WordPress, Laravel, headless… Choosing a stack for a business site in Senegal should not follow fashion. It should follow criteria: who edits, what performance, what budget, what lifespan. Here is a clear decision grid.
Criteria: editors, performance, budget
- Who updates content day to day?
- Do you need a catalog, member area, business workflows?
- What performance and technical SEO bar is non-negotiable?
- Initial budget vs. 24-month maintenance cost
WordPress when it’s enough
Great for showcase sites, blogs, and much WooCommerce e-commerce. Familiar editors, rich ecosystem. Caveat: bad plugins mean slow sites and security holes. With a clean base, monitored hosting and few extensions, WordPress remains solid for many SMEs in Dakar.
Laravel / custom when it matters
When business logic leaves the standard catalog (portals, complex booking, specific payment / ERP / mobile-money integrations), a Laravel (or similar) backend gives control. More upfront craft, more long-term mastery.
Headless: for whom?
Useful when you have multiple fronts (web + app), a technical team, and a strong need for performance / custom design. Overkill for a five-page showcase with no maintenance capacity.
SiiW decision grid
Showcase + non-technical editors → well-scoped WordPress. Product / platform / heavy integrations → Laravel or modern stack. Multi-channel content + tech team → headless possible. Always: SEO basics, mobile, forms, analytics, and a hosting plan.