Is WordPress still a good choice?
Henry Walker
16 replies
I’ve build many many websites for clients over the last 10 years.
Over the last 18 months, it seems like people have stopped wanting WordPress.
Web gone from a few projects a year down to zero.
Alternatives have matured (Webflow, React + Headless CMS, TypeDream…) and developers want to work less and less with PHP and/or the WordPress framework.
I’m curious if anyone else is seeing or feeling the same thing?
Does WordPress still have its place?
Will it be around forever?
Is it dying?
Whatever your background and experience, would love to get your perspective on this.
Replies
Chirag Dodiya@chirag_dodiya
I've been a wordpress developer since back in 2012 and have definitely seen the downfall since 2019. Many clients don't care about the stack for which wordpress is capable of. Many other alternatives are far more faster, stable and easier to maintain. Not to mention the need to learn hosting, setup, updates, plugins, etc.
I moved into nocode space back in 2019 and wouldn't be any more happy.
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@chirag_dodiya thanks Chirag appreciate your view on this.
What kinds of websites do you tend to build now with nocode where you would have used WordPress many years ago?
It is popular but it has never been "good", I am afraid.
@simplytedel ha I know many people who share that view
Go to Fiverr and you will see the demand is still huge! I believe it's still one of the best platforms out there, especially when it comes to SEO.
@vladimir_zivkovic that’s a couple of great points there, thanks.
I can see how there could be a lasting demons for simple content driven websites for some time.
@vladimir_zivkovic I’m finding that Next.js and Webflow are strong alternatives.
But I’m not working deeply in SEO myself, so I’m not sure how they stack up in certain scenarios.
@henwalkco Yeah ofc the Webflow and Next.js is another level now, but I believe because wordpress is so long around, they have the biggest number of integrations from major platforms.
@henwalkco They are for so long in the market and nobody dethrone them yet...
Videodeck
I think it really depends on the goals you have for your website. If you want something simple with just a couple of pages, or even just one landing page, there's no need to complicate yourself with WordPress. But if you have bigger plans, it's worth the time and money.
I have been planning, developing, launching and maintaining websites since the early 2000s and what I have noticed is:
1. WP has now gone from the "unsafe, it will never be the enterprise solution" to the go-to solution for developers that have actual CS degrees and know how to properly build out solutions for clients.
2. A lot of "new" web-design shops that are created by UX/Designers and Marketing folks and do not have a founder or senior CS degree holding developer amongst them have popped up creating beautiful sites with Webflow, React+, etc. They are better at sales and showing off "pretty" solutions.
WP has moved from being the new kid on the block to the 40 year old steady bet.
I think it depends on the clients and who is making the decisions on hiring web development shops.
Just my 2 cents.
@henwalkco I'm seeing more of a decline in small biz usage (non-ecommerce) that want the cheapest/easiest solution. But not at the medium-enterprise level. A lot of the no-code solutions are a nightmare for SEO, so I hope this is not a trend we keep seeing. :)
@fullerdigitalstrategy that’s a great share, thank you.
So are you seeing any “decline”? Perhaps just a decline in its use for marketing websites?
@fullerdigitalstrategy this resonates 👍
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