7 Crucial Reasons Wordpress Might Not Be The Best CMS For Your Business

By Ferryn Xenakis

Sep 6, 2019

It’s 2019, and every business needs a solid website to build a strong online presence. But a lot of businesses don’t exactly know how to develop a site that will perform best for their business and reach their target market.

So is a content management system (CMS) like WordPress the best way to build the perfect website for your business’s specific needs?

We know this question is probably a little overwhelming. After all, that’s probably how you ended up on this blog post. But not to worry because we’ve put together some helpful info on why a CMS like WordPress might not be the best fit for your website requirements, and why a custom-solution might be better for you and your business.

Our goal is always to help you and your business thrive online. So feel free to check out our website design and development page or keep reading to find out more about the best CMS to really help you ignite your online visibility...

And online visibility is the key to your business’s success.

What’s a CMS?

CMS stands for content management system. I’m sure you’ve probably heard of the content management giant, WordPress, as it’s one of the most used CMS options out there.

In fact, WordPress has over 60 million users, making it the most widely used CMS for websites today.

So basically your website is built on a CMS and it’s also where you publish your content online.

Picking the right CMS for your business will ensure that everything on your website is laid out nicely, is intuitive, and user-friendly, igniting your online presence.

And who couldn’t use a little more online visibility?

So why does everyone seem to use WordPress?

There are a few reasons WordPress has become the go-to for building websites. One of the biggest reasons is that it's free. Another reason is that it’s been around for a while (since 2003 to be exact) and offers a wide array of themes and plugins.

And while all these things make it a popular choice, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be the best fit for your business.

You see, template sites might not give you all the customization you need or the ability for your site to grow and evolve as your business does.

So if you have:

A unique product or service
Specific needs for your website
A really targeted audience
Not just a blog

Then there’s a good chance that you would benefit from a custom-built solution instead of an out-of-the-box site like WordPress.

Why WordPress might not be the best CMS for your website.

1. Security

WordPress accounts for 30% of websites online today, making it a popular target for security breaches. But more than that, it’s also poorly maintained and runs outdated software and plugins making cyberattacks easier and more likely.

In fact, there was a massive security breach in 2016 known as the Panama Papers Breach where over 11 million files were leaked. And there have been several notable breaches since, leaving website users to question WordPress’s potential security issues.

Furthermore, WordPress’s default setting allows for unlimited login attempts on its site, making it even more susceptible to attacks. And pesky malware designed to disrupt, damage, and gain unauthorized access to your site are common, making these huge security concerns for WordPress users as well.

For the same reason that WordPress has gained so much popularity is the same reason that makes it a target for cyberattacks. Many people creating their own sites don’t realize that by using template sites like WordPress leaves their website looking very similar to other sites using the same CMS. So if a bug finds a security flaw on one site, it will likely find the same one on a similar-looking site.

2. Speed

If you’ve spent any time on WordPress or even browsing sites that are made with WordPress, you have likely experienced slow load times and lags.

This is not only frustrating, but it’s literally costing your business…

On mobile devices, over 53% of pages are abandoned if they take longer than 3 seconds to load. That means if your site is slow or not optimized for mobile, you are losing potential customers. The goal here is to make your pages load fast enough that people don’t leave your website without taking action. So make sure your site is optimized for speed so you don’t lose out on potential conversions and sales.

3. Plugin and themes

WordPress is the most widely used CMS today, and a big reason is that its templated themes and plugins make it easy for everyone to use it. All you or your developer would have to do is choose a template and install it. You can actually get away with building a website on WordPress with minimal coding for a quick and easy, budget-friendly option. And while this might sound great at first, using themes and plugins can come with some major drawbacks…

First, themes usually have a lot of extra features in them which are intended to help businesses customize their sites. However, they usually just end up bogging it down and decreasing performance.

So for you to have a truly customized site on WordPress, your developer would need to spend a lot of time removing unnecessary plugins and features to create exactly what you need without sacrificing performance.

However, with a template site like WordPress, you may also end up with someone who claims they can build you a custom site, but all they are really doing is installing themes and plugins with very little actual web development.

This can cause major problems because there are a ton of themes and plugins that anyone can develop in the WordPress marketplace. So the quality of each theme can vary, meaning you could end up with a low-quality theme or plugin which can wreak havoc on your site and become a nightmare for user experience.

And you don’t want that. Trust us!

So as you can see, sometimes it’s better just to have a custom-built site from the ground up. That way, you can feel confident that your web developer knows exactly what to do to create the perfect site for all your specific business needs without all the themes and plugins that could potentially cause problems.

4. Software updates

When you think of software updates, you probably think of it as a good thing. Like the updates in WordPress help your site run smoother and better, and while they can…

They can also cause issues with your themes or break your plugins because they are no longer compatible with the new updates, causing a lot of hassle and unnecessary work and changes to fix the issues.

Furthermore, some would argue that by promptly installing updates, it will help prevent cyberattacks. But the truth is that most WordPress updates are just quick fixes that are released specifically to target these issues, meaning the updates that should keep your information safe are usually only released after there has been a security threat.

Worth it…

Probably not.

5. SEO

If you’re trying to gain more online visibility, you are likely trying to utilize search engine optimization (SEO). But did you know that using WordPress can actually make it a little more difficult to reap the benefits of SEO? There are lots of plugins for SEO, but remember, plugins can cause more harm than good if you’re not careful. So if you aren’t aware of all the SEO ranking factors, you could end up with a theme or plugin that works against you for SEO ranking and you definitely don’t want that.

6. Ease of use

If you’ve ever spent any time in WordPress, you know all too well how easy it is to get lost in there. And if you haven’t, you’ll just have to trust us on this one.

WordPress’s sidebar is notorious for getting pretty cluttered, making it hard to efficiently navigate the site. Other content management systems like Craft have a clean and simple interface, making it much easier to manage on the back end and much easier for everyone who will be making changes within your content management system.

And who couldn’t benefit from more ease when it comes to managing your content online?

7. Creative flexibility

Did you know that WordPress started as a blogging platform? Yep, and it’s why so many people who have specific website requirements beyond blogging struggle to create a well-performing site for their business in WordPress.

Another thing to consider is that as your business grows, your website requirements will change as well. So if your business has specific requirements that will change as your business evolves, then your site would probably benefit from a tailored-for-you solution that’s ultra customizable and can easily grow with your business.

By using a more customizable CMS than WordPress, your developer will have much more creative flexibility, allowing them to craft you exactly what your business needs to thrive.

How can we help?

If you have a business that you’re marketing online, you need a CMS. But not just any ol’ CMS will do. Picking the right CMS is probably one of the most important aspects of building a great online presence. You really need to pick one that works for your business's unique requirements, making sure that your site is customized to your target market and is set up to grow with your evolving business’s needs.

And while WordPress can be a great CMS for some, it’s not the best option for everyone.

So if you feel like you need help determining what kind of CMS solution is right for your business, we are here to help.

Here at Rocket Park, our certified team of website developers and designers are dedicated to your success, and we love helping businesses just like yours really take off.

So if you're looking for a beautifully crafted site that’s specifically tailored to your unique business requirements all while receiving some of the best customer service around, we’ve got you covered.

After all, you work hard on making your business successful. Contact us today for a free strategy call and let us help you take your business to the next level.