The Pros and Cons of WordPress: An Honest Comparison

When it comes to the Content Management System(CMS) industry, one big player dominates the market – WordPress. It is currently powering 43% of all websites on the internet.

What has made WordPress the industry leader, and why is it still growing? Are you considering building your website on WordPress?

To identify the secret to its ongoing dominance in the CMS market, it’s essential to inspect the advantages and disadvantages of WordPress.

In this article, we’ll try to discuss all the pros and cons of WordPress so that you can decide whether to use it as your go-to CMS or not!

What is WordPress?

Once, people had to rely on developers to create and maintain websites. It wasn’t just hard but also expensive to find a good developer.

Content management systems, mainly WordPress, have facilitated this process for everyone. WordPress gives you powerful blogging and website-building features without requiring any coding. The ready-to-use platform lets you create any website, including e-commerce, blogs, and business websites.

WordPress started its venture in 2003 as a free blogging site. Since then, it has gained the trust of millions of users with continuous updates and adaptation. However, it’s not entirely perfect.

The pros and cons of WordPress 

When you look at the rate WordPress is growing at, you might think it only has advantages. Yes, it has many distinguishing characteristics and numerous advantageous features, but it has some drawbacks too. This section will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of WordPress.

The pros of WordPress

People are building a significant number of websites with WordPress every day. So it’s pretty obvious that WordPress comes with numerous advantages. If you aren’t sure what they are, below are some of the most common advantages of using WordPress:

Free of cost

WordPress is a free CMS platform. You don’t have to spend much to build a website. That is the primary reason for WordPress’s enormous popularity. You can also install thousands of WordPress plugins and themes for free.

User-friendly

“If it’s not easy to use, it’s not for everyone” – WordPress understands it very well. That’s why this CMS platform is incredibly easy to use.

To build a website on WordPress, all you have to do is install a theme, customize the appearance using the Gutenberg editor, and you’re good to go!

Being a content management system, WordPress offers all kinds of customization features so that you can create and design a website even if you don’t know any coding. Depending on the functionalities you need, you’ll also find tons of no-code themes and plugins. Thus, it doesn’t take much time to create a WordPress site.

Easy to create and publish content

WordPress makes it incredibly easy to create and publish content. Adding images, tables, and other formatting elements is too simple. It’s like having a ready-made canvas on which you will create your masterpiece.

As a result, you don’t have to be concerned about post-processing and publishing. Instead, you can put all of your concentration on the quality of your content.

Beautiful themes

It is vital to inspect both appearance and functionality. How will your leads convert into customers if your website is challenging to use?

WordPress comes with tons of themes to give your website the preferred look and functionality.

Let’s say you’re thinking about starting an e-commerce site; you can simply grab a free theme and design your website just as you want. With a beautiful theme, you’ll attract and convert your desired clients in no time!

Moreover, WordPress themes are made to present your website beautifully on every device. Thus, none of your customers will leave dissatisfied.

Tons of plugins

The majority of WordPress users are inexperienced. Most of them do not have the coding knowledge required for building a website, let alone extending the functionalities of a website. 

How do they deal with their website, then?
– Plugins!

WordPress plugins are the tools that operate on top of the CMS. Expert developers create it with your needs in mind. With plugins, you get to build and make your website functional save while saving time, effort, and money.

WordPress is a vast superstore with everything a website owner could ever want. Thousands of WordPress plugins (54000+) are available to help you customize your website. 

You can purchase and install most of the WordPress plugins for free. Besides, there is no restriction on how many plugins you can use. 

SEO friendly

SEO is the ultimate to drive organic traffic to your website. It is difficult to attract the preferred number of visitors without the appropriate use of SEO.

If you do not follow proper SEO practices, your website will suffer. Nobody will discover you on the internet, and your website will go unnoticed. That is why it’s a crucial factor to consider when deciding on a CMS platform. 

WordPress outperforms the majority of its competitors in this area. It is built with SEO friendliness in mind. Additionally, you can also grab an SEO plugin to boost your website’s rankings.

Regular updates

Who doesn’t get pumped when new features are launched? WordPress’s features are frequently updated. These updates often come with a bunch of new features every time. 

Furthermore, updates help you in fixing bugs and security flaws. Frequent updates result in quicker load times, enhanced security, and an overwhelmingly positive customer experience.

Mobile-friendly

According to statistics, mobile devices bring 54.4% of total web traffic. The majority of people prefer mobile devices to computers. So if you’re not attracting mobile users to your website, you aren’t doing yourself any favor.

WordPress, with its mobile-friendly interface, can be an excellent choice for you. It will assist you in driving mobile traffic to your website and ensuring that none of them leave dissatisfied.

Awesome social media integration

Social media is undoubtedly one of the most popular sources of organic traffic. More people are using social media than ever before, especially since the Covid pandemic! As a result, it is now more important to provide the consumers with more than one way to engage with your website.

WordPress has a high level of connectivity with social media platforms. As a result, you or your users can easily share your content on social media platforms.

Open source 

WordPress enables developers to easily modify the website’s code as an open-source CMS platform. Besides, numerous WordPress developers are available to assist you with any modifications you need. 

So, if you are experiencing difficulties, there are numerous high-quality resources available to provide assistance and advice.

The cons of WordPress

While WordPress comes with a lot of advantages, it does have some drawbacks. So before you choose WordPress for building website check out if the below advantages are something you should care about:

Security concerns

WordPress’s most serious flaw is its lack of security! In the previous section, we discussed open source as one of the benefits of WordPress. However, it can also be addressed as a disadvantage of WordPress! 

Keep in mind that WordPress is not only the most popular CMS platform but also a popular target for cyber-criminals. And a security threat can permanently affect your SEO rankings. 

Too many updates

Yes, WordPress is simple to install and use. It’s also easy to customize your WordPress site with various plugins and themes to provide better services. But that’s not the end of the story.

The more plugins and themes you use, the more you’ll deal with frequent updates. In some ways, managing it can be a tiresome job!

Installing various WordPress updates, plugin updates, and theme updates isn’t a child’s play. In order to update WordPress sites, you need to have a basic understanding of how they can affect your website and how to cope with it.

Aside from that, WordPress offers a lot of complex features too. It can be hard to understand, and it’s natural for a newcomer to be perplexed.

Customization is costly

If someone begins using WordPress knowing it is an entirely free platform, they could be surprised after a few days. 

Why?

Because even if the platform is free, fully customizing your site can be costly!

You’ll surely need a theme and a few plugins to create a website on WordPress. Although most plugins and themes offer a free version, they restrict the best features to the premium version. Therefore, you may need to purchase the premium version to make the best use of themes and plugins.

While it’s essential to maximize the features and functionalities of your website, the cost of premium themes and plugins can cost a good chunk of money. So, if you’re thinking about using WordPress solely because it’s free, think again!

Who is WordPress suitable for?

In this age of technology and communication, the world has become more like a global village. Your company or service no longer has to limit itself to a small number of customers. The entire world can be your potential clients!

WordPress can assist you in this regard. It will assist you in developing and maintaining an identity for yourself and your business to the rest of the world.

As previously stated, WordPress is an excellent choice for anyone. It is a collection of ready-made solutions for those who understand their needs.

However, if you’re looking for a precise answer, WordPress is an excellent choice for small organizations, small businesses, and freelancers.

Is WordPress good for small businesses?

WordPress is a lifesaver for small business owners. It has made it possible for anyone to create a website and run their business effectively. And undoubtedly, it is the best option for small businesses.

WordPress is an excellent choice for small businesses because-

• It is entirely free, and anyone can create a website without spending a penny.
• You can install it with a single click. Aside from that, you don’t have to be a pro to keep it running.
• WordPress plugins are simple to install and use for business growth. 
• It provides easy-to-use interfaces. Clients will not become bored while visiting a website.
• It offers free SEO support.
• It has a wide range of themes. You can pick and use any theme you want.
• It is a mobile-friendly platform. As a result, you won’t have to sacrifice customers who use mobile devices.

Is WordPress good for blogging?

There is plenty of blogging software on the market. Many of them are simple to manage and do not cost anything! So, why should you think about WordPress?

As you already know, WordPress started its journey as a free blogging software in 2003. Since then, it has spread and expanded its territory a lot. But still, it can be an excellent option for blogging. 

Here’s why bloggers should consider WordPress:

• Superiority: Nothing can compete with WordPress to give your blog a professional appearance. It isn’t easy to obtain it for free from other platforms. 
• Community: Compared to other available platforms, it has one of the largest online communities. You can quickly contact anyone to seek solutions.
• Authority: WordPress offers a lot of creative freedom. You have complete control over your website, and it’s possible to get as creative as you can! Most other alternatives lack this feature.

Is WordPress good for professional websites?

The first requirement for a professional site is that it appears professional. And what best alternative is there for this than WordPress?

• WordPress is an excellent choice for professional websites, with many plugins and themes available.
• WordPress is a good choice if you aren’t a developer and need agility for your website in the future. 
• While using WordPress, you won’t have to be bound by a rigid framework.
• You can manage your expenses over time.

Still unsure whether to go for WordPress or not? Here is a list of popular companies that rely on WordPress for their businesses.

• Sony Music
• MTV News
• BBC America
• Disney
• PlayStation
• TechCrunch
• Facebook Newsroom
• Microsoft News Center
• The New Yorker
• Xerox

Final Verdict: the Advantages and Disadvantages of WordPress

WordPress is undeniably popular. It’s free, user-friendly, and customizable with themes and plugins. Plus, it’s SEO-friendly, regularly updated, and integrates well with mobile devices and social media. However, security risks and potential costs for premium features should be considered. Overall, WordPress is a popular and versatile choice for building websites.

In this article, we’ve attempted to discuss all the pros and cons of WordPress. And with this knowledge on hand, we hope now you can determine whether to go for it or not.