Last updated December 6th, 2023 06:04
From time to time, you may hear from various sources that WordPress is a bad content management system that is unsuitable for building websites. Such information can be confusing, especially if someone is just getting acquainted with this CMS and does not have enough information to verify whether it is true. However, would WordPress be so massively used if it were really a bad system? Let’s ask a few questions and provide some relevant information. Is WordPress really a bad content management system? Yes or no?
Is WordPress really a bad content management system?
First, let me present arguments against using WordPress, and then I will share my view on this issue. If you want to participate in the discussion on this topic, I would appreciate your comments.
WordPress is not secure
One of the most common arguments against using WordPress is that it is not secure. This is a myth. Many security experts analyze the WordPress code in detail every day. Because it is the most widely used CMS, vulnerabilities and bugs are quickly discovered, and the release of updates and patches works perfectly.
This myth probably originated because many people who have no experience in web development tend to gravitate towards WordPress. As a result, many websites are not secured, not up-to-date, and therefore easily susceptible to attacks.
However, there are many security plugins available, and if the website owner pays proper attention to this issue, they have half the battle won. Attackers may find it difficult, even impossible, to break security measures on such websites. For basic security, it is advisable to:
- Perform regular updates of the system and plugins
- Pay attention to basic security measures
- Use protection against comment spam
- Change the administration URL
- Do not use the “admin” user
- Consider using GEO-IP protection for administration
- Choose a strong password and change it periodically
WordPress is bloging system only
For readers, blogs provide interesting and useful information, and for authors, they can be a way to express their opinions, gain new knowledge, establish connections, and create their own online space. Blogging has become very popular, and many people have decided to create their own blog not only as a hobby but also to generate income from displayed advertisements.
There isn’t. While WordPress was originally built as a blogging platform, a lot of time has passed since then. Today, WordPress can be used to build a full-fledged website, a professional profile, or a blog as originally intended. Furthermore, there are many add-ons available for WordPress, such as Elementor, Oxygen builder, and others, which allow you to build a powerful and interesting corporate website or personal portfolio that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with a blog.
WordPress is outdated
Another commonly used argument is that WordPress coding standards are not as good and are outdated. WordPress has a relatively simple and readable code, which is not a flaw, but rather an intentional design. Thanks to this, WordPress is designed for both professionals and beginners who know nothing about coding. Because WordPress allowed even true beginners to create their own websites without knowing any programming language, many developers have seen a logical decrease in job opportunities. It is therefore in their interest to claim that such a product is bad. The more WordPress is seen as a poor content management system in the eyes of beginners, the more people will turn to hiring a company to develop their website. They will simply be afraid to try to build a website on their own.
It is not true that WordPress uses outdated code.
Not only are regular system updates released, but after a certain period of time, a major update is released, which brings significant changes and improvements. This is a major update that introduces new elements and features to the system. As an example, I can mention that the basic installed WordPress had a size of less than 10 MB about 10 years ago. Today, it has almost six times that size in just the basic source code.
The only people who use WordPress are amateurs who can’t program
This claim is also not based on truth. Yes, WordPress is certainly one of the first choices for people who are starting out with web development and have no experience. However, it is certainly unfair to say that only these users are using WordPress. Many large websites are built on the WordPress platform, including some government websites.
One example for all can be the information that the state website for the sale of electronic toll stickers is also built on WordPress. And I would certainly not dare to claim that it was designed and built by amateurs (although we can all have some objections to it, but in most cases it is not WordPress’s fault).
WordPress is not scalable.
Certainly, if you have a larger website with traffic ranging from tens to hundreds of unique users per day, you may have wondered if WordPress can handle a higher influx of users. The answer is simple. Yes, WordPress can handle it. Where a problem may arise later is in the performance of the server. Therefore, the scalability of WordPress depends solely on one fact: how much resources you provide for its operation.
Thanks to easy migration to another server, there is no obstacle to switch to a more powerful machine and thus provide WordPress with more resources and memory, which will allow it to handle a higher number of users. The same applies to supporting resources such as caching or CDN.
CDN helps improve the speed and reliability of websites by storing copies of content on its servers and delivering them to users from the closest and fastest server. This means that users can load a website faster, which improves the overall user experience with your website. CDN also helps handle high user traffic, prevents downtime, and helps protect websites from DDoS attacks.
In this case, we already know that the claim of WordPress not being scalable is incorrect.
WordPress is not beginner-friendly.
If that were really the case, WordPress probably wouldn’t currently power around 40% of all websites on the internet.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that if you’re just starting out with WordPress, it will take some time to learn how to use it. WordPress developers strive to make the system human and truly simple. I have had the opportunity to compare many content management systems such as Drupal, Joomla, PrestaShop, and many others. When it comes to user-friendliness, especially for beginners, I have to confirm that you will probably learn to work with WordPress faster than with any of the aforementioned content management systems.
Additionally, WordPress has a very strong user community of people who are happy to help solve problems in their free time. There are not only many discussion forums, but also many Facebook groups and practically unlimited articles, tutorials, manuals, or complete video guides on YouTube. Those who want to, can find really many quality guides on the question of how to get started.
WordPress is not suitable for E-commerce
Since the powerful e-commerce plugin Woocommerce was developed for WordPress, the argument that WordPress is not suitable for e-commerce is now outdated. Woocommerce is a plugin that expands the capabilities of WordPress to include an online store. Like WordPress, Woocommerce has numerous add-ons available for online payments, invoicing, inventory management, and even shipping products to customers through logistics company plugins (such as GLS, DPD, PPL, etc.).
Considering the existing products such as Shoptet and Shopify, Woocommerce offers an incredible amount of modifications and customization options. The only limitations will be in the user’s knowledge, not in the code or the possibilities of Woocommerce.
Is WordPress really a bad content management system? Conclusion
Today, I have outlined only a few arguments that those who consider WordPress to be a bad system use. Whether I was able to refute them or not, I leave it up to your judgment. Despite everything, if you are deciding on which system to build your own website, there is basically nothing easier than trying WordPress and finally deciding based on your own experience. These experiences will play the biggest role in the end result. In any case, at least you now have a small idea of whether WordPress is really a bad content management system.
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