When it comes to content management systems (CMS) , for a long time I was a Joomla junkie. After what I was used to, Joomla was just so fast when getting a new site together, there were loads of components, modules and plug-ins that did amazing things that I could easily and quickly utilise. The results were just great and the websites and wbe apps that I could build for myself and my clients truly delivered a great return on investment.
Then over time, as it became necessary to upgrade versions I found that the former days of nirvana had come to an end. Updating Joomla was a major headache that required extensive technical gymnastics, features broke or disappeared altogether. Add-ons were not longer compatible and also required upgrading, except that some were no longer available, had not been updated, had become commercial or presented some other obstacle to peace and happiness.
Leaving old versions of Joomla in place presented security risks and indeed some sites were hacked as a result. When hosting service providers updated PHP versions in necessary security upgrades, it was not uncommon to see sites malfunctioning all over the place and businesses suffering as a result.
I don’t know why it toolk me so long but after attending CMSexpo in Chicago in 2012, I decided that it was time to look seriously at WordPress as an alternative CMS. As with any new technology there was a learning curve to suffer, but surprisingly the results came thick and fast after a very short investment in time. Aroudn that time I also conducted some research via Twitter and the overwhelming advice that I received was to get with WordPress asap. This has proven good advice and I receommend WordPress in almost every case now when someone asks about a CMS for their business website.
In a nutshell here’s why;
- Instant one click updates and upgrades whenever a new version is released.
- Never had anything break with a WordPress upgrade.
- Brilliant add-on support in the form of themes and plug-ins.
- The ability to clone and migrate content between sites is just outstanding.
From a security standpoint using WordPress supports my theory that it is better to be a fast-moving target than an “impregnable” fortress. Updates are released frequently and are painless and easy to apply.
The ability to build attractive and highly functional sites using WordPress and the many add-ons that are available for it make any other option seem extremely tedious and expensive.
Speed to market is one of the great advantages that entrepreneurs have over corporates and WordPress supports this concept exceedingly well.
Soon I’ll write about some of my favourite WordPress themes and plugins, why I like them and where you can get them.
Find out more about WordPress here WordPress