3 Reasons Not to Use WordPress
and 3 Reasons why you (probably) should
In mid 2024, Google Ai reports that “WordPress is the go-to option with 861 million WordPress websites, or 43.2% of all live websites, using it. On average, every two out of five sites you visit is built on WordPress.” About half the sites built and managed by Thinkfeelrespond run on WordPress, so why not all of them?
1. Wordpress is fragile
Wordpress was built to enable rapid publishing by non-technical users. Pages and Posts are not prebuilt, but stored in a combination of flat files and database entries and assembled upon visitor request. Any disruption of the server environment will quickly degrade or break your site.
A well-designed and hosted WordPress site can be both fast and secure, typically because of elaborate caching and security designed to mimic the implicit security of a simple hardcoded website. If your primary need is for a website with infrequent updates (i.e. less than monthly), you may be better off with a simpler solution. Some static solutions have run for ten or more years with zero maintenance on servers where other sites have broken.
2. Wordpress is resource-intense
Design, storage, backups, security, and web-services all require more time/space/power (and therefore cost) than other options including hardcoded, flat-file CMS, and competing CMS architectures like Webflow.
One resource that business owners commonly fail to account for is their own internal bandwidth for website management and content development. WordPress demands maintenance, even when new content is not developed.
3. Wordpress is hacker-bait
Thanks largely to its widespread deployment and common structure, WordPress is even more popular with hackers than with authors. Sites that are not professionally-hardened and well-hosted are frequently compromised through Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), and Broken Access Control.
WordPress sites on cheap shared-hosting servers are commonly infected with malware that is time-consuming to remove and, if not detected quickly, may be impossible to restore.
But here’s why You (Probably) Should Use it
1. Wordpress is mature and well-supported
With over twenty years in use, WordPress is supported by more designers and developers than any Content Management System in common use. That makes it less expensive to support than less common architectures.
Widespread use also ensures a vast number of well-developed themes and plug-ins that are free or very low cost, including WooCommerce (for online stores) and Yoast (for SEO).
2. Wordpress simplifies large website production
While there’s no technical reason a static site can’t be as large as a CMS site, WordPress makes it easy to generate new pages by storing common elements such as headers, footers, and navigation in templates. Additionally, WordPress offers browser-based editors which enable publishing from mobile devices and even management and optimization of image assets.
If your application benefits from more pages (stores, blogs, and any site that wants to increase pagerank with more content), then WordPress might be the most efficient way to get there.
3. Wordpress promotes dialogue
Whether you’re an author, an influencer, a politician or a business, it’s hard to deny the power of dialogue. This ability to facilitate user feedback has been part of WordPress from the beginning and continues to be one of the best reasons to use the platform.
Beyond just inviting visitor dialogue, user comments improve visibility and signal relevancy to Google and other search engines—and presumably will be important to AI search as well.
Executive Summary
WordPress is a web content management system that was developed for blogging but has since become the most popular website management platform. As popular as it is, it’s not best for everything. You can save both time and money by letting us direct you to the website solution that fits your budget, timing, and application-specific requirements.
Call or Text to discuss your website or communications questions: (313) 723-4023