WordPress Websites:
Why Do They Have Such a Bad Reputation?

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Why do WordPress websites have such a bad reputation?

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Why you should choose a WordPress website for your business

WordPress is a popular website content management system (CMS) that is known for its ease of use and flexibility. The WordPress CMS is capable of supporting various types of websites, including e-commerce stores, corporate websites, membership groups, and more. WordPress powers over 60% of all websites on the internet making it the most popular CMS in the world, so why does it have such a bad reputation?

In this article we address common myths about WordPress and why it’s a great choice for your website.

Common WordPress Myths

WordPress Has Security Vulnerabilities

Your WordPress Website Will Have Performance Issues

WordPress Websites Have SEO Challenges

WordPress Has Scaling Limitations

WordPress Has Security Vulnerabilities

WordPress is a widely used platform with more than 835 million websites, this makes it an easy target for hackers. However, most WordPress security vulnerabilities arise from outdated plugins, themes, or the WordPress core itself and the most common security threat comes from the default ‘Admin’ user name WordPress assigns to every one of its users.

The truth is It’s simple to avoid security issues with WordPress. Update your CMS core and plugins regularly and implement security best practices like strong passwords, lastly don’t forget to change your username to something unique.

Your WordPress Website will have Performance Issues

Yes a WordPress website can suffer from poor performance, the same as any other website. A heavily customised or poorly coded WordPress website will suffer from slow loading times. The good news is It is much easier to fix performance issues on a WordPress website than other types of websites and it’s even simpler to avoid them altogether.

If you choose a custom coded WordPress website you won’t have any issues at all. However, If you are planning to use an ‘off the shelf’ WordPress theme then choose one that has good reviews, and avoid themes with Divi or Beaver Builder. Lastly, limit the number of plugins used as this can really slow down your website.

If needed, WordPress has many great plugins like ‘WP Rocket’ which can help you optimise your website for best performance including techniques such as caching and image optimisation for better load speed.

WordPress Websites Have SEO Challenges

Yes a heavily poorly coded and optimised WordPress website can suffer from slow loading times which leads to a poor user experience and will negatively impact search engine rankings.

On the other hand a WordPress website is very SEO-friendly out of the box and optimising if for search engines rankings (SEO) is a simple process that can be completed via the website CMS. Like all websites it requires attention to detail, including proper use of headings, meta tags, image alt attributes, and creating high-quality content. Additionally, issues such as duplicate content, broken links, and poor site structure can negatively impact SEO performance.

WordPress websites have a fantastic FREE plugin called Yoast SEO. Once installed on a website, it has a number of great features including SEO analysis, readability analysis, cornerstone content and text link counter making it easier than ever to optimise for SEO. Another great reason to choose a WordPress website for your business.

WordPress Has Scaling Limitations

WordPress is capable of powering a wide variety of complex websites beyond simple corporate or brochure type websites.

WordPress can be used to create robust e-commerce platforms. These platforms can handle large product catalogs, integrate with various payment gateways, offer advanced product variations, and provide features such as inventory management, order tracking, and customer accounts.

WordPress is often used to create membership or subscription-based websites, where users pay for access to premium content, courses, forums, or online communities.

WordPress can power online learning platforms or e-learning portals, allowing users to create and sell courses, quizzes, and educational content. WordPress can also be used to create job boards, classifieds websites, or online directories. WordPress can even power real estate websites or property listing portals.

These are just a few examples of the types of complex websites that WordPress can power. Scaling a WordPress site to handle very high traffic or complex functionality will require the expertise of a WordPress developer or WordPress agency.

All website platforms have PROS and CONS. But, not all website platforms offer so much value. A WordPress website will provide a comprehensive plugin ecosystem, continuous development support and user flexibility. With proper maintenance and best practices a WordPress website will return huge value to businesses and have a long shelf life meaning you no costly rebuilds in the future.