WordPress has been a go-to platform for many businesses, bloggers, and developers alike. At inbound Media, we usually suggest WordPress to our clients. With so many content management systems (CMS) out there, it’s normal to wonder why WordPress consistently ranks as the top choice. If you’re thinking of starting a website, let me break down why WordPress stands out compared to other CMS options like Joomla, Drupal, or Wix.
1. Ease of Use (Even for Beginners)
WordPress is designed with user-friendliness in mind. Whether you’re tech-savvy or a complete beginner, the dashboard is intuitive. You don’t need to be a web developer or know coding to get a site up and running. Want to create a blog post? It’s as simple as using a word processor. You’ll also find a vast library of tutorials and how-tos, which means if you ever get stuck, the answer is just a Google search away.
Example:
Let’s say you run a small business and don’t have a big IT team. Platforms like Drupal are powerful but have a steeper learning curve, especially for non-developers. On WordPress, once you log in, everything is laid out in a straightforward way. Want to upload images, create pages, or add new features? It’s a click away.
2. Customizability with Plugins
One of the major reasons people flock to WordPress is the sheer amount of plugins available. With over 59,000+ plugins, the platform allows you to extend your website’s functionality with ease. Plugins are like little add-ons that let you do everything from enhancing your site’s SEO, integrating social media, to improving security.
Popular Plugins:
- Yoast SEO: Helps improve your website’s visibility on search engines.
- WooCommerce: If you want to add e-commerce functionality and sell products or services.
- Elementor: A drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to create beautiful designs without coding.
- Wordfence: Adds a layer of security to keep your site safe from hackers.
Other CMS platforms like Joomla or Wix offer add-ons too, but the variety and quality you get with WordPress is unmatched. For instance, on Joomla, you have fewer plugin options, meaning if you’re looking for something specific like email automation integration, you might have to dig deeper.
3. Design Flexibility with Themes
WordPress has thousands of free and premium themes available, allowing you to change your website’s look instantly. Whether you want a professional business site, a minimalistic blog, or a creative portfolio, there’s a theme for that.
Themes are also customizable. For example, using Astra or Divi, you can tweak your website’s layout, fonts, and colors without touching any code. If you want something more advanced, you can hire a designer to create a completely custom theme.
Example:
Imagine you’re a photographer who needs a portfolio site. On WordPress, you can quickly find themes like Uncode or Kalium that are designed specifically for showcasing high-quality images. No other platform gives this level of design flexibility, without the need for hiring a developer right away.
4. SEO-Friendly Features
One thing that makes WordPress the king of CMS platforms is its SEO-friendly nature. Straight out of the box, WordPress makes it easier for search engines to crawl your site. And when you add plugins like Yoast SEO or RankMath, your SEO game can reach new heights. These plugins help you optimize everything, from keyword usage to internal linking, and they even give you readability tips.
Compare this to Wix. While Wix has made improvements in its SEO capabilities, users still report that it lacks the same depth and control as WordPress, especially when it comes to complex SEO strategies like schema markup or site speed optimization.
5. Ownership & Control
With WordPress, you own your website. You can choose your hosting provider, migrate your site wherever you like, and have full control over your data. On closed platforms like Squarespace or Wix, you’re locked into their ecosystem. If you ever decide to move away, it’s much harder to transfer your site, and sometimes you’ll even lose your content or design.
For example, a local business owner in Brisbane who runs a website on Wix may find it hard to scale as they grow. Moving from Wix to another platform could require rebuilding the website from scratch. With WordPress, you can switch hosting, add more features as your business expands, and not worry about outgrowing your platform.
6. Scalability for Growth
Starting small but aiming big? WordPress is flexible enough to grow with your needs. You can start with a simple blog and, over time, transform it into a full-blown e-commerce site or membership portal.
With plugins like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, WordPress can handle e-commerce at any scale. You can integrate it with third-party systems for payment gateways, shipping, and even advanced inventory management tools. BigCommerce, for example, has a WordPress integration plugin if you need more robust e-commerce solutions.
Example:
If you’re running an online store and suddenly get a surge in traffic, platforms like Wix might struggle to handle high demand without upgrading to their higher plans. With WordPress, as long as you have the right hosting (like SiteGround or Kinsta), you can scale up your site without breaking the bank or running into performance issues.
7. Community & Support
One of WordPress’s greatest strengths is its massive community. Because it’s open-source, thousands of developers contribute to its improvement and are quick to provide help. You’ll find countless forums, blogs, YouTube tutorials, and even Facebook groups where users and experts are willing to lend a hand.
Other CMS platforms may offer support, but they often don’t match the level of WordPress’s community. For instance, with Squarespace, you rely more on their official customer service. With WordPress, if you have an issue, someone out there has probably already solved it, and you’ll likely find a solution quickly.
8. Cost-Effectiveness
While you can get started with WordPress for free, the platform offers flexible pricing options depending on what you need. You can choose your own hosting plan, which can start as low as $3 per month. If you need additional features, premium themes and plugins are available, but you only pay for what you need.
In contrast, Wix and Squarespace operate on subscription models, where features like e-commerce or extra storage are locked behind higher-tier plans. WordPress gives you much more control over how much you want to spend, and since it’s open-source, the core software is free forever.
9. Security
Security is a major concern when running a website, and WordPress takes it seriously. You can enhance security with plugins like Wordfence and Sucuri, which monitor your site for malicious activity and offer firewalls to keep hackers at bay. WordPress is also regularly updated, ensuring that vulnerabilities are quickly patched.
While other CMS platforms like Joomla and Drupal also offer good security measures, they often require more manual intervention. WordPress’s balance between ease of use and security plugins makes it a simpler choice for most users.
WordPress isn’t just a popular choice because of its name—it’s trusted by millions of users because it’s easy to use, endlessly customizable, SEO-friendly, and scalable. Whether you’re launching a personal blog, a small business site, or an e-commerce store, WordPress can adapt to your needs, now and in the future.
While other platforms like Joomla, Wix, and Squarespace have their merits, WordPress offers the best balance of flexibility, power, and user-friendliness. And with a robust community and endless resources, it’s no wonder WordPress remains the most popular CMS in the world.
