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Read MoreWhy Does WordPress Have a Bad Reputation? 5 Myths Explained
You Asked
Why Do WordPress Websites Have Such a Bad Reputation?
We Answer
WordPress is not a bad platform, but a lot of WordPress websites are badly built.
Most of the problems people blame on WordPress, such as hacked sites, slow pages and poor rankings, come from outdated plugins, cheap themes, weak hosting and no ongoing maintenance. Built and looked after properly, WordPress is secure, fast and flexible enough for most New Zealand businesses.
WordPress runs around 43 percent of all websites and roughly 61 per cent of the websites that use a known content management system (W3Techs, [month 2026]). That popularity is exactly why it attracts criticism: more sites means more badly built ones, and more targets for hackers.
Below we look at the five myths we hear most often from NZ businesses, and what is actually true.
WordPress Has Security Vulnerabilities
WordPress is a big target because it is so widely used, but the core software is maintained by a dedicated security team and updates are released regularly. Industry reports consistently find that the large majority of WordPress vulnerabilities sit in third party plugins and themes, not in WordPress core.
In practice, a WordPress site stays secure when you:
- Keep WordPress core, plugins and themes updated, and delete anything you no longer use
- Only install plugins that are actively maintained and well reviewed
- Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication on every admin account
- Host with a provider that offers a firewall, malware scanning and daily offsite backups
- Give admin access only to the people who need it.
The old advice about renaming the default admin username dates back to early versions of WordPress. Current versions ask you to choose your own username during setup, so it is worth checking, but it is no longer the main risk.
Your WordPress Website Will Have Performance Issues
Any website can be slow, and WordPress is no exception. The usual causes are a heavy theme, too many plugins, large uncompressed images and budget shared hosting. Each of these can be fixed, and a well-built WordPress site can pass Google’s Core Web Vitals comfortably.
Google measures page experience with three Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint for loading, Interaction to Next Paint for responsiveness (it replaced First Input Delay in March 2024) and Cumulative Layout Shift for visual stability. To keep a WordPress site fast:
- Use a lightweight theme or a custom build
- Keep plugins to the ones you actually need
- Compress images and load them only when they come into view
- Add a caching plugin such as WP Rocket
- Choose hosting in New Zealand or Australia with a content delivery network.
Page builders are not automatically bad, but they add code to every page. If you use one, test your key pages in Google PageSpeed Insights before and after launch.
A poorly built WordPress site is a liability. A well-built one is a growth engine.
Our WordPress website developers build secure, fast, and scalable WordPress sites that perform the way they should and stay that way.
- Custom WordPress builds by experienced NZ developers
- Security hardening and regular maintenance
- Performance optimisation and Core Web Vitals compliance
- Ongoing support to keep your site running at its best
WordPress Websites Have SEO Challenges
WordPress is one of the most SEO friendly platforms available. It produces clean, readable URLs, lets you edit the title, meta description and headings on every page, and works with established SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math, which add XML sitemaps, schema markup and on page checks.
When WordPress sites struggle in search, the cause is almost always the build rather than the platform: duplicate pages created by tags and archives, slow templates, broken links after a redesign, or thin and out-of-date content. These are the same issues we find in SEO audits on every platform.
If your WordPress site is not ranking, start with a technical SEO audit, then look at content quality and internal linking before you consider changing platform.
WordPress Has Scaling Limitations
WordPress powers far more than brochure sites. With the right hosting and development it can run:
- Online stores using WooCommerce, including large catalogues, several payment gateways and customer accounts
- Membership and subscription sites
- Online courses and learning portals
- Job boards, directories and property listing sites
- Sites for several regions or brands using WordPress Multisite.
The limit is usually hosting and architecture, not WordPress itself. High traffic sites need managed hosting, caching and a developer who plans for scale from the start.
WordPress Is Free, So a Website Should Be Cheap
The WordPress software is free and open source, but a professional website is not. You still pay for design, development, hosting, premium plugins, security and ongoing maintenance. Cheap builds tend to cut corners in exactly these areas, and that is where much of the bad reputation comes from.
For realistic New Zealand pricing, see our web design price guide.
For most New Zealand businesses that want full control over their content, strong SEO and room to grow, WordPress is still an excellent choice in 2026. Its reputation problem is really a build and maintenance problem. Choose an experienced developer, keep the site updated and hosted properly, and a WordPress site can serve you well for years before it needs a rebuild.
Key Takeaways
- WordPress itself is secure when the core, plugins and themes are kept up to date.
- Slow WordPress sites are usually caused by heavy themes, too many plugins and budget hosting, not by WordPress.
- WordPress is SEO friendly out of the box and works with established plugins such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math.
- With the right hosting and development, WordPress scales to large ecommerce, membership and publishing sites.
- The software is free, but a professional website still needs budget for design, hosting and maintenance
WordPress FAQs
Is WordPress still worth using in 2026?
Yes, for most business websites. It is flexible, SEO friendly and supported by a huge community of developers. The key is a quality build and regular maintenance.
Is WordPress secure enough for a business website?
Yes, when core, plugins and themes are kept updated, hosting is secure and admin accounts use strong passwords and two factor authentication. Most breaches come from neglected plugins.
Why is my WordPress website so slow?
The usual causes are a heavy theme, too many plugins, large images and budget hosting. A speed audit will show which of these applies to your site.
Is WordPress or Shopify better for ecommerce in NZ?
Shopify suits businesses that want a hosted store with less maintenance. WordPress with WooCommerce suits businesses that want more control over content and functionality. It depends on your products, team and budget.
How often should a WordPress site be updated?
Check for updates at least weekly and apply security updates as soon as they are released, after a backup. A care plan takes this off your hands.
About NZ Digital
NZ Digital are a Auckland based digital marketing agency, we offer a wide range of done for you digital marketing and lead generation services. If you have more questions or would like to book a FREE Digital Marketing consult please schedule a call with us.
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