line drawing of a bald man in glasses

“Wordpress is so easy… anyone can do it!”

There is no doubt about it- WordPress was designed to be, and certainly is, easy to use.  This CMS started as a relatively simple blogging solution, but is now powering a staggering number of websites across the web, both large and small.  It features post types, easy media uploads, and even custom pages.  There are a vast selection of themes and plugins that install and get you going right out of the box.  It’s great for a fast turn-around, and yes, almost anyone can build on it.  Wordpress is a solid solution for blogs, solo service providers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.

The Do-It-Yourself Trap

So, why pay a company to build you a WordPress website if it is so easy to make on your own?  For that matter- I bet if you posted “I need a WordPress site” in facebook you’d find 6 family members, 4 friends, 2 strangers, and someone’s pet dog named Ronald “the Magnificent” that would all offer to do it cheaper than a typical web development company.

The biggest frustration you’ll face with these solutions, and the most important, is time.  The major benefit of having a development team take care of your web project is that they take all of the responsibility off of your shoulders. This allows you and your team to focus on your own daily duties and clients.  Even if you only spend 10 hours (which isn’t likely if this is your first round), what will the end product be?  Will it look good, or just good enough?  What about your competitors?  Does their site look good, or does it look great?

And let’s face it, your niece might have gotten that trophy at the state fair for her fine art skills- but there is little chance she can match the expertise, creativity, and knowledge from experience that a professional team can bring to the table.  Sorry, creative nieces…

Working with the Pros

When Plan Left is brought in for WordPress development, we first look at what the website will do, WordPress might not even be the right fit. Majority of the time it is.  Feel free to check our portfolio to see some of the beautiful websites we’ve built with WordPress.  These feature several custom pages, blog or article feeds, slideshows, and even photo galleries and contact forms.
On the other hand, many websites are doing more than just being a point of information. Some websites sell products (e-commerce), have secure areas for files or news, and even manage workflow for teams and processes.  Most issues we see with working in WordPress are about scalability and security.  We typically look at WordPress as a starter CMS based website- great for basic needs and a smaller web presence.

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