WordPress is popular for blogging but it may not always be the right solution. Before diving into some of the reasons why not to use WordPress on your next website let’s consider what is at stake.
Saving time and money by picking the right software for you and your business.
Understanding the risks to your website. The risks from hacking, spamming and ransomware gangs are growing. Having your website hacked will damage your reputation severely.
What level of customization of your website do you need? Do you know how to do this or will you need external help and how much will that cost?
Table of Contents
WordPress can be slow and resource-intensive
WordPress is a content management system that uses a database to store and retrieve data. This means that every time a visitor requests a page on your WordPress site, the server has to retrieve data from the database, process it, and then serve it to the visitor’s web browser.
This can take a significant amount of time and resources, especially if your site receives a lot of traffic or if your database is large and complex. Additionally, if your WordPress site has a lot of plugins and themes installed, this can also slow down the performance of your site, as each plugin and theme can add its own code and files that the server has to process.
In general, the more complex and resource-intensive your WordPress site is, the slower it will be.
wordpress websites are more complex and resource-intensive than alternatives
WordPress is vulnerable to security threats
WordPress can be vulnerable to security threats, particularly if you don’t keep your plugins and themes up to date. This can make it difficult to protect your site and your users’ data.
WordPress is the most popular blogging software in use today. This means it is a priority targets for hackers and other bad actors. Hacking scripts for WordPress websites are freely passed around the internet.
These threats can be countered by choosing a high quality hosting service and paying for security plugins, but the cost of protection is not free.
Let’s briefly mention the main security threats to a WordPress website.
Brute-force attacks
Attackers use automated software to guess login credentials and gain access to a website.
Malware and viruses
Malware and viruses, which can be uploaded to a website through insecure plugins or themes, or via insecure file transfers.
Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks
Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, in which attackers inject malicious code into a website to steal sensitive information from users.
Man-in-the-middle attacks
Attackers intercept and manipulate communications between a website and its users to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Databases expose your site to attacks
SQL injection attacks are attacks that target the database. They exploit errors in the code either of WordPress, it’s installed themes or plugins.
A success attack can completely expose your data, including all your users and customers to the attacker.
How to protect your site from attacks
Keep your WordPress software and plugins up-to-date, use strong and unique passwords, and regularly scan your website for malware and vulnerabilities.
It is also a good idea to use a security plugin to add an extra layer of protection to your website.
WordPress can be difficult to customize
WordPress can be difficult to customize, particularly if you’re not familiar with PHP or web development. This can make it hard to create a unique and personalized website.
The WordPress platform has a large number of features and functions, which can make it overwhelming for users to navigate and customize to their specific needs.
WordPress is an open-source platform which results in countless themes, plugins, and tools available, which can make it challenging to determine which ones will work best for you. Some plugins can be outdated with security vulnerabilities that open your website to attackers.
Some customizations you may want to do could require a high level of technical knowledge, such as customizing the code of your website or creating custom plugins.
I have a developer background and have written code for WordPress websites to modify the features of a theme or plugin. I did not find it easy to change, compared to other software platforms.
WordPress can be expensive
WordPress can be expensive, particularly if you need to purchase premium themes or plugins to get the features you want. This can make it difficult to create a budget-friendly website.
There are several reasons why WordPress can be expensive to maintain:
- Highly quality hosting, which you need because of the security threats, is not as cheap as non-WordPress sites.
- WordPress websites often require custom functionality or design, which can be expensive to develop and maintain. This may include custom plugins, theme modifications, or integrations with other systems, which can add to the overall cost of maintaining a WordPress site.
- WordPress websites are vulnerable to cyber attacks and hacking attempts, which can compromise the security and integrity of the site. This can lead to costly downtime and damage to the site’s reputation, as well as the need to hire experts to repair the damage and implement security measures.
- WordPress websites often require regular backups, security scans, and other maintenance tasks to ensure they are running smoothly and efficiently. These tasks required upgraded hosting plans or paid plugins.
- WordPress hosting can be expensive for larger websites with high traffic and storage needs. This can add to the overall cost of maintaining a WordPress site.
WordPress can be difficult to use
WordPress can be difficult to use, particularly if you’re not familiar with blogging or content management systems. This can make it frustrating to create and manage your website.
Although it’s not essential to have some technical knowledge with WordPress it does help. A basic understanding of web technologies such as HTML and CSS will allow you to make quick changes to the layout without writing any code.
Maintenance of a WordPress website can be time consuming and requires regular updates and backups. Of course, more expensive hosting plans will automate some of these tasks – for a price.
It can be challenging to customize a website with additional features and functionality, as this requires installing and configuring various plugins and widgets. This can be difficult for non-technical users who may not have the knowledge or experience to do so.
Is WordPress too complicated to use for non technical people?
No, non technical people can definitely use WordPress. The more you would like to customize and modify your website though the more technical knowledge helps.
You can use plugins to help you with visual styling and layouts instead of writing code. To get the most from these plugins you will need the paid version. Even with plugins it may still be challenging to get the look and feel you want.
For me, I use a premium WordPress theme (review here: GeneratePress review: Fast WordPress theme in free and premium versions) and a plugin to help me with visual design – that’s it.
However, it’s important to note that WordPress has a large and active user community, and there are many resources available to help you learn how to use it, including tutorials, forums, and documentation.
With time and practice, most people can learn how to use WordPress effectively, even if they don’t have a technical background. It’s also worth considering using a simpler platform that is more user-friendly and intuitive, if you’re concerned about the learning curve for WordPress.
When not to use WordPress
Some situations where WordPress might not be the best solution.
only want a basic blog
WordPress gives you a lot of features. But do you need them?
If you only want a basic blog there are simpler options available.
simple to use and maintain
The learning curve to be a skilled user of WordPress is higher than with some other blogging tools.
If you have limited time you may want to look at more user friendly options.
tight budget
In addition to hosting costs you will likely need to pay for a theme and multiple plugins to provide all the features you want.
unfamiliar with blogging
If you are new to blogging and content management systems it will take time to become productive with WordPress.
WordPress Alternatives
There are several good alternatives to WordPress for non-technical people, including Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. These website builders are user-friendly and often come with pre-designed templates that make it easy to create a professional-looking website without any coding knowledge.
They also typically offer a range of features and tools, such as e-commerce functionality and integrations with social media platforms, to help you create a fully-featured website.
Additionally, many of these website builders offer customer support and tutorials to help you get started and learn how to use their platform.
For non technical people who want to start a blog, Weebly is a great choice. You can read my review of Weebly here: Benefits of a Weebly blog
Final Thoughts
When starting to blog it’s important to spend some time evaluating the correct tool to use. It can be costly and time consuming to change your blogging tool after you have generated a large amount of content.
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