WordPress for Your Corporate Website? Think Twice.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Pros
- WordPress is the defacto standard for building small websites of say 20-30 pages.
- Easily integrate all or most of the functionality you need - using plugins.
- Speed up performance with caching through a separate module.
- Integrates with various content-delivery networks.
Cons
- For larger sites - say over 20 pages - a WordPress install can and will quickly get out of control.
- High learning curve for WordPress development. The WordPress system selects which template to render a page based on a complex decision tree that is internal to the product. To be an effective developer, you need to know PHP, MySQL, Javascript, and be willing to spend much time in the WordPress codex mastering the specifics of the product.
- Integration with third-party products depends on plugins which may suddenly stop working. Each individual plugin comes with its own CSS style sheet and styling the plugins to look like a seamless part of your brand takes a very long time.
- Caching is not built into the product but occurs through a third-party plugin. You have to toggle caching on and off to see what is really going on with your site.
- Performance can be an issue - particularly if you are running a large site and/or simply need/want to deliver a lot of assets on smart phones and tablets. There is no content-delivery network built into WordPress and integrating with a third-party CDN takes technical skill.
- WordPress does not come out of the box with a granular permission system suitable for business. This makes setting up groups of users with differential access to various parts of your corporate or enterprise website relatively difficult.
- Security is always a concern with a WordPress site.
Likelihood to Recommend
Don't get me wrong, WordPress is a great solution for bloggers and other folks who need a very simple website. But if you are a company on a growth trajectory, plan on spending a lot of time customizing WordPress to turn it into a CMS and styling each plugin you rely upon. The amount of time spent here can and will be daunting.
Vetted Review
7 years of experience