WordPress claims to have powered 29% websites on the internet, which approximately comes to a third of the internet related to one tool. Giving this fact some context, the internet has close to 1.8 billion websites, which would mean WordPress powers close to 600 million websites globally. That, by any means, is a huge number. How is WordPress able to deliver it services to such a humongous number? It is simple:
a. WordPress is free or relatively cheaper. b. Finding a decent WordPress developer is fairly easy. c. Most of the people think that WordPress itself is easy.Now, you need to see that most of the people ‘think’ that WordPress is easy. This is because WordPress and a huge chunk of WordPress developer communities want you to believe that WordPress is largely drag & drop work. This is why, developers are ready to provide you with entire e-commerce websites on UpWork for $100-$200! If something is available so easily and at such low rates, it is not your fault if you believe it must be really easy. That is where the problem begins.
Ask any full-time web designer or developer about their opinion for WordPress. Most of them will start with “It is easy to use, but…” and then will delve into all the cons of WordPress. Yes, WordPress is easy for starters if you want a website that says Welcome to my website! But, in most of the cases especially for businesses, that is not even close to the actual requirement.
WordPress development services are so abundant, that people always end up thinking it is extremely easy to do. Here are six reasons why, that is far from reality:
1. WordPress is relatively easy. One thing most of the people misunderstand is this – WordPress is relatively easy. Compared to other tools available online, it definitely will be the easiest one to learn. That said, it does not mean that you can create a marvelous website the very first time you open WordPress on your screen! In fact, if you have never created any website and are not in the field of web designing, you may find WordPress quite confusing in the first instance.
The reality is that once you understand WordPress in and out, it becomes easier to make changes and create very professional looking websites; but, in order to reach that point, you will have to go through a learning curve. There are many blogs, websites and courses which guarantee to make you a WordPress wizard but most of them follow a template method and businesses are not run on templates. Your business will have a unique set of requirements and they need to be dealt with above and beyond the templates. If you are a business, that is where a WordPress developing company can actually be of greater help to you.
2. WordPress themes are not as perfect as they may seem. Many people start with their blogs and websites on WordPress without thinking about fundamentals like security of data, search engine optimization and other linking technicalities which can only be known to a professional. After spending hours on selecting a theme and then a ton of money on actually buying and modifying that theme, people still do not understand the background of a website. This is where an experienced, professional WordPress developing company is way better. When you have experienced experts on board, they can help you solve problems you would not even imagine otherwise!
3. WordPress is actually not free nor extremely cheap. This has been written several times in several blogs online – WordPress.org is not the tool you want to use if you plan to monetize your website. You will not get any customer service from WordPress, any data security nor will you get decent data storage options. Worst, one morning you may wake up and see that your website has been deleted and there will be no one answerable.
Second one, for those who think WordPress.com is extremely cheap – it is not. Yes, most of the WordPress themes will look like one-time costs but they are not. Majority of the themes require a lot of work after you have bought them. From arranging for storage space, adding live feeds to changing colors or fonts – there will be additional costs; that is, if you take the DIY route. If there is a WordPress developing company on board, all of this will be taken care of right from the beginning of the process.
4. The easy to make WordPress website is not what you are looking for. Like the above point, the ‘easy to make’ websites are very basic. Doesn’t matter how perfect the theme looks right now, in a not so distant future, it will require changes and you will be looking for someone to help you out. Most of the WordPress theme sellers are only into selling themes and not in providing any after sales services; after all, you cannot expect much from a $20 product!
5. There are many, many, many freelances claiming to be a WordPress outsourcing company. Since it seems easy to do, many people start their blogs or websites with WordPress and once they are done with it, they conclude their expertise in the subject matter and start charging for similar services. If you do not know the developer in person, it is difficult to filter a freelancer with next to no technical expertise when he claims to be a WordPress outsourcing company.
A simple Google query of WordPress outsourcing company California will give you more than 400,000 results. Imagine how many of these WordPress outsourcing companies have all the technical expertise required!
6. Customizing an already installed WordPress theme is neither easy nor cheap. Almost no WordPress theme sellers take up any integration services; which means once you have bought the theme, you are all by yourself. If you try to find another developer to come on board and customize the already running WordPress theme, you are inviting longer bills and trouble.
Think about it this way, what would you prefer – a thousand small bills which bring in inconsistency and thugs or one relatively longer bill which actually gives you what you need with all the professional guidance required? Your answer is exactly why WordPress is not as easy as it may seem.