4 Reasons To Choose WordPress As Your Next CMS in 2023

So you’re getting ready to launch or update your brand and business. Some of the many questions that are sure to arise in your initial planning phase will include things such as – Do I need a website? Where do I even start with building a website? What should I build it on? Who should I work with? Amongst this, you might be wondering, why is WordPress still so popular as a Content Management System (CMS)? 

As a longstanding digital agency, we’ve had the opportunity to work with a variety of CMS platforms over the years. With technology continuing to develop and business needs continuing to grow, our industry has sprinted forwards on the digital innovation front and is now delivering even more online functionalities than ever before. 

Now while it’s great to have options, when it comes to choosing a CMS for our clients’ we often recommend WordPress as one of our a primary platforms. It’s robust, “off-the-shelf” design and functionality reduces the barriers to entry for brands with a leaner development budgets, or those who need a quick “to-market” solution that scale at pace. In fact, we believe that WordPress is the best choice for your next CMS in 2023 because of it’s extremely nimble implementation approach. A huge positive in today’s constantly evolving business world. 

So, why do people use WordPress? Here are four reasons you should consider it:

#1. User-Friendly Interface

Why use WordPress? Put simply, because it’s so easy to use. One of the biggest benefits is its incredibly intuitive, user-friendly interface, not just for an agency to build, but for your team to manage, and your customers (even the most non-technical users) to navigate. The dashboard is simple and straightforward, allowing you to add and edit content, customise your website design, and manage your site’s functionality often in minutes, or at most, a couple of hours.

The whole idea behind the platform is that once built, you don’t need to rely on an agency for day-to-day operational support. And while for some the learning curve can be steep, WordPress offers a wealth of online resources and tutorials to help you get started and troubleshoot any issues that arise. And if in doubt or needing help outside of business hours, a quick YouTube search (or dare we say it, even Tik Tok) can sometimes give you the information you need until your trusted agency partner is back online to assist you.   

#2. Customisation

Arguably the best (or second best) thing about WordPress is that it is a highly customisable and flexible platform, with thousands of themes (aesthetic layouts and designs) and plugins available to help you create a functional website that meets your business needs and feels unique to your brand. It’s a versatile CMS that can be used to create a variety of websites, including:

1. Blog Websites: WordPress was originally designed as a blogging platform and is still one of the most popular choices for creating online blogs.
2. Business Websites: WordPress can be used to create a professional website for your business with simple, core features such as contact forms, about & service pages, and testimonials.
3. eCommerce Websites: WordPress can be used to create an online store with the help of plugins such as WooCommerce, a widely used and accessible solution for even the most commercial of online businesses. 
4. Portfolio Websites: WordPress can be used to create a portfolio website to showcase your work with features such as galleries and image sliders.
5. Educational Websites: WordPress can be used to create an educational website with features such as course management & registration, student forums & message boards, and online quizzes.
6. Nonprofit Websites: WordPress can be used to create a nonprofit websites with features such as donation forms, event management & registration, and volunteer management solutions.
7. News Websites: WordPress can be used to create a news website with features such as article management, RSS feeds, FAQ components, and commenting functionality.
8. Personal Websites: WordPress can be used to create a personal website or blog with features such as custom themes, social media integration, and contact forms.
9. Membership Websites: WordPress can be used to create a membership website with features such as member management, subscription management & renewal, and restricted content options.

#3. SEO-Friendly

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can seem a bit like a minefield. It’s the age old question – how can you appear on Google’s first search page? In summary, it’s the practice of optimising the technical foundations of your website and its content to improve visibility and ranking in the results pages (SERPs). Search engines like Google and Bing use complex algorithms to determine the relevance and authority of web pages in response to user queries. By optimising your website and its content for these algorithms, you can increase your website’s visibility, remain competitive and attract even more organic traffic from widely used search engines.

There are many different techniques involved in SEO that require an ongoing process of keyword research, on and off-page optimisation, technical optimisation, and content marketing. Thankfully, WordPress is built with SEO in mind making it easier for search engines like Google to index and rank your website. The platform offers a variety of SEO plugins and off-the-shelf tools that can help you optimise your site’s content and structure, as well as improve your site’s speed and performance. By using WordPress, you can ensure that your website is optimised for search engines right from the start, saving you time and money in the long run, while putting you ahead of the game in terms of analytics, learning, and audience targeting. 

#4. Community Support

Another great benefit of WordPress is its large and active community of users and developers who contribute to the platform’s ongoing development and improvement. With a collaborative community providing constant support, guidance, and resources, you can feel confident that your website will never become stagnant in its design, technical or functional capabilities. Unlike its CMS counterparts, another great thing about WordPress being so popular is that it’s much easier easy to find developers and designers who are experienced with the platform and can help you build and manage your website as your business needs grow and change over time. This means you’re not beholden to the agency partner who originally built the website for you, removing many of the complex, and often costly, transition activities often encountered with larger enterprise CMS platforms. 

WordPress pros and cons.

Of course, like any popular software, WordPress has faced its share of challenges over the years, particularly when it comes to security. These issues are not unique to the platform however, and are common to most web-based applications. One of the main security challenges with using WordPress is the risk of vulnerabilities via it’s available plugins and themes. This is largely due to these areas being created and managed by a variety of third-party developers (not WordPress staff) and if they are not coded and hosted securely, they can potentially be exploited by online fraudsters. So what does this mean for you? Mostly, it’s super important to keep plugins and themes updated to the latest versions and to only use solutions from reputable sources (look for reviews). 

Another security challenge with WordPress is the risk of brute force attacks on login pages. While this sounds intense, brute force attacks are simply attempts to guess passwords by using automated scripts. To protect yourself against brute force attacks, WordPress users should implement strong password policies, implement a sophisticated password management tool (we suggest LastPass), enable two-factor authentication, and limit login attempts. You can even restrict your login page to certain IPs or countries which will further restrict the number of people who can access this important page. 

WordPress users should also be aware of the risk of malware infections. Malware infections occur when malicious software is introduced into a computer system, usually without the user’s knowledge or consent. Malware can be designed to steal sensitive information, damage or destroy data, and disrupt normal computer operations. Malware can be injected into WordPress sites through vulnerabilities in plugins or themes or by exploiting weak passwords. Preventing malware infections requires a combination of proactive measures such as keeping your operating software up to date, installing antivirus software, being cautious online, and regularly backing up your data.

As mentioned, while there are security challenges associated with using WordPress, these challenges are not unique to the platform and many can be easily mitigated by implementing basic security measures and engaging a reputable digital partner like JTB. WordPress has a large and active community of developers and security experts who work hard to keep the platform secure, so by following best practices and being alert online, you can easily ensure the security of your WordPress site.

In conclusion.

So why choose WordPress? In short, it can be used to create almost any type of website, with its user-friendly interface, customisation options, SEO-friendly features, integration customisations, and community support. Its versatility and flexibility makes it our preferred choice for businesses, organisations, and individuals who want both a professional and engaging online presence, and one that can adapt and evolve as your business and brand grows too.   

Want to chat more about WordPress and what it can offer your brand and business? We’d love to talk. Contact us for more information or reach out [email protected] to arrange a chat with one of our amazing staff.