# Guides

URL: https://rootcr.com/guides/
Updated: 2026-08-23

# Guides

> **In short:** These are the questions my clients ask before deciding: template or custom, which store system, what it costs, how far a slow site can be sped up, when automation pays off. Every article has a decision rule and a calculation in it — not advertising, but the material I would read myself if I were in your position.

## Choosing a system

- [When is a custom website worth it instead of WordPress — and when is it not?](/guides/wordpress-vs-custom-website/) A decision table, and how to calculate the hidden operating cost of a template.
- [Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom web store? Decision guide](/guides/shopify-vs-woocommerce-vs-custom/) Four routes, four typical situations, and where each one hits its wall.
- [Taking over an abandoned website: fix it or rewrite it?](/guides/taking-over-an-abandoned-website/) What I look at first, and the signs that tell me it has to be rewritten.

## Speed and money

- [Why is a WordPress web store slow, and how far can it be sped up?](/guides/why-wordpress-stores-are-slow/) Where the slowness comes from, what caching solves, and where the ceiling is.
- [Website pricing: what does it depend on, and what is realistic?](/guides/website-development-cost/) What a $500, a $2,000 and a $10,000 project actually covers.
- [Half an hour of daily copy-paste = 125 hours a year: the ROI of automation](/guides/automation-roi/) The formula, a worked example, and what not to automate.

## Visibility and security

- [How does a small business get into ChatGPT and Google AI answers?](/guides/how-to-get-cited-by-chatgpt/) What can actually be done, and what nobody can guarantee.
- [What is structured data, and why does your competitor show up with a price in Google?](/guides/what-is-structured-data/) What the search engine sees when it reads more than the text.
- [How does a quote request form protect against spam? The five layers](/guides/contact-form-spam-protection/) Layers from cheap to expensive, and why the order matters.

## Why do I write these?

Because a bad decision costs more than the development. Most of the questions people come to me with are not "what does it cost" but "do I even need this". You get answers to those here even if you end up not choosing me — and if you do, at least you know what you are buying.