Why Choose WordPress? 8 Reasons Why We Support and Use the Open Source CMS

Since I don't work on the web development team here at ArcStone, I've often wondered why WordPress is our go-to platform for content management. There are plenty of options out there, so what makes this one so integral to our work? I picked the brain of developers Erin and Chris to uncover the reasons we are still committed to WordPress.

1. Widespread use:

One way Erin put it, "if it’s good enough for Beyonce and Snoop Dogg, it’s good enough for the rest of us."

But seriously, look at some of the notable users whose sites are in WordPress:

• Snoop Dogg
• Beyonce
• TechCrunch 
• LinkedIn Blog

Chris underlined that WordPress has such a large share of the market that it makes sense to continue to recommend it to our clients. In fact, 48% of Technorati’s top 100 sites are managed with WordPress and 74.6 million sites use WordPress (ManageWP Blog). It takes up a whopping 59% of the market share (WPKube).

This means that, for one, we can more safely assume it will remain supported. We also know it is one of the most universal platforms, so clients aren't locked in to an agency or developer if they have different support needs down the road. 

2. Dependability over time

Both Chris and Erin pointed out that we've used WordPress for close to eight years and only a few cases has WordPress not been a great fit for their needs. "Sure, there is the odd case where WordPress doesn’t make sense, but largely, it’s been a great choice for most of our clients," explained Erin. WordPress has the flexibility to handle most functionality, and is great for content and marketing focused sites.

3. Security 

Because WordPress is the most popular CMS, it is considered a security target. However, like with any website or CMS, be sure to choose a developer and host that regularly monitors, updates and patches your site. You can have some additional confidence knowing that "the WordPress application is updated on a regular basis to address bugs and improve both its features and security" (digital web success). 

We roll out WordPress updates 4-5 times per year after testing and vetting the latest changes.

4. Less intimidating interface

Chris addressed how WordPress impresses clients through its usability. Once we train them on using the platform, we find that they're happy with the user experience. This is great for companies that have to make frequent updates or have multiple administrators.

5. Integration with other tools

Another aspect clients appreciate is the ability to integrate the CMS with other tools, such as your CRM or marketing software. It's meant to work well with other systems - Hubspot, Mailchimp, Salesforce and Gravity Forms are popular ones for our clients. 

6. Highly customizable

Going off of that, there are further ways to customize a WP site. Erin points to plugins that "offer quick and easy advanced functionality." Chris noted a stat that shows there are "29,000 different plugins" available and that number grows daily (Manage WP Blog). Through our experience with the CRM, we have established favorite plugins for each common custom need.

An example Erin used is with a client who needed multiple sections to frequently enter new content. Namely, they had to enter new real estate agents, homes, lots, and communities. We were able to easily customize the CMS so they could do this in an efficient way.

Its integration with other software and these plugins point to how "there is practically no limit to what someone can do using WordPress" (digital web success)

7. User permissions

WordPress allows you to easily set access permissions for users within your company. Erin explains a few of the options:

• Administrator – somebody who has access to all the administration features within a single site.
• Editor – somebody who can publish and manage posts including the posts of other users.
• Author – somebody who can publish and manage their own posts.
• Contributor – somebody who can write and manage their own posts but cannot publish them.

8. SEO-friendly

Since it incorporates semantic markup, search engines like sites using WordPress, which works to automatically increase your quality of SEO.

For more info on why we like this CMS, take a look at our infographic here: WordPress Guide

The dependability, customization and widespread use of WordPress all keep ArcStone coming back. If you'd like to talk about switching over to WordPress or having us host your WordPress site, call or email ArcStone and you'll work with experts like Chris and Erin.