After working with many different CMS platforms we have decided that WordPress is the best solution for our clients.

Over the past few years we have worked with several different Content Management Systems (CMS). We have clients who are now using WordPress, DNN, Joomla, Drupal, Expression Engine as well as custom-built CMS platforms. We have done the development ourselves on some of these web site projects, and partnered with web development firms on other projects.

We now find ourselves recommending WordPress more than any other system.

WHY WE RECOMMEND WORDPRESS

1. Our clients love it. We design and develop web sites for small businesses, educators, non-profits, start-ups and solopreneurs. These are people who are always juggling too much and need solutions that make their life easier, without a large expense. For every client we work with, we provide a customized user guide and at least one training session. With that background, and because WordPress is so easy to use, our clients quickly feel comfortable and empowered to handle making updates to their web site, creating blog posts, posting photos, etc. The user interface for WordPress is very friendly. Unfortunately, with some other CMS platforms that developers love, the client never grasps how it pulls everything together and their experience with the tool is intimidating.
2. We like the flexibility of WordPress. With things changing all the time on the web, we have made the commitment to learning more and more about WordPress. Our background is with design and branding, but my designers and I both have an interest and affinity with development. Honestly, we don’t have time to master more than one CMS. By learning how WordPress works, working with php, keeping on top of plugins, widgets and other updates we can create a web site that is fully customized in its design all within the robust framework of WordPress.
3. We are not alone (and our clients won’t be either). WordPress is wildly popular because of reasons 1 and 2 above. So there is a huge group of users, developers, and designers who are all actively using WordPress. If we can’t seem to de-bug a problem, there are many WordPress forums where we can find an answer. When a client signs the estimate for us to design and develop their web site, it can be a nervous moment. They’ve agreed to a process and fee that can feel a bit unnerving. Knowing that we’ve chosen WordPress means that they could turn over their web site at a later time to someone else. We hope they don’t, and they rarely do, but it minimizes their risk.
4. It’s free and open source. WordPress has no upfront or ongoing costs. We may decide to pay for a plug-in or other customization feature that has either a one-time or recurring fee, but you don’t have to. We don’t like to put our clients (who are small businesses, startups and non-profits) in the place where they are starting to pay for monthly fees when it is not necessary.
5. We can handle both the design and development in house. When we build a web site using WordPress, the on-site staff at Easy Domain Store completes the job from start to finish. We don’t have to hire outside developers. This keeps costs down, but more importantly it helps us to more fully understand the functionality we are setting up for our clients. We make sure that the design and function mesh in the exact way that a client is hoping for. Or, if that isn’t feasible we can clearly articulate why a different solution is better. Finally, if a client calls us several months after their web site has launched experiencing a problem we can quickly assess and fix the problem without the additional time or expense of going through multiple partners.

IS WORDPRESS THE BEST SOLUTION FOR EVERY WEB SITE?

No, of course not. There are reasons why there are different Content Management Systems. Some have strengths that others lack. We have worked on branding projects that involved large-scale development pieces that were outside of our expertise. In those instances we have partnered with developers who worked in different technologies.

IS WORDPRESS THE BEST SOLUTION FOR YOUR WEB SITE?

We made the case above. If you are a small business owner or do marketing for a small organization, choosing WordPress for your web site is probably a great choice. As long as you choose to work with an experienced web design and development firm (or individual) WordPress will allow you:

• a customized design that will effectively promote your brand identity
• a platform that is easy to understand so that you or your staff will actually keep your web site up-to-date
• a cost-effective system that will grow as your business grows

What do you think?

If you are you using WordPress, are you happy with the solution? If you chose a different CMS, why did you make that choice, and is it working out?