Why I (Still) Use WordPress
It’s no secret that I love WordPress. I’ve built this site on it, for one, but I brag that I’ve used WordPress for nearly all of the projects I’ve done over the last few years. Other platforms have come and gone, but WordPress has remained steadily at the top of my list of “must-use” tools. My workflow has changed, but it still all centers around WordPress.
So, how is it that in a world with so many content management systems that WordPress manages to stay at the top of my leaderboard?
WordPress is Powerful.
It may have started out as a simple blog, but WordPress has grown up. Sitting under the hood is an amazing collection of functions, actions, and filters that let you (with a plugin or a few lines of code) change everything about how your blog functions. And since it’s written in PHP, you have the full language behind you if you want to go “off-grid” and create something new.
WordPress is Functional.
You want to add something other than a blog? WordPress has you covered. From fully functional eCommerce engines to membership sites, there are plugins and addons that can do the job well. Nowadays, most of them even seamlessly integrate with WordPress, making the entire experience both easy to use and functional enough to get the job done.
WordPress has a Great Community.
Behind WordPress are thousands of amazing developers, designers, and strategists that are working behind the scenes to ensure users have the best product they can. People are constantly testing, improving, and debating new features, as well as fixing bugs and errors that may pop up from time to time. Very rarely does WordPress ship with a glaring bug; and if it is, it’s usually fixed within 24 hours.
WordPress is Secure.
I know a lot of people who would fight me on this, but WordPress is just as secure as any other platform. WordPress has tons of eyes on it, and people testing malicious scripts on it daily. For the most part, any “Zero Day” exploits (a hack that could compromise a site on the day it’s discovered) are fixed within hours, but even that is a small part of the overall reasons a site is hacked. Usually if a WordPress site has been compromised, it’s for one of three reasons:
- Out of Date Install
- Out of Date Plugin
- Hosting Issues
Which brings me to…
WordPress is Easy to Update
Gone are the days where you’d have to worry about hitting the update plugin. WordPress has taken the App Store approach to its update strategy: you should be able to hit the update button and get the new version quickly and painlessly. Plus, there are a myriad of backup solutions out there (most free nowadays) that can save you if things go south.