WordPress myths debunked: 9 Common misconceptions explained

Aug 16, 2024 | WordPress

WordPress Myths Debunked: What’s True and What’s Not

In this article, we will provide more information on some misconceptions (/WordPress myths) that might be misleading. 

If you have used WordPress for a long time, you know how powerful the Content Management System is. But, if you are still new to it, you will wonder what you can build with it. 

But fear not! 

With the information available in this article, you will be able to make an informed decision on how to create sites or even recommend their use for a certain type of website.

WordPress was developed in 2003, and most people took it as a CMS for creating blogs; however, there is a lot you can do using it, from creating forums, communities, news sites, learning management systems, e-commerce sites, hospital management systems, restaurants, and much more. 

It can be used to create websites for large companies and even startups; there is no restriction. 

In this article, we will provide info on common myths, the benefits of using WordPress, and real-life websites that are unique. 

9 Common WordPress Myths WordPress

The following is some information on Myths about WordPress that are not true. 

Myth 1: WordPress Is Just Meant for Blogging Sites

WordPress is not just meant to create blogging sites but can be used to create a wide variety of sites for restaurants, institutions, hospitals, online stores, portfolios, and much more. Even though it first started as a blogging platform, its developers have continuously created themes, widgets, templates, and plugins to boost their use. 

Therefore, if you are thinking of starting a new site without necessarily being a blog, WordPress would be the best solution for this.

Myth 2: WordPress Is Not Suitable for E-Commerce Sites

WordPress has the Woocommerce plugin that transforms a regular site into a powerful online store. 

Therefore, if you are an online business owner, you need to get this WordPress myth off your mind for more prosperity. For instance, more than 4.8 million websites are powered by Shopify, and 4.7 million websites are run by WordPress Woocommerce.  

What makes Woocommerce stand out in creating online stores is that it can be linked with SEO plugins like Yoast SEO to boost the visibility of the products. Additionally, WordPress provides a platform for a great amount of customization to ensure a great website output.

Furthermore, you can add a pinch of a blog or tutorials on how to utilize your products to increase your customer base.

Myth 3: Starting a WordPress Website Is Completely Free

The WordPress Content Management System package is free since it is open source and maintained by a community of developers.

WordPress plans and pricing

However, starting a WordPress site is not completely free.

Here’s why:

  • You will need to purchase a domain name for your WordPress site plus paid hosting for better performance. 
  • Some of the themes and plugins are free; however, for some, you might need to opt for the premium version for more functionality. 
  • You will need to purchase an independent SSL certificate to ensure your website always remains safe from cyber threats.
  • You might also need to cater to some maintenance costs to ensure your website remains running all the time. 
  • You will need to consult a developer to ensure some functionalities are working, a content creator to create content for your website, a graphic designer to create great graphics for your site, etc.

Myth 4: WordPress Can’t Be Used by Large Businesses

This is a popular WordPress myth that WordPress is just suitable for small businesses; on the contrary, it is not. WordPress can be used by both small, medium, and large businesses. WordPress is highly scalable, which makes it ideal for different types of businesses, from startups to large corporations.

Such examples include The Walt Disney Company, Sony Music, TED Blog, Meta Newsgroup, etc.

Regardless of your business size, you will enjoy cost-effectiveness and many plugins, themes, templates, and widgets. The wide variety of options makes it ideal for use by all businesses. 

Myth 5: WordPress Has Limited Support

WordPress has one of the best support systems to help people troubleshoot their problems. 

You can check the guides to see how best to troubleshoot your issue. In as much as there isn’t a Contact Us button for official customer support, there are many guides available to help with your issues. 

You can also check the forum and community to discuss issues with like-minded people like you. However, based on the WordPress package you choose, you can get live support or email capability when you have an issue with your hosting or other integrations. 

Myth 6: WordPress Is Not Secure and Difficult to Use

Many people believe that WordPress is hard to use. However, it is the contrary since anyone can build a simple WordPress site without any problems. Some tutorials and videos can help anyone to learn more about how to build a site. However, for more capabilities, you will need to get help from a developer to get your dream site. 

  • WordPress has an intuitive dashboard interface that makes it easy to modify, add pages, add posts, add users, modify the website, change themes, add plugins, and much more. 
WordPress plugins directory
  • WordPress has a wide variety of themes and templates that make it ideal for use. With the wide variety of themes, you can change your website as you wish. 
WordPress themes directory
  • They also have a wide variety of plugins that help to add functionality to the site without necessarily knowing how to code. 
  • WordPress is also very secure, and even if a plugin or theme seems to be a threat, you will get a notification to help you know what to deal with. However, to ensure the security of the site, it is critical to have regular updates, integrate security plugins, strong user authentication, SSL certificate, secure hosting, regular backups, limit user privileges/block users, and ensure you only install themes and plugins from trusted sources. 

Myth 7: Plugins Always Slow Down Your Website

It is a myth that WordPress plugins always slow down your website. 

In as much as you should delete plugins that you are no longer using or deactivate them. It is not entirely true that plugins slow down your website. 

A lot of factors like your hosting plan or internet connectivity can slow down the loading of the site and not entirely the plugins unless they have some vulnerabilities that will need you to delete them. 

Poorly coded plugins, low-quality plugins, unoptimized code, and lack of plugin compatibility can lead to slow loading of your website.

Myth 8: WordPress Is Bad for SEO

Most people think that WordPress is bad for SEO and that it can’t handle large traffic. However, that’s not true. In the real sense, WordPress has amazing plugins that can help boost SEO, such as Yoast SEO and AllinOne SEO

Therefore, you are assured of modifying it as you wish, and it’s simple even to edit the content to ensure it meets your needs. 

Also, the themes are created in a way that is mobile responsive and, therefore, fits easily on different screens. WordPress also has a clean code structure that makes it easy for the search engine to crawl the site. 

Another win is the fact that WordPress allows the modification of the permalink structure to include relevant keywords that help increase visibility. 

Myth 9: All WordPress Sites Look Alike

There is a myth that all website sites look alike and have the same functionalities. However, that’s not true. 

With a wide variety of plugins and themes, people can easily customize their websites to make them look unique. Therefore, if you are not sure of whether to have a WordPress site, then you need to think otherwise. 

In as much as WordPress doesn’t need any coding experience to make certain modifications, it might need a developer’s expertise.  

Benefits of Using WordPress to Build Your Website

There are some benefits of using WordPress to build your website.

i. User-friendliness

WordPress has a user-friendly dashboard that makes it easy to modify the website.  Therefore, you can easily add posts and pages and modify the website to look as you wish. Additionally, with its responsiveness capability, it can easily fit on different screens. It is also easy to install and start using, even with limited coding experience. 

Ideally, you can use Divi Builder or Elementor to create your perfect website.

ii. Regular Updates

WordPress open-source software, themes, and plugins are often updated to fix any bugs that might be there. Therefore, you will always get the latest WordPress version when it is updated. 

Also, the scalability of WordPress makes it ideal for businesses of different sizes. 

iii. High-level Flexibility

WordPress has many customization options that make it to be popular among many users. 

You can modify the website using reliable themes or plugins that make it more functional. Additionally, you can also modify the code to fit your preference. You can even choose a theme based on the kind of website, e.g. health, educational, or restaurant. 

Also, the fact that it is open source allows a community of developers to modify it and fix vulnerabilities.

iv. SEO Friendliness and Responsiveness

WordPress websites are highly responsive on different screens and, therefore, more versatile in different environments. Additionally, WordPress has various plugins that are great for boosting your SEO and visibility. 

Therefore, your website will be optimized for search engines, which will lead to more traffic and conversions. You just need to know the right plugins, tools, or technologies to integrate into your site to make it more functional.

v. Active Community

WordPress is open source and has a wide variety of developers who work on it to ensure that all bugs are fixed and no vulnerabilities are present anymore. 

Also, you can take part in community discussions and get help on any WordPress issues that you might have. The online community is so helpful, which makes WordPress stand out from the other platforms. Even if you ask a question, you will get answered within no time. The collaborative nature of WordPress is a great thing.

Unique WordPress Examples That Debunk the Myths

Even with the myth that all WordPress sites look alike, that’s not the truth. We have reviewed some of the best WordPress examples that debunk the myths. 

1. Wertmacher

Wertmacher WordPress Website Example 1

Wertmacher is a German website that would make you feel confused about whether it is truly a WordPress site because of its amazing features. It’s a combination of interactivity and creativity. 

2. We Virtually Are

We Virtually Are

This website is quite interactive, and you would have doubts about whether it is powered by WordPress. It has some great interactive elements that make it stand out. Therefore, if you thought all WordPress sites looked alike, which one does this look like?

3. Two Chimps Coffee

Two Chimps Coffee

Two Chimps Coffee Website is an online shop that allows customers to get access to reliable coffee products from their comfort. The website is well-customized to make it easy to find what you are looking for. It is unique and provides a different feel when looked at based on the creativity used to create it. 

4. 99percentinvisible

99 Percent Invisible Website Example

99Percentinvisible is another unique website that features podcasts, videos, audio, and posts to make it easy for you to understand what’s going on. It has a great level of creativity used to create it. If you think all WordPress websites look alike, this should change your mind. 

5. High Five Strategies

High Five Strategies

WordPress is also great for creating one-page websites. If you just want to market yourself or your products easily, a WordPress website would work wonders. The Highfive Strategies website is a perfect example of a one-page website you can also emulate to create yours. It is also great for portfolio websites. 

6. Little Sketchers

Little Sketchers WordPress Website Example 6

Little Sketchers is another unique website that uses WordPress. It is mostly for young kids to showcase their drawing abilities. The website is unique and showcases the different talents’ work. Therefore, WordPress can be great for art galleries, portfolios, music, or any artistic materials. 

7. Round Rock

WordPress website example 7 - Round Rock Independent School District

WordPress can also be used to create websites for educational institutions, Communities, or forums for people to interact. Therefore, people with the same interests can interact, learn through each other, and boost their productivity. It is so easy to create learning management systems using WordPress. 

Use WordPress to Create Your Dream Website 

The many myths about WordPress can easily make you not want to utilize it for your personal or company website. 

However, with the knowledge of how strong the WordPress software is, you can be assured that you can create reliable websites that will meet your expectations in real-time. All these WordPress website examples show how your creativity can lead to a unique output. 

Therefore, leverage the great themes and plugins from WordPress to be more productive. 

Also, the active community, SEO friendliness, responsiveness features, user-friendly dashboard, ease of use, and amazing outlook should make you opt for WordPress. 

Posted By:
Vishvendra
Vishvendra believes in the keep learning process and applying those learnings into work. Other than technical writing, he likes to write fiction, non-fiction, songs, and comic ideas. He loves what he writes and writes what he loves. Search his name with "Nathawat," and you'll easily find him over the internet.

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