There are many pros and cons of using WordPress. I will show you the advantages and disadvantages of using WordPress in this article.
This article will cover:
I only use WordPress to develop my websites. Let me tell you a story about when I first started developing sites. 10 years, ago I used Dreamweaver when I was learning to develop sites. While in college, we learned how to use this tool exclusively. I did get fairly used to it. But, once I graduated from college and got some real world experience I soon learned I set myself up for failure.
Failure? Because I developed a couple sites for clients. Developed them with Dreamweaver. The problem came when they wanted changes. It was painfully hard to make changes. Took 30-45 minutes just to redo a navigation bar. Then, I discovered WordPress, which is an excellent CMS.
Dreamweaver isn’t a CMS, which I didn’t know at the time. So, I quickly learned that I needed to use WordPress exclusively for my sites. Making changes on static HTML site is the backward way to develop a site. WordPress is a very dynamic CMS which makes updating a site easy.
Below are some pros and cons to using WordPress. Hopefully, they help you in deciding if you want to use WordPress for your sites.
WordPress Advantages:
Lots of sites use WordPress. You will be entering into a larger world, more so than if you don’t use WordPress. 74.6 million sites are using WordPress.
Great content management system. The biggest advantage is how easy it is to navigate through the pages and content. Hence, why it’s a great CMS. It’s set up so that those with just the most basic skills can understand what is going on. As long as you understand computers and the language on a simple level, WordPress will work with you. You can adjust things as you move on, depending on your likes and dislikes.
Plugins. Plugins are going to be your best friend here. With other CMS, the plugins tend to be harder to read, understand and use. It’s all up to you how you want to use it. There are lots of free and paid plugins you can install to make developing sites easier. See this article choosing the right WordPress plugins.
SEO. The plugins on WordPress are designed for simplicity and SEO purposes. Some people have a hard time with the Meta tags and descriptions. WordPress makes these tags easy to understand and use. It’s also an excellent teacher when it comes to optimization. It will help explain which words and phrases are best for search engine use. This way more people can find your content and benefit from it.
eCommerce sites. eCommerce is popular for WordPress sites. More people are buying things online. More people are selling online. WordPress eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce have played a big role in this. If your content is optimized efficiently, then you can direct more people to your brand. It’s going to make it easier for you to make a sale. WordPress is also good at teaching the user which words will lead to more sales, versus the ones which will not.
Forums. Can easily install a WordPress plugin to turn your WordPress site into a forum. I recommend using bbPress to create a forum WordPress site.
Bloggers. How many of you are bloggers out there? This is your lucky day. Yes, WordPress has graduated to other levels, aside from the blogging. Blogging is still at the core of the program, though. If blogging is your primary way of earning money and talking to people, then you need to get on board with WordPress soon, if you haven’t done so already. It’s going to be a big help to you.
Low Cost. WordPress is completely free to install on your server. There are lots of free themes you can use. It comes with a 1-click installed with most hosting plans.
Professional Themes. You can get a premium theme for $19 to $99. Many large companies use the WordPress platform. There are lots of premium WordPress themes to choose from your business.
Updates. Updates are always being rolled out for the WordPress CMS. Thus, making the security very strong. See this article on WordPress security plugins.
Performance. WordPress is designed with minimal code with PHP. This allows your website to load quickly.
Mobile-friendly. Most themes with WordPress are integrated so that they show up on mobile devices. It makes no difference if you view your site on phone, tablet, etc.
WordPress Disadvantages:
Custom Layouts Are Hard To Use. The first downside is the layouts. They might be customized, but they can be tricky to navigate through. Same goes for the design process. Some of the designs are not as easily accessible as you might want or need them to be. There are WordPress themes that can help out with this. See Elegant Themes and Headway.
Lots of Updates. It’s essentially running on your server. The updates are going to be constant. I am not saying they will happen every day, but they will happen a lot. Be prepared to update your core WordPress files, plugins, or themes at least a few times a month. You might have to rollback WordPress to a previous state if you run into problems.
Learning Curve. It’s easily accessible, but some prior knowledge does help. It’s best if you are sort of fluent in web development and marketing. I am not saying you need to be proficient in it, but some knowledge will help. Without this knowledge, navigating through WordPress might be a bit more challenging.
Planning Is Needed. Creating a site is all part of the marketing process. It all plays a big role in using WordPress. This is why you need to get some of these skills under your belt. Having a plan will also be a big help with WordPress. If you don’t have a plan, then how can you expect to move forward? WordPress is all part of moving forward. You will need it.
Site Hacks. Sites are prone to hacks. Malware can be installed on your WordPress site. You can always check your WordPress site for malware.
Overall, I have been using WordPress for nearly 10 years now. I’m very happy with it. There is an entire industry created around WordPress. Many hosting companies offer WordPress managed hosting. What’s your experience with WordPress? Are there any pros or cons that you believe should be added to this article? Please leave your comments down below.
TBWHS.com is hosted by GreenGeeks
Thanks for sharing this very useful information. Though I am using WordPress for a long time, I really knew little about it but your content has helped me a lot to know more. Keep posting this information and I always visit your site on daily basis.
Regards
Ravi
Thanks for the support 🙂
Nice write up – I definitely think WordPress is the go-to solution for blogging. It’s super easy to setup and use, however you’re right – there are a ton of updates and the platform is susceptible to spammers and hacking. Keeping everything up to date and backed up is crucial!
There are lots of backup plugins that you can install on your WordPress website. Some of them are free and others do cost money. Please check out my WordPress backup plugins article here.
I just have basic skills in coding, and for me, WordPress works fine. I can always find a theme that gives me what I need. Possibilities to customize are limited, but it usually works. There are a lot of other platforms as well, like Tumblr, Blogger and so on, but what I like the most with WordPress is the community, and there are a lot of people using it.
I think WordPress is the best content management platform I don’t even know who are the competitors of WordPress.
WordPress is definitely the best!
Thanks for sharing and have a great day 🙂
Here are some alternatives:
Ghost.
Drupal.
Joomla.
Tumblr.
Weebly.
Wix.
Medium.
SquareSpace.
However, I really feel WordPress is the best!
Garen, thanks for the article. I have to agree that some of the themes are difficult to navigate and to set up. At least we at Wealthy Affiliate can change themes, and I may go with one of your suggestions. I can’t remember what theme I’m on. Do you happen to know some good free WordPress themes?
Yes, check out this article on Free WordPress Themes.
I am using WordPress and I do recognize the points you are mentioning. In the beginning it was difficult for me to understand how the layout and design works. After some studying (like you said having some previous knowledge helps but you can learn along the way too) all went well. Thanks for sharing.
I actually used Blogger for about 4 months before I started WordPress. It was kind of a hassle to switch my content over from Blogger to WordPress. But, I am much happier with WordPress. It’s much more polished, and you can do a lot more with it.
I have always liked how easy WordPress is to manage even though I already have some skills in coding. I will always choose this anytime because it saves time and is very convenient for someone who wants to set up his website based on the theme of his niche (since WordPress provides themes that are in line with your niche. WordPress will always be my number one choice and your article just solidified my stance. Nice one!
Great info on this site and I will agree that you have to take your time with WordPress to understand how the platform works as well as the tools that come with it. I also think checking out all the different themes both paid and unpaid are worth looking into simply because they can really make your site stand out if you pick the right one. You have a lot of useful information on here that anyone looking to start a blog or website on WordPress can use. Well written and informative article here!
Also, it might be worth it to get a premium theme for WordPress if you’re new to designing websites. They can walk you through any kind of changes you might need. Also, they usually just provide custom CSS that you might need. Therefore, you don’t have to know any CSS or coding. That is always a big pro to using premium WordPress themes.
Great information. I am fairly new to WordPress so reading articles like yours help a lot. WordPress is the only platform I’ve used so far so I can’t really compare it to others but what you have described is exactly how WordPress is. Information like this is what I need.
Thank you for sharing
But, I do have a question for you. Do you recommend self-hosted WordPress sites or using WordPress.com
I highly recommend hosting your own sites on your own servers. WordPress.com is great, but you don’t have full control over it. At any time they can delete your site. It’s in their TOS. Might want to take a look at WordPress’s TOS.
I remember Dreamweaver. I tried for a few months to build a website and finally quit. I knew if I waited long enough something better would come along. It did, in the name of Word Press. I love the ease of it. I still am learning. Thank you so much for all this valuable information. I have bookmarked your site to come back to.
I agree. Haven’t ever used DreamWeaver since I started using WordPress.
Hi, Garen – You have summarized a pretty accurate review of WordPress in my opinion. Funny, I tried to learn Dreamweaver once and gave up. Glad I did!
I think one thing to be added is the fact that someone who knows coding & CSS can add it to their WordPress site. You’re not stuck with the developer’s options only. Of course, that can get risky for a novice.
WordPress can make a person crazy sometimes, quirky little things to figure out. But for the most part, I really love it, and I’m glad to use it for my sites.
Yeah, I haven’t touched DreamWeaver in over 10 years now. I believe their “Creative Suite” is over $500. Which I feel is very high and isn’t the best option for developing dynamic sites. The WordPress CMS is free and there are a lot of free themes, plugins, etc. for it. Clearly, it’s a better option and I am so glad to be using it.
It actually makes developing websites fun!