Busting WordPress Myths
In this post we’ll put to rest, some of the major misconceptions and myths that persist around WordPress and its credentials as a CMS.
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In this post we’ll put to rest, some of the major misconceptions and myths that persist around WordPress and its credentials as a CMS.
Urban myths like the Yeti and Bigfoot have persisted for generations. Just as ever since the rise of WordPress as the market-leading content management system, myths have arisen that sometimes leave people on the fence.
This post will put those myths to bed.
Long gone are the days of WordPress being considered just a mere blog platform. It may have been back in its early days in 2003 when it first appeared. But now it’s a fully realised, market leading, technology forward CMS solution.
Brands evolve and grow, and competing companies will attempt to delegitimise competitors by spreading misinformation. Or by trying to saddle competitors with an out-of-date image.
Saying WordPress is still just a blogging platform, is like saying that Starbucks is just a small business selling espresso machines and coffee beans. It was in the 70s & 80s, but now it’s a multi-billion dollar global coffee shop brand. There’s one on virtually every street corner.
WordPress evolved and grew considerably over the years, providing us with the power CMS solution that now holds 64% CMS market share, and powers around 43% of all websites! It is fully scalable and adaptable to suit any size of business.
The WordPress community is huge, and that’s because the barrier to entry is low. In part due to its accessibility and usability for a broad range of abilities.
For people creating websites with no to little coding experience or knowledge, pre-made themes and plugins are there to enable them to create what they need. Essentially, entry-level websites with limited but effective functionality.
But in the hands of a talented developer, WordPress opens up a whole new world of opportunity. Bespoke websites, with custom functionality and integrations, that are designed specifically for the businesses in mind. A good web design and development agency can create something entirely unique, that can do some really clever stuff. All without the need for a load of 3rd party plugins.
Every day, more and more brands and organisations are moving to WordPress.
Including the likes of:
Just to name a few…
This is a common misconception, and actually derives from WordPress’s success and huge market share.
There are simply far more WordPress websites out there than those of any other platform. So of course we see more WordPress hacks.
As we mentioned earlier, they have a 65% share of the CMS market, and WordPress powers 43% of all websites on the internet. Their closest competitors in the CMS space are Shopify with a 5.2% share and Joomla with a 3.5% share. So if those platforms had anywhere near their market share, they would also increase their share of hacks.
On top of this, consider that there will be a huge number of old WordPress blogs or affiliate sites out there. Many have been abandoned or have not had plugins and core files updated. Instantly you can see why they’d be vulnerable to attacks, and why the numbers are skewed.
The fact is that a professionally built WordPress website with quality hosting, that’s maintained, and uses trusted and supported plugins, is as secure as any other website.
This one is heavily related to the first myth we busted. A long time ago, in its infancy, WordPress was a blogging platform. But they evolved into a powerful CMS and acquired WooCommerce.
WooCommerce is WordPress’s E-commerce platform, and it is a very powerful tool. It is hugely popular and heavily customisable. It currently has an E-commerce platform market share of 29%. It also powers 22% of the top 1 million E-commerce websites in the world.
Whether you’re selling physical products, memberships, subscriptions or services. Whether you sell 1 product or 1,000,000, WooCommerce can handle it.
Again, it has a broad user base and large community due to its accessibility and low barrier to entry. With pre-made themes and plugins, anyone can build a web store.
However, an experienced developer can take it far beyond that. Creating a high-performance website, with custom integrations and bespoke functionality for important things like inventory management, secure payments, tax, email and shipping. Giving businesses a premium digital sales hub.
Check out our case studies for Don’t Buy Her Flowers & Morleys. Great examples of premium WooCommerce websites. One with a custom package builder, and one for a business with over 90,000 unique product SKUs.
We’ve covered this one fairly extensively across the other busted myths above, but it’s worth repeating.
WordPress offers options for users of all abilities and businesses of all types and sizes. Its scalability and adaptability are everything.
Place a grand piano in front of someone who knows a couple of simple tunes, and it’ll sound really nice. With an intermediate-level pianist, it’ll sound great; miles better than anything on an old upright, or a digital piano. However, sit a concert pianist in the chair, and they will unlock its full potential. Played by a master, it will blow your mind.
Imagine WordPress as that piano. It’s a brilliant tool that will make people of any level or experience look good. But in professional hands, it can really shine and perform.
Hopefully, we’ve helped lift the lid on a few of the myths about WordPress that are still floating around. If you’d like to know more about why we specialise in WordPress, we have a page dedicated to our reasons.
If you’d like to see some more examples of the great things that can be achieved with WordPress, check out our case studies. You can also check out the WordPress Showcase.
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