Should you convert your website to a full Word Press site?

If you have been hearing the buzz about moving your static site to a full blog site, then read on. There are certainly pros and cons with making a move like this, and this article tries to bring those to light.

Pros of building a website completely in WordPress

Easy. Maintaining a WordPress site is extremely easy. If you can write in a word document, you can manage your own WordPress site. Whether or not you use it for a blogging platform, maintaining a WordPress site is super simple.

Quick. It’s generally a quick process to get yourself setup on WordPress. Especially if you choose to start with one of the thousands of WordPress themes available (most for free). You can literally be up and running in a matter of hours.

Searchable. As we all know, blogs bring the search engines better than static content, so having your entire site built in a platform the search engines love, will certainly help you rank better over time. And, by having your entire site built this way (which is actually in a database), your site visitors can search your website with ease for the content they are looking for.

Cons of building a website completely in WordPress

Difficult Custom Design. For the inexperienced coder, customizing your own WordPress design typically needs to be done by a WordPress expert. Knowledge of CSS and PHP are critical in being able to setup a design that is exactly what you want. Themes will only take you so far. As a company, you need to remain branded and your WordPress site is no different. Initial setup typically requires a WordPress expert to make sure the coding is done properly. You also don’t want to risk having the exact same website design as the hundreds of other people and companies using the same theme you are.

You can outgrow WordPress. While building a site in WordPress may be a good option for a brand new company, it is possible for a larger company (or even a small company with complex needs) to quickly outgrow their WordPress site.  And since the site was not built in standard html, making the move back to a regular site can be quite time consuming should you find that you have outgrown it.

Security can be an issue. Unlike a traditional website, a blog is essentially an online database that is accessible by anyone with the login/password. Seems like there is no problem if you don’t share your login/password, right? However, there are unfortunately many individuals out there that study the WordPress (or any other blogging/CMS software out there) and look for the “holes” in security. Once they find the holes, they exploit these sites, essentially hacking and then hijacking them. (You don’t have much recourse, they change your password and then turn the site into whatever they want it to be until you shut down the hosting. Often times your content is gone by the time you get control of your site. ) While nothing is secure online, WordPress sites are less secure than a traditional website.

So which is better? Should you build a static site and add a blog if you need one, or build your entire site out in WordPress? Honestly – it depends on your business, current and future needs, and what the goals you are trying to achieve are.

You’re in luck though! No matter which way you decide to go – One Lily can build you a static site (with our without a blog attached), or we can build your site out completely in WordPress. Give us a call and we’ll discuss which option would work best for you.