Have you seen rumors on the web that WordPress is outdated?
WordPress is the most well-liked web site builder available on the market, powering about 43% of the web sites. With its giant market share, flexibility, and common updates, it’s secure to say that WordPress isn’t outdated in any respect.
However, you’ll have seen some weblog posts or threads on the web convincing you to not construct a web site on the platform.
In this text, we’ll talk about if WordPress is outdated and shed some mild on the nice, unhealthy, and ugly facet of the platform.
Is WordPress Really Outdated?
WordPress is an open-source software program that’s fully free, versatile, and straightforward to make use of.
Note: Please don’t confuse WordPress.org with WordPress.com, which is a self-hosted service. For particulars, you possibly can see our comparison on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.
WordPress can also be extremely standard. It holds over 64% of the CMS market share, and about 36% of the highest 10,000 web sites are powered by WordPress, exhibiting that it’s the best website builder available on the market.
Plus, many big-name brands like Sony Music, CNN, and Disney Books have additionally used WordPress to construct their web sites.
So, if WordPress was outdated, then why would a few of the hottest manufacturers on this planet use it to energy their web sites?
The reply is that WordPress is up to date recurrently, is safe, and cost-effective, together with loads of customization choices for every kind of web site house owners and small companies.
In brief, the weblog posts that you’ll have seen on the web about WordPress dying are unfaithful. These rumors are often promoted by individuals who use different alternate options and are satisfied that these platforms are higher than WordPress.
Having mentioned that, let’s take a look at WordPress’s good, unhealthy, and ugly sides to find out if the platform is outdated. You can use the fast hyperlinks under to leap to the totally different elements of our dialogue:
The Good
First, let’s check out a few of the benefits of utilizing WordPress as a web site builder to show that it isn’t outdated in any respect.
1. Regular Updates
WordPress has round 2-3 main releases every year. These updates usually introduce new options and enhancements, together with measures to attenuate safety vulnerabilities.
Additionally, WordPress additionally will get some minor updates each few weeks that target bug points, boosting efficiency, and any minor safety issues.
Since WordPress is open supply, it’s maintained by developers all around the world who additionally repair errors and even add new options which might be then launched in main updates all year long.
Another good thing about WordPress is that it’s automatically updated each time there’s a minor launch, so that you received’t should waste time doing it your self.
We suggest all the time utilizing the latest version of WordPress so as to add new options, enhance efficiency, and keep up to date with the most recent trade requirements.
For extra particulars, you might prefer to see our tutorial on how to safely update WordPress.
2. Ease of Use and Flexibility
WordPress is tremendous standard because of its ease of use and flexibility. This means you don’t want any coding information to construct a web site on the platform.
That is why there are nearly 4 million WordPress blogs and web sites within the USA alone.
The platform has a clear and user-friendly interface with a really simple menu on the left facet of the display screen. This makes it straightforward for novices to handle their web sites proper from the dashboard.
WordPress additionally gives the block editor, the place you should use totally different blocks from the panel, together with picture, heading, video, quote, column, or group blocks to create posts and pages.
Additionally, it’s versatile and lets you add every kind of customizations utilizing WordPress themes and plugins.
For instance, you would use a theme like Astra or a theme builder like SeedProd to construct a pretty website.
Similarly, you may as well add contact forms, construct on-line shops, add social media icons, create lead era campaigns, and a lot extra utilizing the 59,000 plugins obtainable within the WordPress.org listing.
For extra concepts, you might prefer to see our professional picks for the must-have WordPress plugins.
Overall, WordPress has an incredible steadiness between ease of use and flexibility as a result of it gives an intuitive interface for novices.
On the opposite hand, it additionally has superior customization choices for skilled customers by way of themes, plugins, and open-source code entry.
For extra info on this matter, you possibly can see our newbie’s information on why WordPress is hard and how to make it easier.
3. Web optimization-Friendly
WordPress is Web optimization-friendly and up-to-date with the most recent Web optimization requirements as a result of it makes use of clear and semantic code, which is simple to know for search engines like google and yahoo like Google.
Plus, it lets you customise your permalink structure, simply add titles and meta descriptions, and comes with built-in taxonomies within the type of classes and tags.
This makes it simpler for customers to arrange their content material and enhance their search engine rankings.
All these settings can be found in WordPress by default and can simply be configured proper out of your dashboard. You can even use some plugins and instruments to optimize your content material additional.
To do that, we suggest utilizing All in One SEO for WordPress as a result of it’s the best SEO plugin available on the market.
It lets you add titles and meta descriptions and comes with options like a damaged hyperlink assistant, XML sitemaps, on-page Web optimization evaluation, a robots.txt editor, social media playing cards, a redirection supervisor, and extra.
Plus, it has schema markup for articles, merchandise, FAQs, and recipes that may increase your rankings and natural click-through price.
For extra particulars, you possibly can see our ultimate WordPress SEO guide.
4. Security
Lots of customers on the web imagine that WordPress is overly weak to hackers, malware, and bugs.
However, that’s an over-exaggeration.
WordPress is a safe platform that’s monitored by safety specialists worldwide. Since it’s open supply, its supply code is all the time obtainable for builders to review and debug safety points.
You may even add an additional layer of safety to your WordPress website through the use of standard security plugins like Sucuri. This software provides a firewall that stops unhealthy site visitors, hackers, and malware from reaching your server.
Plus, Sucuri makes use of a content material supply community (CDN), which may increase your web site’s efficiency and velocity.
Apart from WordPress, all of the themes and plugins that you’re utilizing are additionally safe as a result of most premium plugins pay safety specialists to audit their code. This implies that even when malware is present in a theme or plugin, it’s patched up fairly rapidly.
Plus, plugins submitted to the free WordPress plugin repository should meet sure safety and coding requirements.
Still, we suggest utilizing safety plugins, website backups, sturdy passwords, and common updates to make your WordPress website fully safe. For extra particulars, please check out our WordPress security guide.
WordPress isn’t outdated as a result of it’s nonetheless wildly standard. It boasts an enormous neighborhood of people, together with bloggers, builders, and designers, who recurrently contribute to the platform.
The WordPress neighborhood is thought for its inclusivity. It generates a wealth of assets corresponding to boards, blogs, documentation, tutorials, and video guides to assist novices be taught and develop their web sites.
For instance, the WordPress translation neighborhood has totally translated the CMS into over 50 languages and partially translated greater than 200.
Individuals and groups all around the world additionally arrange WordCamps and meetups every year to advertise international collaboration and share their love of WordPress.
The WordPress neighborhood additionally lets you contribute your skills to different projects, entry help, and present alternatives to be taught from different members of the neighborhood.
You may even put up job listings for writers, builders, or designers on the WordPress.org web site.
Overall, the neighborhood is an integral a part of WordPress and is usually a worthwhile useful resource for novices who’re simply beginning with the platform.
6. Scalable
WordPress isn’t an outdated possibility as a result of it may be used for all sizes of internet sites and on-line companies, which means which you can develop from inside the platform.
WordPress may be extremely scalable should you use the suitable instruments in your web site. Lots of WordPress websites on the web have very excessive site visitors quantity and carry out exceptionally nicely.
For instance, there are many dependable WordPress hosting companies that may deal with a excessive degree of site visitors with out hurting your website’s velocity.
Additionally, there are many WordPress caching plugins, like WP Rocket, that may cut back server load and increase your web page load velocity.
You can even offload your static recordsdata and media to a CDN network to deal with greater site visitors hundreds as your web site grows.
For particulars and ideas, you might prefer to see our information on how much traffic WordPress can handle.
The Bad
While we expect WordPress is a superb possibility for every kind of internet sites, there are some potential downsides to utilizing the platform. Here are some cons of utilizing WordPress as your web site builder.
1. Reliance on WordPress Plugins
The WordPress.org listing gives greater than 59,000 free WordPress plugins. This ensures that you will discover just about any software you should add new performance to your web site.
While that may be a enormous profit, it additionally implies that your web site may very well be closely reliant on totally different plugins so as to add options.
WordPress plugins might generally battle with different plugins or WordPress’s newest software program model, which may trigger surprising points. For instance, should you use two plugins that provide the identical performance, then that may result in some errors.
Not all free plugins obtain ongoing help, both. You might set up a plugin in your web site, just for it to be deserted by the developer later and become outdated. This can introduce safety vulnerabilities or trigger WordPress errors.
However, you will need to keep in mind that WordPress plugins undergo fairly a little bit of testing earlier than they’re added to the plugin listing. Most of them work properly, and some might even enhance website efficiency. Still, you will need to be conscious of the potential downsides of utilizing outdated plugins.
For extra on this matter, you possibly can see our information on how to choose the best WordPress plugin.
2. WordPress Errors
WordPress is tremendous straightforward to navigate, however you possibly can generally run into some widespread errors that may sound scary and even forestall you from accessing your website.
For instance, you might come throughout the Internal Server Error if you find yourself attempting to go to your web site as a result of the server has run into an issue that it can not acknowledge.
In that case, it is going to be as much as you to establish and repair the error. To do that, you possibly can strive clearing your browser cache, reuploading core recordsdata, growing the PHP reminiscence restrict, or deactivating all of your WordPress plugins.
For particulars, you possibly can see our tutorial on how to fix the internal server error in WordPress.
Other than that, you might also see different WordPress errors just like the 504 gateway timeout, password reset, RSS feed error, or WordPress not sending electronic mail errors. While they may sound scary, you possibly can simply repair them utilizing the assets obtainable on the web and WordPress neighborhood boards.
For extra info, please see our newbie’s information on the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them.
3. Hosting and Domain Name Costs
WordPress.org is totally free as a result of it’s an open-source platform.
However, the fee begins including up when you should buy a website title and hosting in your web site. A domain name is your web site’s title on the web, like www.wpbeginner.com, and can value as much as $14.99/yr.
On the opposite hand, a internet hosting plan usually begins from $7.99/month. This may be costly you probably have simply began and are on a shoestring price range.
Fortunately, you may get round this by selecting a cheap WordPress hosting supplier like Bluehost, which is likely one of the largest internet hosting corporations available on the market. Essentially, you may get began for $2.75 per 30 days.
For extra info, you possibly can see our newbie’s information on how much it really costs to build a WordPress website.
4. Performance Issues
Some folks declare that WordPress is outdated as a result of some WordPress web sites are slow-loading and have efficiency points.
Although WordPress is a scalable platform, that doesn’t imply that your web site will mechanically be quick. It can nonetheless endure from efficiency points that may harm the person expertise and search engine rankings.
Some of the widespread causes for gradual web site velocity is usually a poor internet hosting plan, giant picture sizes, extreme plugins, unoptimized code, or database points.
In that case, we suggest optimizing your website for velocity by lazy loading comments, utilizing JPEG and PNG as picture file codecs, choosing light-weight themes, and resizing your visual content.
Most importantly, you need to guarantee that you’re utilizing a WordPress caching plugin like WP Rocket. This ensures that your web site can deal with extra site visitors with out slowing down your server.
For extra ideas and tips, check out our newbie’s information on how to boost WordPress website speed and performance.
The Ugly
WordPress isn’t excellent, so listed here are some extra critical disadvantages to contemplate should you begin utilizing it in your web site.
1. Needs Regular Maintenance
Even although WordPress is a superb web site builder, you’ll nonetheless should carry out some common upkeep duties to maintain your website safe and quick.
For instance, we suggest all the time updating your WordPress to the most recent model.
Next, you have to create common WordPress backups, optimize your database, and run efficiency assessments. You must also strive changing your site password now and then as a result of it’s the first protection towards hackers attempting to entry your web site.
For extra ideas, please see our information on crucial WordPress maintenance tasks to perform regularly.
While these duties are mandatory, they are often irritating and time-consuming. Plus, not doing them can harm your website’s efficiency and expose it to safety vulnerabilities.
However, if doing these duties seems like an excessive amount of work, then you possibly can go for Seahawk Media Services as an alternative. They are the perfect WordPress companies supplier that may carry out common upkeep duties for you so that you just don’t want to fret about something.
Other than that, Seahawk Media additionally gives velocity optimization, Web optimization optimization, website migration, hacked website restore, web site rebuilding, content material writing, and so many different companies.
Alternatively, you would select a managed WordPress hosting provider like WP Engine. Their plans begin at $20 per 30 days and embody VIP internet hosting companies like managed updates, superior WordPress safety, day by day and on-demand backups, and a built-in exercise log.
2. Bloated Code
WordPress is typically accused of being outdated and having bloated code as a result of it has loads of built-in options for a variety of internet sites. However, loads of these settings are non-obligatory and might not be wanted by all websites.
These options can add further code to your pages, which may decelerate load instances. That being mentioned, the simplest strategy to do away with bloated code is to disable all of the settings that you just don’t need to use in your web site.
For instance, you possibly can disable the pingback characteristic that notifies different blogs whenever you hyperlink to them. This performance isn’t mandatory for every kind of internet sites and provides pointless bloat to your database.
You can even disable emojis, default themes, and unused plugins to make your website quicker. However, we suggest fastidiously contemplating options earlier than disabling them, particularly in case you are new to WordPress.
What Is the Future of WordPress?
After trying on the good, unhealthy, and ugly sides of WordPress, we’ve concluded that WordPress isn’t outdated in any respect and its future is vivid.
It is a strong platform that performs common updates and is Web optimization-friendly, scalable, and safe, making it the proper option to build a website.
Plus, its reputation and neighborhood are rising, and it’s even a extremely standard platform for on-line shops, with over 5 million web sites powered by WooCommerce alone.
We additionally count on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to turn into an integral a part of WordPress sooner or later, and we imagine the platform will proceed to develop and evolve within the coming years.
If you want to some extra info, then you possibly can see our information on the future of WordPress and what to anticipate.
Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress
Here are some questions which might be regularly requested by our readers about WordPress:
Is WordPress nonetheless related in 2024?
The reply is sure. WordPress remains to be related in 2024, contemplating that it powers over 43% of all web sites globally.
It is open-source, free, user-friendly, and gives an enormous library of plugins and themes that stretch WordPress’s performance, making it the popular selection for constructing a web site for a lot of customers.
Are WordPress websites outdated?
WordPress itself is recurrently maintained and up to date with new options and safety patches. This implies that all of the web sites utilizing the most recent WordPress model may be fairly fashionable.
However, some web sites on the web could also be utilizing an outdated theme or plugins or a really previous model of WordPress, which may result in a hack.
If you retain your core software program, themes, and plugins up to date, your WordPress website may be simply as fashionable and safe as one constructed on a distinct platform.
Is WordPress dropping reputation?
WordPress remains to be a brilliant standard web site builder and holds a 64% share of the Content Management System (CMS) market.
It additionally boasts an enormous neighborhood that organizes WordCamps worldwide and promotes international inclusivity. Plus, the neighborhood gives in depth plugin help, has translated the platform into over 50 languages, and has boards that can assist you together with your WordPress issues.
Is WordPress actually that unhealthy?
No, WordPress is definitely a really user-friendly platform the place you possibly can construct a web site with none coding information. It is utilized by a few of the high corporations on this planet and is tremendous scalable.
For particulars, you possibly can see our newbie’s information on is WordPress really that bad.
We hope this text helped you be taught if WordPress is outdated, with an outline of its good, unhealthy, and ugly sides. You might also need to see our complete WordPress review and our information on why you should use WordPress.
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