Why WordPress is Our Go-To Website Platform

Some people grew up with the Walkman. Others, the iPhone. Drio grew up with WordPress.

Unlike the Walkman, WordPress shows no sign of phasing out, which is one of the reasons it has always been—and continues to be—our website platform of choice. 

When we first launched Drio back in 2011 (can you believe it’s been that long?!), WordPress was just on the cusp of transforming into a powerful website development platform. Today, it sets the standard for customizable, secure, responsive websites, just like we intend to set the standard as web developers ourselves. 

You might be wondering if Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, or Showit would be a better choice though. In this post, we’ll give you the scoop on what makes WordPress our go-to platform for all client projects. 

The Origin and Evolution of WordPress

Once upon a time—when we were all basking in the afterglow of Mariah Carey’s Charmbracelet—WordPress was a basic blogging platform. 

It launched in 2003 and, back then, acted more like Blogger or Medium do today. There were no web pages, just feeds for your blog posts.

By the time we started Drio in 2011, WordPress was the clear leader. It had undergone a variety of updates that made it much more suitable for building functional business websites. It also became more user-friendly, while its new plugins and widgets expanded its capabilities, speed, and security. 

Yet, it still had limitations when it came to customization, which we were determined to bypass. Our goal has always been to create customized, functional websites while keeping performance top-notch (because there’s nothing more infuriating as a user than a snail-paced site). That meant we needed new frameworks, skill sets, and tools—all the things that make Rachel’s Left Brain very happy! 

While we found workarounds, WordPress continued to improve so we didn’t have to rely on those workarounds as much. 

Thanks to the dedicated people behind the platform and its supportive community, WordPress was pushed to keep changing with the times. The fact that it’s been an open-source platform since its inception means the company truly listens to what the users say.

Little by little, all of these elements got better and better:

• Design customization
• Developer flexibility
• User-friendliness
• Speed
• Sleek design and efficient code 

WordPress Today: Powering Over 62% of All CMS Websites

Today, we still consider WordPress as the best choice for a professional website, particularly if you’re past the “DIY” stage. 

According to W3Techs Web Technology Surveys, about 43.3% of all websites are powered by WordPress. That number shoots up to 62.8% for websites that use a content management system (CMS), which is a system that allows users to edit their website content without code. 

Then there’s the fact that plenty of the biggest organizations in the world trust WordPress, from Zoom, The New York Times, and Meta to the White House, NASA, and even Taylor Swift. 

That shows how powerful and trusted WordPress is. If it’s the best for all those folks, we believe it’s the best for you too. 

This is largely because WordPress is extremely customizable while still being user-friendly on the back end. It’s also scalable, so it can grow and evolve with your business without you needing to start from scratch. You can build out anything you need, whether it’s a resource library, an events calendar, or an e-commerce shop. 

If you plan on hiring a professional web developer like us, we suggest allowing them to work their skills with WordPress. It simply outperforms the rest. If you’re going to start by DIYing your website, you could consider the other options. 

How Does WordPress Compare to Other Website Platforms?

Still pondering Wix, Squarespace, Showit, Shopify, or even Joomla or Drupal as a CMS? 

Here are five reasons we use WordPress for your business website instead of the other platforms.

Performance vs. Simply Pretty

We consider ourselves a web developer shop before we’re a web design shop. That means our top priority is creating customized, functional websites while keeping performance top-notch (not just putting paint on the walls so your website looks nice). 

Here are some of WordPress’s performance perks:

• Plugin Options Make Your Website Your Oyster: WordPress offers almost 60,000 free plugins and paid options, which means its capabilities are practically limitless. As your business grows, you can easily add new features. 

• SEO Strengths: It offers the most powerful SEO functions.  Image and metadata optimization is simple, thorough, and user-friendly, while popular plugins like Yoast SEO give you a simple checklist to help you nail your blog posts too. 

• Simple Speed Optimization: Quality hosting options and “cache” plugins make it easier to speed up your WordPress website, which is essential for a good user experience. The better your user experience, the fewer people quickly bounce off your website. This means more visitors take action (e.g. reach out to you), and it tells Google your page is worth visiting, which benefits SEO.

• Best Bang for your Blog Buck: WordPress started as a blog platform and still prioritizes those origins by offering a fantastic blog experience. Its highly customizable content management system (CMS) is easy to use so you can manage your content with zero web development knowledge. At Drio, we’re firm believers in telling stories to solidify your brand. WordPress’s top-of-the-game blog functions make it easy to regularly publish blogs for SEO, education, and connection. 

Own it, No Matter Who Your Host Is

WordPress is the way to go if you want to truly own your website and its content.

Think of it this way: WordPress is like owning your car. Regardless of who your website host provider is, you’ll always own your web files. You can take them wherever you go in the future. 

Other platforms (e.g. Squarespace) are like leasing a car. Once you stop making payments to your web host, that’s it. You can’t take your website files with you if you want to move to a different provider. 

Fewer Add-ons You Need to Buy

WordPress has a massive stock of built-in, free plugins you (i.e. your web developer) can add to your website to expand its functionality. 

There are also paid premium ones, but they’re rarely needed. Chances are, if you do need some of the premium plugins, you won’t need many. That means you don’t have to shell out hundreds or thousands of extra dollars per year after you’ve already invested in your website development.

Other platforms rely on paid apps and extensions. The smallest tweak can cost you a significant amount (often around $10/month or much, much more).

Made for Developers, Not DIY-ers

Platforms like Squarespace and Wix make it relatively easy for non-developers to create a website. 

That said, each of these platforms still has its challenges or glitches that can crop up. For instance, Squarespace today is more complicated than it was a few years ago as they’re expanding their customization options. But if you’re not in a place to hire a web developer yet, one of those platforms may be the right choice for you. 

On the other hand, WordPress is a professional web developer’s dream for all the reasons we’ve covered. It gives us much more freedom to customize your website while building a stronger foundation. 

At the same time, WordPress’s content management system (CMS) is user-friendly for non-web developers. After your website project is done, you’ll be able to easily update and manage your content without any coding knowledge.

Easy to find a WP professional

Since WordPress is so widely used, there are gobs of service providers and organizations that can help you with your website whenever you need it. 

If you go with a developer who uses a more obscure CMS, it might come with lots of fancy bells and whistles, but you’ll be limited in who can help you maintain it. That means if they disappear, you could be stuck with a platform that fewer people know how to build on.

At Drio, we keep current with all of WordPress’s developments and techniques for using it. To stay on the cutting edge, we regularly attend WordCamps, which are international multi-day conferences all about the platform. This allows us to connect with others who are as passionate about WordPress as we are. We’ve got plenty of recommendations if you need them!

WordPress Hosting and Maintenance 

When you have a WordPress website, you’re not automatically tied to one website host. You’re free to change hosts whenever you need to without losing your web files. 

We offer Drio SAFE, a WordPress Hosting and Maintenance plan exclusively for our website design clients. Our hosting infrastructure is optimized specifically for WordPress, ensuring fast loading times and smooth user experiences for your visitors. 

Of course, clients are free to end their plan and change their host whenever they need to.

Get a WordPress Website That Proves You’re the Right Choice for Your Customers

Learn more about our website design process and everything included in custom projects. Or contact us to get the show on the road!