2 Reasons not to use WordPress and 4 Reasons we do

WordPress is the best-worst CMS there is

Ask any tech-head out there and they’ll have an opinion about WordPress, but the fact is 25 per cent of websites out there are built on WordPress, and it’s not going away any time soon.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill:

WordPress is the worst CMS there is, except for all the other CMS’s that have been tried from time to time.

Two reasons you’ll hear to avoid WordPress are:

1. WordPress isn’t secure
   Sure, It isn’t bullet-proof, but that goes for any software if it’s not managed properly. If you run WordPress updates as they become available, ensure you have strong passwords, and monitor security issues via a dedicated security plug-in, you shouldn’t have any significant security issues.
2. WordPress is hard to use
   The reality is that most CMS’s will have their challenges in this department, unless they are set up with your specific content strategy in mind. No matter what CMS you use, you will need to spend time updating it regularly to familiarise yourself with its functionality. Unfortunately, the CMS that is totally intuitive and easy to use out of the box hasn’t been invented yet.

Four reasons WordPress is our go-to CMS are:

1. WordPress is easy to use
   It just works as it should, so we can concentrate our time on creating great design and user experience.
2. Millions of plug-ins are available
   Something that can be perceived as a pro and a con (but we’re on the side of pro) is the millions of plug-ins that are available. There is a plug-in for everything. We recommend you talk to your developer or do some serious research about the best combination of plug-ins for your needs but once you get that mix right, the plug-ins will make your life a hell of a lot easier.
3. It’s customisable
   Whatever you need on your website, you can get WordPress to do it for you, as long as you know what you’re doing, or you have a competent developer.
4. Popularity provides great economies of scale
   To start with, the software is free, and there is no vendor lock-in or ongoing costs. Because 25 per cent of the world is using the CMS, there are loads of people building resources that you can buy for pocket change. And the extensive developer community means it’s easy to find a developer.

We’ll keep using it until there is something better out there, and we think we’ll be waiting a while for that to happen. Why fight in the court of public opinion when there’s other fun work to be done?

Written by Al  |  14 December 2015