Website administrators know that WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) globally, but is it really so great?
The short answer is: Yes, WordPress is great.
After all, the platform would not power more than 35% of all websites on the Internet for no reason. But just like any other tool out there, WordPress also comes with a few downsides as well. In this post, we will check out the advantages and disadvantages of WordPress. Let’s take a look!
8 Pros of Using WordPress
WordPress offers you a lot of amazing features, but here are the top eight benefits of using this CMS:
1. WordPress is versatile
The first thing you should know about WordPress is its versatility. No matter what you need a website for, WordPress can do it. Everybody uses this CMS — from app development businesses to assignment writers Australia — because it fulfills multiple purposes effortlessly. To put it simply, WordPress has all the functions relevant to different types of websites.
2. Countless customizations abilities
Customization is the name of the WordPress game. Even though the platform is packed with readymade templates and design solutions, you can change each one to create a perfect element for your website in particular. This is very important for companies with detailed branding strategies because they have to act uniformly across all communication channels.
3. Bloggers love WordPress
In case you haven’t heard, WordPress used to be a blogging-oriented CMS. The platform focused on online writers who needed an easy way to publish new content on the Internet. At the moment, WordPress hosts more than 60 million blogging websites.
4. It is perfect for eCommerce businesses
A lot of online retailers rely on WordPress for business purposes. It’s not a surprise given the fact that WordPress includes some of the best eCommerce tools and integrates with pretty much every third-party provider. For instance, WooCommerce is known to be the most frequently-used open-source eCommerce platform, but it is designed primarily as the WordPress plugin.
5. WordPress is very affordable
Affordability is yet another reason why so many users adore WordPress. If you don’t need more than a simple personal website, you can easily create it with this CMS and pay only a few dollars per month for hosting. But even if you need a fully professional website, WordPress still won’t cost you more than $100 a month.
6. The platform is SEO-friendly
Do you know that over 90% of the global traffic comes from Google? The power of search engines is immense, which is exactly why you’ll be glad to learn that WordPress is extremely SEO-friendly. It takes care of most optimization actions alone, while you can also make upgrades using a specialized SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO or similar.
7. WordPress is mobile-optimized
The vast majority of online traffic comes from smartphones, so it’s good to know that WordPress is mobile-optimized as well. It supports all sorts of electronic devices and adjusts to all display dimensions, so you don’t need to worry about user experience.
8. Community support
WordPress is an open-source CMS, which means that anyone can contribute to the development. This also means you can count on community support because thousands of users and developers are available around the clock and eager to help their peers.
4 Cons of Using WordPress
WordPress is not perfect, so let’s check out the most important disadvantages of the platform:
1. System complexity
Although simple, WordPress manages hundreds of website components and functions. This makes the system extremely complex and challenging for webmasters who want to become genuine WordPress experts.
2. A steep learning curve
This downside is closely related to the previous one. You can start publishing content on your WordPress website within minutes, but it will take you months of hard work to really get to know every aspect of the system. We are talking about all sorts of customizations, plugins, themes, functionality, SEO, security, and so on. Some WordPress alternatives have a lot easier of a learning curve and should be looked at as well.
3. Update frequency
Being such a complex system, WordPress requires regular updates to stay functional in the long run. It doesn’t mean you will have to update something every day, but you can definitely count on one or two updates per week.
4. Security issues
According to the report, more than 70% of WordPress installations are vulnerable to hacker attacks. This is particularly the case with websites that do not install security plugins and fail to complete updates in a timely manner. The number of hacker attacks is growing continuously, so you definitely need to careful.
The Bottom Line
WordPress represents an amazing CMS because it offers you readymade templates and lots of customization opportunities at the same time. The most important downside of the platform is that it forces you to learn continuously and pay attention to details, but that’s the only way to make your website great regardless of the CMS.
Our advice is to take some time and experiment with WordPress to see whether it suits your content management preferences. And if you have any problems figuring it out, feel free to write a comment — we will reply to you quickly!
AUTHOR BIO
John Peterson is a blogger at the essay writing website and a part-time dissertation help writer. He is interested in topics like web design, social media, and digital marketing in general. Besides writing, John loves traveling and exploring foreign cultures.