Is WordPress the Ideal CMS for Your Business?

If you are striving for a robust online presence for your business, you might have come across WordPress, alongside other competitors like Drupal and Wix. The selection of an appropriate content management system (CMS) for your business website is a vital decision as it dictates the functioning of your website, its day-to-day management, security, ease of alteration, and much more. Here, we’ve put together a detailed guide on WordPress CMS to help make your decision more informed, highlighting the features, advantages, and potential drawbacks of this industry-leading CMS.

Defining WordPress

WordPress enjoys the status of being the world’s most popular website builder and CMS, underpinning 39.6% of the global internet in 2021 and owning a 60.8% market share. Launched officially in 2003, more than 500 WordPress websites spring to life every day, enhanced by over 55,000 plugins.

This CMS serves as the backbone for constructing, maintaining, and modifying websites. It is responsible for supporting high-profile websites of significant brands like The New Yorker, TechCrunch, the Microsoft News Centre, Time Inc., and the Facebook newsroom. Furthermore, it runs a staggering 28% of all e-commerce websites worldwide.

The Allure of WordPress CMS

So, what gives WordPress its popularity? Here are some reasons why this platform is taking the online world by storm:

Scalability – Be it colossal Fortune 500 companies or petite hobby blogs, WordPress can handle it all. As long as your web hosting service is resourceful, you can mold your website to be as massive or as multifunctional as desired.

User-friendly – Even for those without extensive tech knowledge, WordPress is relatively simple to navigate – particularly when compared to other CMS systems and independently coded sites. This feature makes websites quicker and simpler to build from scratch, modify, and manage routinely.

Mobile-friendly – The future of internet browsing is largely mobile, with smartphones making it easier to research and compare products, view content, and make purchases. Considering that one-third of all online shopping in the UK in 2019 happened via a mobile device, a mobile-friendly website is a must-have.

SEO-friendly – To ensure customers notice your website and online content, you need an SEO-optimized website – and WordPress delivers by aligning with Google’s best practices. With free plugins like Yoast, you can easily analyze the SEO of your website content and modify it through helpful suggestions and insights to help it rank higher in Google search results.

Flexibility and customizability – The array of WordPress websites are almost indistinguishable from each other. This is because of the myriad of templates that can be tailored to suit your requirements. With the aid of a trained WordPress specialist, you can transform these templates into something uniquely yours in both look and functionality.

The Limitations of WordPress CMS

Despite our personal bias towards WordPress for creating client websites, it’s important to note that it isn’t without its shortcomings. These include:

Frequent updates – The numerous third-party plugins and WordPress’s efforts to stay updated can make the updates seem incessant. However, maintaining effective security and functionality on your website is crucial. CMSs that aren’t updating regularly are not supporting you; they’re leaving you vulnerable. It’s advisable to perform updates weekly or have a website management service handle this for you.

Vulnerability – As an open-source platform, WordPress opens up the possibility for people to upload unsecured plugins or even malicious software that could be mistakenly added to your website. Therefore, it’s essential to collaborate with someone who has a firm understanding of these plugins to ensure you are using tried-and-tested plugins and the best security plugins for your website.

Performance issues – The load speed and performance of WordPress websites can vary due to the themes uploaded to the CMS. Themes packed with unnecessary or generic code can slow down the website, which is a significant concern for users. A slow page load speed will negatively impact your SEO and create frustration for visitors. Collaborating with a knowledgeable WordPress partner can ensure that your website is well within these limits and performing at top speed.

DIY pitfalls – While WordPress CMS is a user-friendly website builder, this does not necessarily translate into creating an exceptional website. Without the knowledge of website design, functionality, and maintenance, you might not end up with a high-quality business website. For a business website where your brand reputation is at stake, it’s worth investing in a web design agency experienced with the platform.

What is the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

There are two WordPress domains, each offering different functionality. If you are considering a WordPress website for your business, you need to know which one suits you best.

WordPress.org

This is the free CMS that lets you run a self-hosted version of WordPress. To use it, you need a web hosting plan and a registered domain name. This version provides the highest level of access to plugins and themes, and even allows you to create and upload your own themes.

This option is most suitable for businesses and individuals desiring a professional website experience for their consumers. It offers the highest level of flexibility and customizability, with full access to all plugins to tailor website appearance and functionality.

WordPress.com

This version of the CMS is hosted by WordPress itself, meaning WordPress manages the servers where the websites are hosted. To use this more basic service than the .org version, you need to get a branded domain name (yourwebsitename.wordpress.com) unless you pay a subscription that allows the use of a custom domain name.

This version of WordPress is more suited to people who want a small website quickly and are not concerned with customizing the aesthetics or functionality of these more basic templates.

Key Features of WordPress CMS

WordPress is well-known for its extensive range of features, which set it apart from the competition. Here are some basic features that almost every website will use:

Dashboard

This is the administrative area of the website, where you can modify the website, add or remove products and features, add content, and perform general maintenance.

Theme Customizer

Here, you can modify and edit the aesthetics of your website design by changing the theme, your logo, the website color scheme, and more. The live preview feature allows you to see these changes in real time before implementing them.

Media Library

This feature allows you to manage all your website’s media content, such as images, videos, and audio files. It provides a simple interface to upload, edit, and delete media files and includes basic editing tools.

Plugins

Plugins are additional pieces of software that can be added to your WordPress website to extend its functionality. There are thousands of plugins available, covering everything from SEO optimization to social media integration and e-commerce capabilities.

Permalink Structure

Permalinks are the URLs of your website’s pages and posts. WordPress allows you to customize these URLs to make them SEO friendly. This means you can include keywords in your URLs, which can help improve your website’s visibility on search engines.

Comment Moderation

WordPress includes a comment moderation feature, allowing you to approve or deny comments on your blog posts before they’re published. This is important for controlling spam and maintaining a positive and productive conversation on your website.

Automatic Updates

WordPress includes a feature to automatically update the core software, themes, and plugins. This helps ensure your website is secure and running smoothly. However, you should always backup your website before running updates, just in case something goes wrong.

Conclusion

WordPress is an excellent CMS for many businesses because of its flexibility, scalability, and robust set of features. It’s user-friendly enough for beginners but also has the depth and complexity that experienced developers can take advantage of. It’s widely used, meaning there are plenty of resources and a large community to help you troubleshoot any issues you may encounter. However, it’s essential to remember that not every tool is right for every job. Depending on your specific needs, another CMS may be a better fit. Always consider your business’s unique needs when selecting a CMS.