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Choosing WordPress as your CMS

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The Run-Down

For some companies or budding entrepreneurs, WordPress is a no brainer. For others, it just won’t cut the mustard, so consider first what you need your website to do and how well WordPress will get on and do it.
In terms of functionality, WordPress claims to be able to generate any form of website from a simple blog to a complex e-commerce website. Its vast index of available plug-ins, built by developers from far and wide, allow this CMS to work for almost any sector. It also provides most of the standard pieces of functionality found on websites today.
Here are the key features that WordPress offers its users:
•    It’s suitable for e-commerce
•    It’s excellent for bloggers and the artsy types
•    It allows a degree of flexibility in the layout and styling of templates
•    It’s built for publishing content anywhere, any time with WordPress publishing mobile apps
•    It’s easy to stay up to date and improve the functionality of your website

 

The Showdown

Right enough of this skimming around. It’s time to layout the pros and the cons. Have them dance with each other in an ultimate dance off. The prize: street cred . . . and potentially your approval and subsequent decision to create your website with WordPress . . . but mainly street cred.
Because at the end of the day, this fancy platform might talk to the talk but can it walk the walk?

The Pros

Flexibility:

With WordPress you can be in control of the design and functionality.
•    Depending on the template you end up with, WordPress allows you a certain degree of freedom when it comes to making changes to your site’s template. Website themes, backgrounds, colours etc. can be changed within the blink of an eye.
•    There are literally thousands of add-ons or plug-ins available so that you can modify certain features and bits of functionality making it fairly easy to keep your website current.

Usability:

The concept of WordPress is that it’s designed to be used by the average Jo, people who don’t have the skills to build websites independently. This means that you don’t need to have much technical knowledge or web management experience to find your way around the WordPress interface.  It’s pretty easy to set-up and get stuck in and you don’t have to be a developer to do it.
Equally, if you are blessed with technical abilities then you can do a lot with a WordPress website. There are very few limitations. Something for everyone; a crowd pleaser you might say.

Cost:

One of the biggest draws that WordPress lures people in with is the low cost of its services.
Setting up a WordPress website, costs very little sometimes it’s even free! This is great for companies just starting out or those with a slightly tighter budget.

SEO:

Google is pretty keen on WordPress websites so from an SEO perspective, it bodes well.
Commitment:
A WordPress website is like a big cyber snail. You can move it to a different hosting provider, change its domain name or even move it to a whole other CMS.
Support:

The Cons:

Oh isn’t it great. WordPress is just the best . . . or is it? But before you click away from this post convinced that WordPress is your one and only, you should consider the negative points of using this CMS.
Security
•    This CMS platform is open source meaning that it becomes an easy target for hackers making your website vulnerable. It isn’t easy to ensure this doesn’t happen which will immediately put some people off.
•    The open-source nature of the platform means that your website will need a fair amount of maintenance to make sure everything is running as it should and that no bugs have cropped up in the coding.  Slightly off-putting for someone from a less technical background who is looking to manage their website without the help of an external source.
•    You cannot limit permissions to certain users like you can with other CMS platforms. This means every user added to your website’s CMS can access and edit the same content.
So many plug-ins, so little time
•    WordPress plug-ins are built by, in the company’s words, ‘hundreds of community volunteers.’ These volunteers can range from novices to expert php developers. As you can imagine, this results in some plug-ins being more reliable or better at their job than others.
•    With the wide range of add-ons, plug-ins, do-das whatever you want to call them, there is sometimes a conflict between either an existing plug-in and one just added or a plug-in and your WordPress website’s theme. This can result in unwanted bugs and errors and it can be difficult to find someone to fix it.

Some examples

To give you an idea of the sort of calibre of website WordPress can churn out, here’s a few examples of some we’ve created:

The Verdict

If you’re head’s still reeling then let’s sum it all up for you in the form of tasty, crispy knowledge nuggets.
1)    Yes WordPress is great for those who want to get all hands on with their website and have a level of flexibility that isn’t offered on other CMS platforms. It offers a great level of support and additional plug-ins to keep your website on top of the ever-changing and scary, advancing world of the web.
2)    However, as much as WordPress might be the perfect solution for many types of websites and is evolving constantly with the help of thousands of contributors, it still cannot cater for some of the more complex, bespoke websites.
3)    There is also the security factor to consider and whether or not you or someone you know/who works with you has the ability to tackle issues as and when they arise.
4)    WordPress is famed for its usability but if you don’t have any knowledge of web development, you may find yourself limited in terms of what you can make your website do and general maintenance.
Many companies have recognised WordPress’ popularity and offer to build or support WordPress websites, including us; shameless self-promotion. So if you don’t think you could manage a WordPress website independently then there is support out there.
As you might have guessed there is a lot to say when it comes to comparing CMSs. So if you find you still have questions about a WordPress website of your own then get in touch with us and we’ll happily talk it through with you.

The post Choosing WordPress as your CMS appeared first on Noisegate Media.


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