WordPress is a free and open-source CMS that’s been around since 2004 and is available for download from WordPress.org. For those of you unfamiliar, a CMS (Content Management System) is a type of software that allows non-technical users to easily manage the appearance of their websites. One of the more popular and trusted CMSs is WordPress, which was also the topic of my previous article,

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Choosing a CMS

Many people think that WordPress is the master of all CMSs because it’s so easy to use and offers so many features, many of which are completely free. Well, I hate to break it to you if you’re one of those people, but you’re wrong. Although WordPress is an incredible tool, it has its downsides.

Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t necessarily choose WordPress for your next CMS project, even if you’re a beginner.

Reason #1: Limited Advancement

One of the major things to consider if you want your website to look great is how easily it will evolve over time. If you’re using WordPress, you won’t have the ability to edit the design of your website once it’s been launched, except for potentially fixing some minor things like textured backgrounds or removing unnecessary widgets. The good news is that you can use a simple plugin to fix many of the design flaws that you’ll inevitably encounter.

WordPress was not designed to be a standalone website, but rather a blog platform. This means that it was built to host and display blog posts, not to be the focus of a marketing campaign or to display comprehensive product information. While this characteristic is appealing to individuals or small businesses who want to quickly set up a blog to share an entertaining or informative perspective, you should consider if this is really what you want your site to be used for.

Reason #2: Hosting

If your website is going to be accessed worldwide, you’ll want to host it on a server that can provide you with the optimal experience for your visitors. One factor that you’ll want to keep in mind when selecting a web host is whether or not they offer “wildcard” hosting, which allows you to install 1 website on a single account. Many hosts utilize a “shared hosting” plan, in which you’ll share common hardware resources (such as storage and bandwidth) with other sites on your account. This is a perfectly acceptable arrangement for a personal blog or a small business site, but if you’re looking to host a site with a substantial following, you may want to consider looking elsewhere for hosting.

Reason #3: Backend Configuration

Your website’s backend configuration determines how your site will function once it’s been launched. On the backend of WordPress, you’ll find a variety of options that allow you to configure the platform in many different ways. However, keep in mind that these configurations can vary from easy to difficult, depending on your experience level. If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend avoiding any complexity and going with the default settings.

Doing things the hard way is one of the great perks of WordPress. You’ll never really know if you don’t try. I, personally, like to tinker with my backends and have fun with it, but if you’re looking for a quick and easy setup, you should opt for the default settings.

Reason #4: SEO and Crawler Concerns

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of helping your website to appear at the top of search results when someone conducts a search under relevant keywords. When it comes to SEO, you’ll want to keep in mind a few things:

• Content is king—meaning that you’ll want your content to be as comprehensive and engaging as possible. Keep in mind that users don’t always want to immediately hit the search button, but rather will often scan through a list of results to find what they’re looking for.
• Make sure that you’ve got a good description for each of your product listings, reviews, or blog posts. This will help drive more traffic to your site from organic searches.
• Include relevant keywords throughout your content. If you’ve got a blog post about the best chocolate bars in America, make sure that you include the keywords “chocolate bars,” “American chocolate bars,” or “Where to buy American chocolate bars” in your content.

When it comes to SEO, you’ll want to make sure that the bots (a.k.a. “crawlers”) that index your content are finding what they’re looking for. If you’ve ever seen a bunch of seemingly pointless links on a poorly designed website, that’s probably because the crawler (a.k.a. “spider”) didn’t find what it was looking for. To ensure that your content is being properly indexed, make sure that your site follows the guidelines for good SEO. Many websites lack the proper keywords, use of plurals or singulars, and broken links—all of which can hurt your SEO significantly.

Reason #5: Version Control and Updates

Keeping track of changes as they occur can be a hassle, particularly if you’re a non-technical user. Instead of having to rely on memory or scribbled notes, version control allows you to keep track of all the changes that have been made to a certain document, like a website or an online store. With version control, you’ll be able to rollback changes if they go awry or don’t work out the way you planned. Version control allows for better oversight and streamlines the update process, which makes it a worthwhile investment for any business.

Updating your site is one of the greatest perks of WordPress. When you reach a certain threshold of ‘followers’, you’ll be graced with the ability to update your site with a simple click. Naturally, this is something that you may want to look into, as it can significantly reduce the amount of effort that would be required to maintain a blog or small business website.

Now, I hope that this was a helpful enough overview for you to make the right choice for your next CMS project. It’s definitely a worthy option, but if you’re looking for an all-time favorite, WordPress can be a bit too much to handle for the average person. If you want to keep things simple, look no further than Squarespace, which I’ll discuss in the next section.