I’m about to get a little controversial here. WordPress sucks. Yes. I said it, and I don't regret it.
I've been a web designer for over 20 years now. (Excuse me while I grab my prune juice and turn on my Hoveround.)
For a big portion of that time I was actually a WordPress designer and developer. I would build both my client and personal websites in WordPress, including my wedding website (which was later converted to our family travel and cat adventure blog.)
What's so bad about WordPress?
Oh let me count the ways… and I'll tell you what I use now.
Plugins are Such a Drag
These are the bane of my existence and the biggest problem with WordPress, at least in my opinion. In order to make the WordPress platform extend beyond the basic blog functionality, you have to install a multitude of plugins to make it work. These guys are such a drag… literally. The more plugins you have, the worse your website speed can get. The slower your website, the bigger hit to your SEO. The Googs doesn’t like slow websites and will rank your site lower. And that’s not even mentioning the potential compatibility or security issues
Security! Security!
This is a big issue here. Imagine, if you will, a gang of nefarious robots called Malware whose only purpose is to seek and destroy Wordpress sites. Sounds silly, right? Unfortunately, it’s true. WordPress websites are a malware magnet. (Malware is bad. Literally bad software.) Basically, bots are out to get to your website. Once they discover it’s built on WordPress, they become a virtual battering ram, sending scripts (or code) that continually tries to break in trying as many usernames and passwords as possible until it’s successful. Once this gang of miscreants break in to your website, it’s effectively hacked and will need to be reverted to an uninfected backup… you hope. My precious family cat/travel blog site got hacked (even with the top WordPress security plugin installed) and was being redirected to a naughty website. I really hope my grandma didn’t see that. That was my final straw with WordPress.
It’s So High Maintenance. Ugh.
Just that phrase makes me cringe because I’m not a high maintenance kinda gal.
In general terms, websites should be updated regularly with new blog posts just so Google recognizes that your site has relevant information that your audience would find useful. This is great for your SEO and to maintain or create authority for your business on relevant topics. I like to imagine that new posts on your site are your biggest superfans. They jump up and down and wave at Google with a big ol’ smile and tell it, “Hey Googs! Yes, over here! I'm still here! I’m still your friend! And I'm still active! I have relevant content and people need to see this goodness! So rank me!” Regular, new content is good for Google and your website.
But required backend maintenance is different. WordPress issues frequent software updates to keep its platform working properly. This is typically done every month or two. These updates can sometimes cause issues with plugins and themes, making them no longer functional or compatible with each other. You’ll need to have frequent backups created just in case something breaks due to an update. If a break happens, you’ll need to revert your website back to the previous version of itself. Now, WordPress has the ability to apply updates and create backups automatically. But because there are so many moving parts between the WordPress platform itself, the multitude of plugins, and the theme, if something breaks, you’ll need to begin the fun of troubleshooting. Essentially, WordPress websites must be maintained monthly to ensure that nothing is broken and everything is working nicely together. This monthly maintenance can be frustrating, time-consuming, and, sometimes, costly if you prefer to hire a developer to take that mess off of your hands.
Dynamic Dud
WordPress is touted as a CMS, a Content Management System, which manages the information you put into it, allowing you to edit it and add more content. Once this content is published, it’s displayed in a preformatted design. And, technically, it is a CMS. But just for your blog. Meaning you can create a collection of blog posts and they’ll be displayed beautifully on a page that was designed by the template you chose. But what if you wanted to create a collection of team members or testimonials or opt-ins or… any kind of collection that you’d like to easily update? WordPress makes it difficult to do that even with plugins.
Stuck in the Sea of Sameness
Wordpress uses templates and themes to inform the design and layout of your website. Some have a ridiculous amount of settings that requires you to phone in to NASA to figure out all the options. Templates and themes are one-size-fits-all so that as many people as possible can use it. (Nobody likes a copycat.) Oh sure, you can add in your own colors and logo and images, but is it truly unique and optimized to fit your coaching business needs?
Hello, NASA?
If you’re looking for a user-friendly way to maintain your website, you’ll need a rocket scientist or extensive training. I challenge you to try and add a blog post to your site on your own. Or worse, troubleshoot any update problems or hacking issues. You don’t have time for that.
So Now What?
I promise I’m not the party pooper or negative Nancy type. I’m actually quite bubbly! Effervescent even! But I’ve been burned time and time again with Wordpress and learned my lesson. I’ve played around with quite a few website builders in my time. I like to stretch my knowledge of the interwebs, so that I’m familiar with multiple ways to create solutions for my clients. Afterall, I aim to offer my clients the best of the best. But no website builders have awed me like Webflow. A few years ago I stumbled upon this goodness and I haven’t looked back.
How Webflow Surpasses WordPress
The custom sites I’m able to build for my clients blow their socks off. I have total creative freedom to design unique websites for my coaching clients that increase brand awareness and recognition. I’m able to develop creative solutions to their pain points that fit like a glove. Webflow allows me to create custom collections that make creating new content immensely easy. Need a blog? No problem. Want to manage team members easily? You got it! Need a collection of health topics you want to update regularly as scientific discoveries uncover new methods? You bet. Need a way to change out which opt-ins you showcase? I've gotchu!
You can even edit images and text on the page because it’s a “no code” solution. No plugins are needed, no themes, no updates, no security issues, or downtime. I also love that Webflow is superbly fast and oh-so-very friendly to SEO. My most recent client success story had their website traffic DOUBLE because Webflow makes optimizing for the Googs and other search engines easy and… well, optimal!
So when I work with my coaching clients, and they want a new website, I give them the best of the best and I build their new sites on Webflow. I’m all about creating efficiencies and systems that help my clients in their business and there’s no other site builder that I’ve felt does that like Webflow. Because no one has time to waste… it’s far too precious to spend stressing out over the likes of WordPress or other platforms that just don’t cut it.
