When you’re just starting to establish an online presence, you will realize the options for building your website can be pretty overwhelming. After any real amount of research, though, it becomes pretty clear that WordPress is one of the top choices.
Another thing that becomes pretty obvious is that a lot of people have objections to WordPress. However, many of those objections are actually based on myths and hearsay, not reality.
We love WordPress and we think it’s the best option for almost all websites. With that being said, let’s address some of the most common WordPress myths:
Myth #1: It’s Just for Blogs
This is far and away from the top objection we hear about WordPress. It’s an easy misconception to pick up, especially when you’re just figuring things out.
Basically, there are two WordPresses. One is WordPress.com, and the other is WordPress.org. They’re the same idea, but one is free and one is “paid.”
With free WordPress (WordPress.com), you pay nothing for your website, and there’s very little you can do to customize it. It’s ideally suited for blogs because that’s how it started out and that’s what it’s most known for.
Then there’s what we call “paid” WordPress (WordPress.org). The weird thing is, when you opt for a paid WordPress site, you never actually “buy” WordPress. What you’re buying is a domain (also known as the URL) and hosting. You can buy a domain from a service like Hover and we can take care of the hosting!
Not sure what domains and hosting are? Think of it this way: the domain is the web address, and the hosting is the place where your website lives. You can own a domain, but if you don’t also have hosting for it, your website won’t show up anywhere.
Myth #2: It’s Too Complicated
Many times, this ties into the first objection. Once you’re clear on the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, it’s much easier to figure out what you’re trying to accomplish. But if you’ve never made that distinction, then yes, it’s pretty complicated.
Some would-be website owners also get intimidated or turned off by the sometimes overwhelming amount of setup required for a WordPress site, let alone the design. Luckily, there are a couple of ways around this:
- Look for a hosting company that has an automatic setup or “one-click installation” option. Most hosting companies have this and it makes it really easy to get everything set up without any headaches.
- Some hosting companies will get everything set up for you so that all you have to do is get in there and make any changes or updates you want in the future.
Myth #3: It’s Not Secure or Stable
Because WordPress has been around for so long and millions of people now use it for their websites, it has a big target on its back for hackers. But the reality is, big and small platforms alike are under attack on a regular basis.
It’s not that WordPress is vulnerable or insecure – it’s just popular, making it a bigger target. Given the amount of attention that WordPress gets from would-be damage-doers, it’s actually very safe.
There’s another layer here that you need to know about, though. Your hosting company is another element in your overall security package. Depending on the quality of your hosting company, they can actually help boost your WordPress site’s security quite a bit, keeping it extra safe from pesky hackers.
Websites can go down because of too much traffic, too. This has nothing to do with the strength or stability of your WordPress site, which is its own entity apart from your hosting. The responsibility for your site’s stability falls on your own development decisions and your hosting company’s ability to manage strong servers, not on WordPress. That’s why it’s important to be careful and choose a reliable and knowledgeable web design and web hosting company when it’s time to build or launch your site.
Myth #4: It’s Just a Template
This is one of the most common WordPress myths and it couldn’t be further from the truth. WordPress is a content management system and a template is a preconfigured layout.
Through the use of themes, plugins, original content, and graphic design (we offer all of those!), WordPress sites are highly customizable and unique. Some people often confuse the uniformity of WordPress’s CMS layout with a simple “template.”
While certain functions in the back-end of WordPress sites are the same, the front-end experiential possibilities are limitless. Template, shmemplate!
WordPress Myths: Busted
As a business owner, you probably don’t have the time to be worrying about hosting, security, and set-up. That’s where we step in. We take care of all the hassles for you. We can build, launch, and maintain the unique WordPress site you envision! Reach out today to chat with a team member about your vision for your WordPress website.
