Pros and Cons of a WordPress Website
It’s been a while since I published an article on Simple Business Blogging. So much has happened since then, that I feel the need to write an article on the subject of WordPress again.
WordPress is now one of the most popular web content management systems (CMS). It was initially designed for use with blogs, but it is so much more than that. You can use it to create any kind of website you can possibly imagine (and a few things you probably can’t). Let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of WordPress.
The Pros
There are many benefits to having a WordPress website. Here are just a few of them.
- Easily one of the most popular content management systems ever
- A great choice for people looking to start a blog or website
- Many advanced customization options available
- A huge market globally as more than 500 million active monthly users use it
- A security-minded platform with strict coding guidelines
- An open-source platform, which means it’s free and available for anyone to use
- It’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll never be out of work if you decide to become a WordPress developer
- Many free themes and plugins available, which makes the whole process of creating a website much easier
- You don’t need a technical background to use it, which is great for people who are looking to learn how to code
The Cons
Like most other platforms, WordPress has its cons, as well. Let’s take a look at them.
- It’s not necessarily the best choice for people who have very specific needs (e.g., if you’re looking for a SEO-friendly platform)
- Some people claim that it’s not a safe choice because there is no assurance that your website will stay up for long without maintenance (hence the reason it’s not recommended for a company website)
- You will need to learn how to use either Photoshop or Illustrator to make modifications to your website’s design (if you’re going to redesign it yourself)
- Since WordPress is open-source, any hacker can potentially access your website’s code which, in turn, can lead to security vulnerabilities
- You won’t be able to use certain CSS3- or HTML5-based features on your site unless you pay for a premium theme (and even then, you won’t be able to use certain features – like video embedding or responsive design – which some themes offer)
- Since WordPress is relatively easy to use, it requires less experience to become competent at using it than, for example, building a custom CMS from the ground up (like Acquia). As a result, it’s easier to become obsolete as a developer for WordPress than it is for a custom CMS platform.
- WordPress is pretty popular, so if you’re looking for employment, it might be difficult to find work. That being said, there is a constant demand for WordPress web developers throughout the world.
- If you’re looking for a simple blog platform, you might consider using something like Blogger or Medium.
- If you need something with a bit more sophistication (e.g., a news website, a magazine site, or a corporate website), then WordPress is certainly a viable option and a popular one at that.
In the end, only you can decide what’s important to you and what your needs are. No matter what your reasons are for wanting a WordPress website or blog, there is an abundance of reasons why you might want to consider it. Just remember: what you gain in one area, you lose in another. For example, the openness of the platform means there are many more security vulnerabilities to worry about. Unless you have extremely specific needs that must be met by a CMS, WordPress isn’t necessarily the best choice.