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What’s the difference between WordPress and a simple website?
WordPress is a Content Management System or (CMS) that is primarily, but not only used for blogging and building websites, but for ecommerce sites, forums, and even social media sites and by new organizations. The term “Content Management System” or CMS is just another more modern name for a “Website Builder”.
A simple website is just a group of webpages put together in a presentable form to the end user through their web browser.
In short WordPress is used for blogging and building websites easily. The tool is called a CMS, whereas a website is what the end user sees after the compilation of webpages using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, Liquid, Python, etc. even WordPress, which uses PHP as its core programming language.
WordPress has evolved into a versatile and beginner-friendly content management system. WordPress powers around 40% of all websites on the internet today, including companies like eBay, GM, Reuters News, the Disney Channel, etc.
However, WordPress is also the preferred CMS for many other independent websites of all sizes and in a wide variety of niches and specialties.
What makes WordPress far better than other website builders?
First of all, WordPress is flexible and very beginner friendly. When compared to WordPress, Website Builders definitely are less flexible. They can manage personal or small websites, but they do have some limitations when it comes to fully-fledged website management. Why?
Because WordPress is an open-source website creation and management tool, it has thousands of themes and plugins (most actually have free versions) that can give you complete freedom to create and modify your website.
Second is user support. Even though website builders tend to be easy to use, most of their support is documental and not personal. They just don’t have large communities of support, especially for beginners, let alone more experienced Web Developers.
Whereas WordPress has huge communities when it comes to help and support. You can read and participate in WordPress forums, Facebook groups, even WordPress.org has a community you can join.
In fact, it seems every web development forum and social media channels have WordPress related groups where you can post direct questions, and get all kinds of answers and issues resolved, for free.
Finally, WordPress has thousands of built-in templates which can be directly used to design your site’s layout as well as thousands of plugins to customize your site’s functionality. All these themes and plugins come in both free versions and paid.
What are the disadvantages of WordPress?
The main disadvantages of WordPress may also be considered its greatest advantage. WordPress is open source. You are free to do what you want with your WordPress website. You are pretty much in control over everything you’ve built with it.
You not only own the theme that you’ve built, but also the plugins you’ve installed and all the customizations you’ve made as well.
You can either have it hosted on a managed hosting platform like WordPress.com or on any number of Web Hosting Providers that offer managed WordPress hosting plans.
You can also self-host it on any number of independent Web Hosting Providers unmanaged.
However, with this freedom and control also comes responsibility. You are responsible for making sure your WordPress theme, Core as well as plugins are always kept up to date. You are also responsible for the security of your WordPress website.
Finally, you are pretty much responsible if the website gets hacked or goes down for any reason as well.
Why do some complain that WordPress is terrible?
WordPress now powers about 40% of all websites on the internet today. Basically, the WordPress CMS is Top Dog as far as content management systems are concerned.
This is in addition to having the largest single community for website owners as well as the largest resource library filled with all kinds of coding solutions, themes, plugins as well as the answers to any conceivable issue you may have when it comes to WordPress.
No other content management system even comes close.
Therefore, when you’re Top Dog there will always be people looking to take you down. It’s just human nature.
Many of WordPress’s naysayers are actually Web Developers and Programmers themselves. They prefer other tools to build websites with.
Besides, because WordPress makes it relatively easy for non-Developers to set up their own websites, they may even feel threatened.
Also, WordPress competes with quite a few closed platform environments like Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Squarespace etc.
In fact, Wix just had an entire marketing campaign aimed at taking WordPress down. Of course, they were more than likely unsuccessful in this attempt.
Who is WordPress owned by?
WordPress.org is a non-profit foundation whose sole purpose is to promote open and a free internet using open source platforms like its WordPress CMS.
This is so that anyone can basically create a website and have it up on the internet without being restricted to the proprietary coding and platforms of closed source programming and environments.
However, the for profit WordPress.com is owned by the company Automattic.
Does WordPress require coding?
The good news is WordPress does not require coding. Anyone can literally download WordPress for free.
WordPress includes thousands of themes and plugins to choose from.
WordPress can also either be hosted on WordPress.com or self-hosted on any number of self-hosting Web Hosting Providers.
With WordPress CMS you can literally build a website right out of the box. In fact, many of the world’s most popular Web Hosting Providers offer their clients “one-click” WordPress installations from their web hosting account’s dashboard. The most popular of these dashboards being cPanel.
Do I need a website builder for WordPress?
Because WordPress is an all encompassing and comprehensive content management system or CMS, you don’t need a traditional website builder for WordPress since WordPress itself is used to build websites.
Now with WordPress’s Gutenberg Block Editor you don’t even need to get additional page builders to build a great looking website.
Is WordPress better than Drupal?
WordPress was designed from the beginning to be an open source CMS for bloggers, but it’s also very modular and has evolved to encompass so much more.
Drupal was designed to be a complete CMS straight out of the box, but Drupal also has extensions to expand as well.
Both are of course, Content Management Systems, but then again, WordPress was originally designed to be a blogging platform for bloggers, so even though there’s a learning curve, it’s relatively easy for beginners to get their heads around.
Whereas Drupal is a little more complicated at first and has an even higher learning curve.
However, you can build websites and blogs using either one. In addition, both Drupal and WordPress are customizable. Developers tend to specialize in one or the other, so the choice comes down to personal preference. Developers can make a living off from being either a Drupal or WordPress developer.
The best thing about both CMSs is that they are both open source.
Although I must admit, I do prefer WordPress. Why? Well, I’m not a developer and I don’t really know how to code, so along with many of the attributes I have gone over in this post, it’s a no brainer for a non-coder like myself.
In fact, I have nothing but positive things to say about Drupal and Joomla as well. Those who are huge advocates for a free and open internet want and need as many open source platforms as possible.
Is WordPress still the best?
In my opinion, WordPress is still the best and continues to become even more so. With the rise of closed source platforms like Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Squarespace, Webflow, Ghost, etc. more and more people who are interested in having their own place on the web, their own website with the freedom and control that comes along with it, are naturally turning to WordPress in greater numbers.
Not only because WordPress is the largest CMS on the internet today, but it’s probably the easiest open source platform for beginners to start their websites with.
However, because of the WordPress ecosystem and it’s massive library of themes, plugins and other coding solutions for every form of functionality conceivable, even experienced web developers swear by its value as a web development tool as well.
The difference between WordPress and other website builders, summary.
There’s no question, at least in my book, that WordPress is by far the best CMS, website builder on the internet today.
There are plenty of other website builders, many of which nowadays are closed source platforms like Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, Shopify, Webflow and Ghost as well as some open source ones like Drupal and Joomla.
However, as much a fan as I am of open source CMS website builders like Drupal and Joomla, I must say that as a non-coder and someone who had no idea how to set up a website when I setup my first website over 10 years ago, I looked at Drupal and Joomla.
Even back then nothing compared to WordPress and I still feel this way.
WordPress was and still is more beginner friendly.
In fact, WordPress has become even more beginner friendly as well as sophisticated at the same time as the years have passed.
In the end, I would certainly take any open source website builder or CMS over any closed platform and proprietary website builder or CMS any day of the week. So should you.
