WordPress

WordPress Image

With around 18 million installations, WordPress is the most-used open source CMS worldwide. Originally conceived as a blog system, a number of extensions are now available for the basic installation, making it possible to upgrade the software to a fully functional content management system.

Facts

The software has a large user community and benefits from an enormous selection of themes, plugins, and widgets. However, critics say that the system is not only too complex, but also confusing and awkward to use. WordPress shares the same problems as all successful software developments: with its high circulation, it is a popular target for hackers. Accordingly, users have to update their WordPress software fairly regularly with security updates. These updates come out quickly after security incidents, but are not always compatible with all the extensions that are required for effective use of the software. As a result, software updates can be associated with considerable administrative effort, especially in the case of large projects.

The basic installation requires little effort. This makes WordPress a good candidate for small and simply structured websites. It is especially good for bloggers, who want to provide their visitors with frequently changing content in attractive layouts. WordPress is an effective Contact Management System (CMS) with an intuitive web interface. As the complexity of the online project increases, however, the user-friendliness of the software significantly decreases. Large enterprise projects can theoretically be implemented as well, however in such a case the greater number of functions is inevitable accompanied by an increase in administrative effort.

If you are striving for a stable website operation, WordPress places comparatively high demands on the server as your visitor traffic increases. Users who are trying to develop complex multi-domain projects with a multi-lingual focus should choose a CMS like TYPO3 instead of WordPress.

Pros

  • ✔ Large community
  • ✔ Minimal effort for installation and setup
  • ✔ Intuitive user interface
  • ✔ Simple integration of plugins and other extensions

Cons

  • ✘ CMS functions require additional extensions
  • ✘ Plugins often have security gaps
  • ✘ Limited stability and performance capability with high traffic
  • ✘ More frequent security updates lead to additional effort

Tip

For WordPress beginners, the 1-click installation is part of a managed WordPress hosting package. By choosing this option, the website operators pass all technical and server-side administration duties to the vendor and can fully concentrate on their content.

Interested in the leading CMS program? You can find further information on the popular blogging software at the WordPress website.