There are some who believe that WordPress is nothing more than a blogging form.

While it may have started out that way, the industry has demanded more and WordPress has delivered. It has now evolved into a flexible content management system (CMS). You can still use WordPress to have a simple blog but you can also connect fully functioning websites and mobile apps. You can basically run your whole business from your WordPress site with the help of WordPress developers in Birmingham.

There are about 75 million sites that are using WordPress which includes some pretty large companies. This includes Sony, Facebook, and Google. That being said, they didn’t use the free version of WordPress to create a professional site. Companies this large are going to use a WordPress agency in Birmingham or make use of their own internal developer team.

WordPress is capable of being a great starter kit if you’re not looking to spend much money. You will have to pay for your domain name and hosting but the use of WordPress is free. There are over 2600 WordPress themes and more than 31,000 plugins that are also free.

You can download, install, and make use of them on your site. WordPress does have a lot to offer but you can also get lost in the sea of options. Also, it wasn’t developed as an ecommerce store platform. While it can function as an ecommerce store, there are other platforms that might be more geared to suit your business needs.

Here are a few pros and cons to help you decide if WordPress is the right solution for you…

WordPress Doesn’t Cost

WordPress is an open source platform that is considered a good starting point for your online sales. It doesn’t cost anything and because it’s open source, it’s always evolving.

Easy to Use

WordPress is largely quite basic, well known as being one of the most user friendly content management systems available. There isn’t so many technical terms thrown out at you as you start to build your site. The foundational beginnings are easy and comes with many options.

WordPress is Adaptable

You may want to start with a simple blog in the beginning but when the time comes to grow, Birmingham web designers specializing in WordPress can do the work for you. WordPress can help you run a high traffic ecommerce store but you’re probably not going to be able to set it up yourself. Highly customized optimization is possible.

A Large Community Support System

WordPress has a big group of supporters, contributors, and developers. This is helpful when you have a problem because chances are, someone has experienced the same thing and figured out how to solve it.

You Don’t Need to Be a Programmer

If you are a WordPress developer in Birmingham, you’re going to have an easy time creating sites. Even if you’re not that technical, you can still get yourself around WordPress. You choose a theme and it is the basis of how your site will look. You do have an element of control when it comes to functions and appearance of any given theme. You can add plugins to create additions to your site.

If you keep it simple, you won’t need professional help. It can get complicated though as expectations start to rise. WordPress isn’t going to be the best option for all people or businesses. If it’s running well there’s no problem but once technical issues occur, it is hard to know what is causing the problem. The complex system of features can cause a lot of confusion. As you’re getting a free, open source platform, you don’t have access to a tech support number. The saving grace is you can call your local WordPress agency in Birmingham to come to your rescue.

The Free Plugins Can Cause Problems in WordPress

The ease of using WordPress allows you to customize many elements of your site with plugins. The issue lies in that the more you add, the fuller your code base becomes. This is why some things take a long time to load. If you’re running an online store and your WordPress is lagging, you’re likely going to lose customers. This is why the healthiest WordPress sites are those that have WordPress developers in Birmingham monitoring performance and conducting maintenance.

Your WordPress Theme May Dictate How You Run Your Business

If you’re adamant about building your own site without a Birmingham WordPress web designer, you’ll be at the mercy of the theme you’ve chosen. Some look the way you want them to but don’t allow you to changes or have the functionality you want. They also might not support plugins that you’d really like. It’s probably not going to be possible for you to modify your site that way you’d like it to be.

If you really want to have a legitimate site that looks good, functions well, and performs its SEO properly, a WordPress developer in Birmingham is the way to go. WordPress is like anything else, you get what you pay for. You could spend countless hours trying to make things look the way you want.