decided to roll with BeeHiiv.

More control over page design: BeeHiiv recently gave users more control over page design with Customized Landing pages, among other regular feature additions since I joined them in February 2023. The Custom Landing pages are still a bit limited, but their continuous improvements signal a positive trend.

SEO Priority: A few blog articles on SEO by BeeHiiv calmed my initial apprehensions. They seem to be prioritizing SEO, which is vital to me due to the importance of organic search traffic.

Working around plugins: I realized I could work around not having plugins. There's a content SEO tool I've been eyeing, and I know there are some solid alternatives to PrettyLinks I can use.

BeeHiiv’s Bonus Points

Their support has been super responsive, with a team actively engaging on social platforms. Support is a big deal, something I'd have to figure out on my own or hire a third party for with WordPress.

Plus, using BeeHiiv is just fun. I can't quite put my finger on it it, but I genuinely enjoy writing within BeeHiiv.

Final Thought

In summary, BeeHiiv seems to have it all. Initially designed as a newsletter platform, it's clear they've broadened their vision. They recognize the need to attract visitors and convert them into subscribers for a newsletter to grow. It's become a one-stop solution.

With BeeHiiv, I have everything I need to build an income-generating newsletter and blog that's optimized for search engines and email list building.

The only thing left? To focus on creating good content.

Who knows? I may be turning into a BeeHiiv fanboy!

Let me know if you've had similar experiences or are considering giving BeeHiiv a shot.

[Exclusive Bonus] The Blogletter: Write Once, Publish Twice

Here's something I wish someone had told me years ago: Managing separate platforms for your blog and newsletter is a massive time-suck. Trust me, I've been there - juggling WordPress with various email services since 2007.

That's why I stuck with Beehiiv. It lets you write once and publish both a blog post and a newsletter automatically. No more copy-pasting between platforms or managing multiple tools. Just clean, simple, and effective.

I needed a name for this blog-newsletter combo set-up I've been using, so I went with "The Blogletter." Not winning any awards for creativity here, but it as cheesy as the name is, it works. Sign up for Beehiiv through my link, and I'll send you my guide that shows a few way to get started faster.

Quick-Start Guide Includes:

  • Blog & email formatting tricks that work in both places

  • A step-by-step plan to land your first readers

  • Ways to actually make money with this thing

  • AI shortcuts to write content in half the time

Get 20% off your first 3 months with code GUIDE. Plus, try it free for 30 days - no credit card needed.

Then, send me your email to let me know where I can send your guide.

My guarantee: Follow the guide, and if you don't see clear progress in 60 days, I'll personally help you troubleshoot for free.

(Just so you know, I do get a small kickback if you should decide to become a paid BeeHiiv subscriber. I want to thank you for your support. I am a creator and entrepreneur and will use the cash generated as another revenue stream to cover some of the costs of creating this content for free).