Is WordPress the right platform for your website?

We’ve all heard conflicting opinions about WordPress websites. Some swear by their flexibility, while others warn about their complexity.

As we build websites for mission-driven companies and organizations, we’ve seen different sides of this story:

• People coming to us with a broken WP website - because someone built it, but they were unable to update and maintain it

• People who think they need WordPress because “it’s the best”, not realising it may not be the best option for their needs

• People who try to DIY a WordPress website, or hire a sub-par designer/developer (getting sub-par results)

• People who don’t want WordPress because of stories like the above, not realising they’re making things needlessly complicated

If you’re wondering whether WordPress is the platform your website should get built on, this article is for you.

Note: there are two types of WordPress: this article is about the “full” WP experience by wordpress.org, which allows you to self-host and fully customise a website. Learn more about the difference here.

We’ve listed the pros and cons of WordPress websites below:

Pro: Unmatched functionality customisation

WordPress's greatest strength lies in its functionality options: there's a reason why major brands often use WordPress.

The platform can be extended to include:

• Complex booking systems

• Membership areas or Learning Management Systems, like the kindyRock membership site we built

• Advanced E-commerce functionality

• Custom databases, like the plant library we built for My Garden Life or the manta ray database on mantarayadvocates.com

• Interactive features

• Integration with virtually any third-party tool

And many, many more.

Pro: Next-level design opportunities

While WordPress is not the only platform professional designers love, it probably is the most powerful one - where design meets functionality and user-friendliness.

The design freedom makes it very popular (and a great choice) for brands who want a unique and out-of-the-box experience for their visitors.

Pro: Content management made simple

Once properly set up, WordPress offers extensive content management capabilities. Few other platforms make it this easy to manage large amounts of content (e.g. blog, database, author profiles, resources, media,…)

• Creating and organising hundreds of pages, posts, and custom content types becomes manageable - and categories and tags are just as easy to manage and customise/optimise.

• It’s a great platform to build user-friendly databases - like this manta ray database or this plant library

• Making basic changes is straightforward - e.g. adding new blog posts, updating text, swapping images, etc.

• Thanks to the multiple user roles, you can give different team members various levels of access - e.g. writers can draft posts while administrators maintain full control.

Con: The learning curve

The challenge, however, lies in creating the website. While WordPress markets itself as easy to use, building a good-looking and completely functional WP website is anything but simple.

Sure, you can grab a template from the extensive template library - but that gets you exactly that, a template that hundreds of others have already used on their website… and customising that template to meet your needs is more involved than when using a more WYSYWYG platform like Squarespace or Kajabi.

A proper WordPress setup is technically complex and involves:

• Understanding hosting requirements

• Managing security measures

• Configuring caching

• Setting up backups

• Choosing and testing compatible plugins

• Optimising for speed and SEO

On top of this, creating a WordPress website requires substantial design skills - unless you want to customise a template (which doesn’t always make for professional-looking results). You’ll need to understand UX principles, have extensive knowledge of responsive design, and be familiar with current web standards. You’ll need to manually optimise and test the website for accessibility, speed, compatibility with modern browsers, and of course optimise it for different types of devices.

Plugins are also often a cause of concern for new WordPress developers: with thousands of plugins to choose from, it’s easy to get carried away and either add too many plugins to your website (potentially slowing down the site, or causing conflicts down the line) - or choose plugins that aren’t as good as they seem. Using premium plugins (whether paid or free) is the only way to ensure they will stay supported down the line.

In our experience, DIY attempts by business owners typically result in months of frustration, resulting in a subpar website. We’ve seen many solopreneurs or small organisations not launch their website after months or longer - they’d often come to us after having tried it themselves for a substantial period of time.

Similarly, we’ve seen bigger companies asking their IT department to (semi-)custom-code a WordPress site, turning these into a lengthy development process - and long-term updating/maintenance headaches.

Con: Ongoing maintenance requirements

This is perhaps the most important consideration: WordPress websites need regular attention.

WordPress core, themes, and plugins need regular updates to maintain security, ensure compatibility, fix bugs, and add new features.

And without proper and regular maintenance, plugin conflicts can break the functionality of the website and your website may become vulnerable to security issues. (I say “may”, but the amount of people who come to us with a broken and non-functional or hacked website is staggering.)

When is WordPress the right choice?

WordPress might be right for you if:

• You are looking for next-level design and functionality, creating a unique website your visitors don’t want to leave

• You have a lot of content on your website already (e.g. a blog or database), or you plan to regularly publish content

• You require specific functionality or integrations - now, or in the future

• You have a budget for professional development and maintenance

• You're willing to invest in ongoing website care

Consider other options If:

• You're just starting out and expect major changes soon

• You need a simple, low-maintenance website

• You have a limited budget

• You don't have time or resources for regular updates

• You need a basic online presence without complex features

In these last cases, platforms like Squarespace often make more sense as they have lower maintenance requirements and allow you to easily make changes to your website yourself.

If you end up choosing WordPress…

WordPress can be an excellent choice for businesses that need flexibility and customisation—but it's not for everyone. Success with WordPress depends on proper implementation and ongoing maintenance by experienced professionals.

If you choose to build your website on WordPress, make sure to

• Have a clear plan for your website before you start - this can save you time and money

• Work with experienced professionals who know the platform inside and out

• Factor in ongoing maintenance costs (and consider a maintenance plan/service to avoid downtime)

At SmartAlpaca Marketing, we can help you clarify your message, strategise your marketing, and build a website that can stand the test of time - on a platform that fits your needs and preferences.

Need help deciding if WordPress is right for your business? Scheduling a free consultation to evaluate your specific needs and recommend the best solution - whether that's WordPress or an alternative platform.