With over 10 years of experience in web development, you have seen the evolution of web technologies. I settled on using WordPress in 2010 and have not looked back. Since then, many different developers and agencies swear against the use of WordPress, and the internet is cluttered with myths. Well, here are some myths below to help you decided.
Myth: It’s just a blog
Busted: There are many sites that use WordPress for more than a blog. It’s used for Web Applications, eCommerce, and internal enterprise systems.
Myth: Isn’t scalable
Busted: There are many big-name, high traffic sites that use WordPress as their framework. Some of these include The White House, the New York Times, and many more.
Myth: Doesn’t come with support
Busted: WordPress powers over 50% of websites in the world using a CMS and 30% of total websites worldwide. In layman’s terms, WordPress is used by 19 million websites worldwide and is growing. There are organizations worldwide called WordCamps that brings the best and brightest developers to discuss the changes and innovation in the WordPress community. In other words, you don’t have to look far to find someone that can help you with your website.
Myth: Too Complicated
Busted: This myth is wrapped in some misstated truth. The default WordPress dashboard can be confusing and cumbersome, we’ll admit this. WordPress is so flexible, you can easily customize the dashboard to make it very user friendly.
Myth: Not Secure
Busted: Another misstated truth. Let’s clear the air, no website is immune to hackers, period. If someone tells you otherwise, they are lying. Any website, no matter the platform, can be hacked depending on how the attacker tries to gain access. The top three ways that attackers hack a website are poor hosting, weak passwords, and outdated software (finding a back door). You want to make sure that all three are taken care of when you launch a website on WordPress. This is the same rule of thought for any software that you use.
Myth: Sites are slow
The misstated truth here is that WordPress is inherently slow. This misnomer comes from poor optimization and poor hosting. Your site should be built with a clean, optimized code, proper media optimization techniques, and performance-optimized hosting. The goal is to do everything possible to ensure your website is running smoothly 24/7.
Myth: Not Responsive
Busted: We don’t even know why this is still a myth but WordPress is a responsive platform. This has less to do with WordPress and more to do with your developer. In other words, your website will work on Smartphones, Tablets, and Desktops. Your developer should use the most up to date standards set by the W3C, the International Standards Org for the web. They should not cater to the performance of sites on outdated browsers/technology. Also, your developer should not charge you extra for this because it’s now an industry standard.
Myth: All look the same
Busted: WordPress has a worldwide following and ever-evolving technology stack. There are a lot of theme marketplaces frequented by agencies that use a lot of pre-made themes for specific industries. So your design has more to do with how it’s built. Which your site should be branded to your agency or business to stand out and not look like everyone else’s.
Myth: WordPress is Free
Truth: Of course, we had to add a curveball in this. This “myth” is absolutely true. The core of WordPress is a free, open-source technology. Just like most major technologies, programming languages, and frameworks, they are all free. The cost of having a site built with WordPress is a personalized platform that operates to help your agency or business operate efficiently.
Myth: Not for advanced web technology / Future Proof
Busted: WordPress was first released in 2003. Since then, it has evolved to become one of the most used CMS platforms worldwide. Its market share has grown to be used by 30% of all websites worldwide and continues to grow. That means WordPress has grown to the needs of organizations everywhere and continues to do the same.
We hope we have cleared the air for you. There are plenty of different agencies and developers that swear against the use of WordPress for many different reasons (most of which are named here). Most organizations can use WordPress to build their own online presence. If you have any other concerns or questions, reach out and I will be glad to clear them up!
