As WordPress continues to proudly lead the internet as the most widely used content managing system (CMS), it is expected to continue being the first choice for bloggers and website owners in 2019 and beyond. If you are planning to build a new website, you need to weigh the pros and cons of using any blogging or CMS platform available.
To help you make an informed decision on whether or not to use WordPress, this write-up lists 12 pros and 5 cons of this Open Source platform. Let’s get onto them right away.
Advantages of using WordPress
Relatively less expensive website development
Building, developing and maintaining a blog or website on your own using WordPress is significantly cheaper than hiring a designer to build your site from scratch.
WordPress is FREE to install and comes with very cost-effective 1-click hosting plans.
Today, owning a website should not be as costly as in the old days, thanks to reliable CMSs like WordPress.
A wide variety of professional themes
The platform gives you the freedom to choose your desired theme from a wide selection of premium themes. Great themes are available at favourable prices as low as $19. There are many big corporations that use WordPress. The availability of professional site themes is one of the compelling reasons for using the platform.
WordPress sites are mobile-friendly
At a time when internet surfing is largely done using mobile devices, making your site as responsive as possible to various devices is critical to your success. Most of WordPress’s designs and themes are responsive. Using this market leading CMS means you will be able to automatically benefit from emergent responsive web technology without having to create new websites every now and then.
Search Engine Optimization Ready
A WordPress site is built with everything an SEO-ready site should have. Constant codes for favourable Google indexing, customizable SEO components for each page, and plugins dedicated to SEO are some of the ways WordPress makes sites competitive in search engine rankings.
There is no better platform than WordPress when it comes to optimization.
You can easily update your site from wherever you are
You can maintain your site on your own from wherever you are. With just a little web development knowledge or experience, you can make normal changes to your site when necessary.
Easy, convenient backlinking and syndication
Using WordPress is a convenient way of getting the best value from backlinking. The RSS feed feature offered by this platform enables other bloggers to syndicate your content across other websites and directories.
Great for eCommerce sites
Today, millions of people are buying things online. This offers loads of investment chances for online entrepreneurs who can see opportunities in the development of financial markets as well as the increased use of the internet worldwide.
Many ecommerce sites’ owners use WordPress. The CMS provides a number of plugins such as WooCommerce to ensure that your site is efficient for eCommerce. These developments make it easy for you to direct more traffic to your eCommerce site, thus increasing conversion and sales.
Frequent upgrades to your site’s capabilities
Unlike other CMSs where adding new features or functionalities is cumbersome or difficult, WordPress-based sites are easy to upgrade. WordPress uses plugins that are generally easy to install and use. In addition, due to the wide-spread use of the platform, there are many forums and informational sites that continuously document best practices. You’ll never get stuck trying to make your site better.
Best for aggressive online marketing
For individuals in online marketing, provision of frequent, fresh content is of paramount importance. WordPress allows you to make as many updates to your content as required.
It is easy to build credibility in your niche when you are able to update your website content frequently.
Also, you can make a new WordPress site in minutes to take full advantage of tactical campaigns.
Excellent social media integration
WordPress allows for hassle-less integration with social networks. As the site owner, you don’t need to login to your social media account every time you want to share fresh content to your online community. The high level of social connectivity offered by WordPress ensures that you automatically update your accounts with one click.
Increased security compared to traditional sites
With the rise in cybersecurity threats, all sites face security challenges. With good web design and development skills or a bit of professional help, you can use WordPress’s security plugins and updates to make sure your site remains hack-proof.
Security is far much more enhanced on a WordPress site than on traditional sites.
Easy transition from one designer to the other
As your business grows, there are chances that different designers will work on your site over time. It’s common to find designers having their preferred web development platforms. However, WordPress is an open source platform that makes it extremely easy for transitioning between different designers.
Disadvantages of Using WordPress
Using WordPress has its drawbacks. These include:
- Navigating through WordPress web design, development and maintenance can be challenging, especially to people who don’t have prior knowledge or experience of web development and marketing.
- While the WordPress platform itself is free, using it efficiently relies on customization themes and plugins. Most of these efficiency-enhancing features and tools have a price. The more of them you use, the higher the cost of using WordPress goes.
- Security is a big challenge for many users. The mere fact that WordPress is the most widely used CMS makes it a prime target for cybercriminals. Its heavy reliance on plugins developed by different people also increases the chances of malicious code slipping through to your site’s functionalities.
- Some updates require additional web design knowledge. WordPress generally offers minimal maintenance support. Users mostly rely on online forums for workable solutions. Knowing which advice to follow requires a fair level of web knowledge. Moreover, customization needs coding knowledge.
- SEO friendliness of WordPress can mean problems for people with no SEO experience. Some SEO-based features of WordPress, such as its category and tagging system can work against the user. For instance, if the content is marked into many categories or is over-tagged, Google flags it as duplicate content. This can significantly affect your site’s rankings on SERPs.
- Overall, WordPress is a competitive blogging platform and CMS compared to other related solutions. It is free and super easy to use, which makes it the best option for many starting bloggers and website owners.
WordPress Alternatives
Wix
Wix is a different yet flexible alternative to WordPress. It is a cloud-based web development platform that provides the tools you need for building online professional-looking sites. With 100s of flexible and pre-designed templates available, drag and drop site builder makes it simple to use. Spice up your website by adding animated text and other elements.
Shopify
If you’re looking to sell products online or create a small business website, Shopify is a good alternative to WordPress. If you wish to sell on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, etc Shopify also provides a free multichannel integration. In a nutshell, Shopify has several logically structured elements such as built-in sales tools, superior ease of use, and quick build time with over 100 hassle-free payment options.
BigCommerce
In the world of online Business, SEO Practices are important for any business to grow. When it comes to SEO capabilities, BigCommerceis the one. It comes with unlimited bandwidth for product and file storage. Moreover, they offer a wide range of built-in marketing tools to promote your online store. If you are looking to create a multi-currency e-commerce site with free sitewide HTTPs and dedicated SSLs you can get it with BigCommerce.
Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder that comes with stylish and responsive designs. It takes care of all aspects of your website like templates, automatic updates, e-commerce, and hosting. Squarespace does offer import/export functions( i.e you can import a WordPress blog to Squarespace without downloading an additional plugin). It is best for small businesses if the pricing is considered.
Joomla
Joomla is a complex but powerful Open source platform on which websites and applications are created. It is a content management system that is a fit for all websites. Joomla is not a limited platform on which a specific type of site is built but a robust set of tools that makes it possible to connect visitors to data in a variety of ways. It is easy to use but also expects you to custom code the non-standard element.
Who is WordPress right for?
In the world of virtual business and situations like COVID one needs to have an online presence to expand their business. The website is most likely your sole source of brand representation and Customer growth. But the question arises is which platform do you choose to build a website? If you are looking for a Strong foundation then the answer is WordPress.
WordPress is a no-brainer. That is web development with WordPress is simple. That is web development with WordPress is simple. Most of the web developers believe that WordPress is a better choice as it stores content and enables a user to create and publish web pages, requiring nothing beyond a domain and hosting service, without needing to know anything about programming.
WordPress is a great choice for anyone who wants to-
- Start a blog
- Make business website
- Build an online store
- Build a membership website
- Sell online courses
Moreover, WordPress is not just for bloggers; it is for everyone. It is a thriving and inclusive community with a wide range of technical people. The members of the WordPress community provide full technical support without any charges. WordCamp is a vital component of the WordPress community.
WordCamp is all about WordPress. It is a community organized conference centered on the WordPress publishing platform. These events are scheduled, paid for, and attended by the local WordPress community. It is attended by people ranging from blogging newbies to professional WordPress developers. WordCamps are the perfect way to learn more about the platform, make connections, and find new opportunities.
Conclusion on Pros and Cons of WordPress
If you intend to go the DIY way of building and managing a new site, or your business needs a website in the most cost-effective way, WordPress might be the best platform to use.
