With close to 60 million WordPress sites in the world, there is no doubt that this software is making a big impact on web development. WordPress is a great resource for those brand new to building websites, passionate bloggers, and expert web designers alike. You can get a free WordPress site up and running in minutes, or pay a little more for the self-hosting option and pre-designed themes that are completely customizable. Either way, it’s a lot less work than building traditional HTML websites, with minimal coding experience needed.
Many online marketing companies have been turning to WordPress to help them build websites for their clients. It can be a good option for online marketing businesses looking to develop websites for clients, and who may be strapped for time and resources. However, if you chose to build a website with WordPress, there are a few things you should take into consideration. We are going to delve into some of the pros and cons of this method.
Pros
Thousands of pre-designed themes
Rather than spending countless hours writing lines of code to control the design of a website, you can simply download a theme that matches your needs. These templates come with the back-end work already done, so you only have to spend your time organizing content and doing small customizations. You can get some themes for free, but even the ones you pay for only cost a one-time fee. And if you’re not totally satisfied with the look of your theme, you can alter it yourself!
Numerous available Plugins
Looking for a way to connect your Twitter feed to your website? Want an SEO tool to do all your optimization for you? These, and thousands of other plugins, are available for free on the WordPress website.
Content Management System
WordPress software is a CMS system, meaning that it allows for publishing, editing, and modifying content from a central interface. With this more collaborative environment, updating your website becomes easier for everyone involved.
Advertising is allowed
If you’re hoping to make some money from advertisements on your website, there’s no need to worry. You can set up advertising on your site using the AdSense plugin or various other third party advertisers.
Built for SEO
One of the great things about WordPress sites is that they come built for search engines. The sites are designed to help search engines crawl through their pages, posts, and tags. Moreover, there are several SEO tools and plugins available for you to use.
Google Analytics
Want to go into more depth with your SEO? You can get Google Analytics data with a WordPress site just as you would with a normal site.
Control
You can have as much or as little control of your site as you want. Down to the smallest details, you can make as many changes as you want. If you prefer to let your theme and plugins do the work, that works too.
Less Time
Overall, building a site with WordPress can significantly cut down the time you spend on website development. Obviously, if you’re nit-picky over little details you may end up spending just as much time, if not more.
Cons
Previous coding knowledge recommended
While it’s not essential that you have extensive HTML, CSS, and PHP knowledge, to get the most out of your site, it’s good to know at least the basics. Especially if you want to customize anything, you’ll need to have your footing with the language in order to find your way around.
Purchase domain name and hosting
In order to use WordPress, you must first purchase a domain name and hosting from a client that meets their requirements. Click here to learn more about those requirements.
Purchase themes for one time use
Most themes must be purchased and can only be used once. Sorry, no double dipping.
Backups, upgrades, and spam filtering are not automatic
Once your self-hosted WordPress site is up and running, you need to make sure you keep it up-to-date by upgrading the core files, the theme, and plugins as they become available. It is also good to backup your files and database on a regular basis in case anything goes wrong.
It might be less work, but it’s still a lot of work
Don’t think WordPress makes everything as simple as apple pie. There is still a lot that goes into a site, especially if you’re looking to manage it for SEO. On top of that, you have to learn how to use the software if you’re new to it, which can take some time.
After going through the WordPress pros and cons, you should have a better grasp of whether it’s the right resource for you. While you can build a website with WordPress much more easily (and with less late nights of coding) than traditional HTML sites, there are some setbacks that you should consider before jumping right in.