Not all web designers encounter – or even want to work on – projects like the ones I take on. I come at this with more of a technical background than a design pedigree. So, for my projects, here are a few of the reasons I’ve been using – and plan to continue to rely on WordPress. I’ll also mention the times when I avoid WordPress in favor of other platforms.
I know it’s fairly broad to talk about WordPress in general because a lot depends on what theme you’re using and what page builder you pick. There are new page builders for WordPress coming out all the time. It’s easy to get lost comparing the merits of Bricks, Divi, Elementor, Breakdance, Oxygen or any of the other amazing WordPress tools. But, that’s also partly the point. WordPress gives you so many options it’s barely even fair to compare WordPress to Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace. It’s also not really reasonable to compare WordPress to other web design platforms like Webflow.
## Why WordPress Is Still The Best For Me
– Freedom To Optimize:
WordPress is open source and self-hosted. So, I can partner with any hosting company I want. I’ve been using Flywheel for the last four years. But, if for any reason that stops working out or the performance starts failing, I can easily find another hosting provider.
– Ownership: I own all the content.
I also create custom WordPress plugins that can add some complicated by highly focused functionality to a website that would probably be impossible to implement on any other website builder platform and would most likely require you to hand code the entire website – perhaps using a web development framework like Laravel if you wanted to stick with PHP.
Some examples of WordPress plugins I’ve created:
– Chords and Lyrics plugin including transposing
– Searchable podcast archiving system with tags
– Store where everything is free but has to be requested and approved
Of course most of the time you don’t have to create your own plugins because the WordPress ecosystem is gigantic. For example, you can find plugins for everything from contact forms all the way up to building paid memberships and online courses.
## When I Don’t Use WordPress
– For e-commerce sites selling physical products I prefer Shopify
– For online communities I like Circle (posts, search is good, mention people in posts, etc.) I’m even considering creating a Circle for DoubleStack – let me know if you like that idea. It’s sort of like a Facebook group that is easier to use and without all the Facebook junk.
## Why WordPress Is The Best Even In 2022
For me it comes down to one thing. You can build almost anything you want and you only have to hand-code the custom features.
WordPress provides the best combination of off-the shelf tools like page builders and plugins so you can get a massive efficiency boost compared to starting from scratch with a web development framework. But you can easily write your own code if you have any custom needs like transposing songs or printing sheet music.
Nothing is perfect. There are plenty of things that can frustrate you when working with WordPress. But, for me, I can build more cool stuff faster and with more flexibility than any other platform.
Also, WordPress powers over 40% of the world’s websites. So, it seems like a lot of other people are choosing WordPress for their websites too. So, if you’re looking for clients they’re everywhere.
Now, within the WordPress world there are so many options it can be overwhelming to pick your tools of choice. I’m constantly experimenting and testing new WordPress Page Builders and have come to a shocking realization. Well, at least it shocked me. Check out this next video and see if you agree with me about what the best WordPress Page Builder is in 2022.
What’s The Best WordPress Page Builder?
