Since its humble origins in 2003, WordPress has grown from a simple blogging platform to become the most popular content management system (CMS) on the planet, powering a staggering 43% of the internet, writes Ricky Blacker, Senior Sales Engineer and WordPress Evangelist at WP Engine.
It has evolved dramatically and is now fully equipped to support enterprise-level businesses while also providing small businesses with a range of opportunities to educate, entertain or sell to consumers on a website that is unique to their brand and their needs.
There are over 82 million WordPress sites online, yet there are still many misconceptions around the platform, so let’s get mythbusting!
Myth 1: WordPress is just for bloggers
WordPress may have started life as a ‘tool for bloggers’, but today its design flexibility, powerful open-source backend features and competitive cost make it the perfect option for small businesses planning to scale up in the future. It is fully set up to support large enterprises too. TechCrunch, Beyoncé, MTV News and Disney use WordPress as their platform of choice. WordPress can act as an ecommerce store, company website, internal intranet, virtual conference host, and a multitude of other applications. It’s easy to download the software, update themes or plugins and tweak code, making it an accessible yet sophisticated option for companies of all sizes.
Myth 2: The eCommerce options are limited
There are a variety of eCommerce options available to support businesses looking to trade online. The most popular solution for retailers is WooCommerce. WooCommerce is user-friendly and a great option for those who don’t have extensive technical knowledge. The best part is that with the right hosting partner, issues that can come with scaling for traffic can be easily navigated. WP Engine addresses many of these issues with a tailored eCommerce plan dedicated for WooCommerce clients.
There are plenty of other options available for consideration too, such as BigCommerce, Volusion, Magento and Shopify. A Shopify plugin integrates WordPress and Shopify, allowing users to make any WordPress page or blog shoppable at the click of a mouse.
Myth 3: A WordPress website is more likely to be hacked
There is nothing to suggest that WordPress is any less secure than another CMS. All websites can be vulnerable to attacks, however, WordPress is continually updating its security and with each new update comes tougher security measures and features. As the security plugins continue to get evermore advanced, the number of unblocked hacks decreases.
The most effective way to keep a website as secure as possible is by being sure to consistently update themes, plugins and add-ins, while maintaining backups and updating your passwords. A whopping 80% of actual security threats are due to outdated software and/or password exploits. Hosting solutions like WP Engine help manage strong security measures to protect your website without damaging its performance.
Myth 4: You can’t rely on plugins
Not all plugins are created equal. There are over 59,000 free plugins currently found in the WordPress Plugin Directory, ranging from small and straightforward plugins up to those that need sophisticated activation and specific requirements. With so much choice, selecting the right plugins for business can be challenging. No plugin is 100% safe, but you can significantly reduce vulnerabilities by learning to assess and select quality plugins. It’s easy to identify the most popular plugins with the highest number of downloads. Next check that they have been recently updated and are also supported by the developer. Always research any plugin’s compatibility and be sure to test before going live.
Myth 5: WordPress isn’t scalable
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that even the world’s largest brands were once small businesses. When growing a small business, it’s essential to plan for scale–and know that your website can cope should you see a sudden spike in traffic.
Getting the right technology in place, ready to grow with the business, is key. With the right environment and hosting partner, businesses can scale their WordPress sites to handle any amount of traffic. Some of the best ways to do this are through horizontal scaling, caching, and query performance–creating a sustainable development environment. As for design, WordPress can run a simple built-in theme or be scaled to have a highly sophisticated design structure using complex tools.
Myth 6: It’s not ready for the enterprise
Not only is WordPress ready for enterprise, 35% of the top 10K sites by traffic are built on WordPress–solid proof that it has evolved to enable huge global companies to develop robust websites.
Through WordPress REST API, enterprise companies can successfully and easily integrate systems. The only limitations with using WordPress belong to the users – not the platform. The more you immerse yourself in the offering and take time to understand the vast amount of customisation and functionality, the more you will reap the benefits.
Myth 7: There is no support available
As no one ‘owns’ WordPress and it is free for everyone, some believe that support isn’t available. Thankfully there is a very active community of developers, designers, content producers, marketers, support representatives and WordPress fans who are keen to offer advice. The many community-based support forums provide an exceptional level of real-time support and are actively used for learning, sharing, and troubleshooting. Businesses can also find a treasure of resources online, from user blogs to dedicated content sites from companies associated with the WordPress platform.
Myth 8: You can’t future-proof your website
A WordPress site can definitely be set up for the future by simply implementing basic best practices. Taking the right precautions will ensure that a site can stand the test of time. Most importantly of all, businesses must get into the habit of backing everything up regularly – no one can afford to neglect security. Choose a theme with maximum design flexibility. It helps to create a child theme to ensure safe updates, extendibility, and to make sure your site is fallback safe. Strategically use WordPress snippets, hooks and filters and create a staging site where updates can be tested before use. WP Engine’s digital experience platform offers numerous tools and features to keep websites future-proof, such as site staging and automatic, frequent updates.
WordPress can be further future proofed by utilising a headless configuration, whereby the backend CMS is handled by WordPress but the front end can be any of the new technologies being used like a Javascript framework for example, or even a phone app, but connected by an API, giving WordPress the ability to adapt to future changes in design and functionality while maintaining a familiar and easy to use content system.
Now that we’ve busted the myths, it’s easy to understand why WordPress is the world’s favourite CMS, now taking over 60% market share in the CMS market. The opportunities for small businesses are endless, and if you are looking to take the complexity out of website maintenance it’s worth finding a hosting solution, such as WP Engine, to help you take your business to the next level.
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