While WordPress is a valid choice for small websites, it's not universally the best option.

WordPress, despite its widespread popularity as a Content Management System (CMS), might not be the ideal solution for most websites for several reasons. As the landscape of web development evolves, the limitations of WordPress become more apparent, especially for businesses and developers seeking flexibility, performance, and security.

Performance & Scalability

WordPress, inherently built to be a blogging platform, quickly suffers from performance issues as the website grows. High levels of customization and the use of numerous plugins can lead to slower page load times, negatively impacting user experience and SEO rankings. While it is possible to optimize WordPress sites for higher performance, this often requires significant effort and expertise. All to make Wordpress do something it wasn't designed for.

Security

WordPress's popularity is largely due to it beinf free. However its large market share makes it a prime target for hackers. The open-source core and its plugins can expose vulnerabilities, especially if these components are not regularly updated. For businesses, a compromised website can lead to data breaches, affecting credibility and customer trust.

Customisation

While WordPress offers extensive themes and plugins for customisation, achieving a highly custom look or functionality often requires custom coding and can be cumbersome. Developers looking for unique, tailored solutions might find WordPress restrictive compared to frameworks and CMS platforms designed for more flexibility.

Dependence on Plugins

The extensive reliance on plugins for additional features can be a double-edged sword. While plugins extend functionality, they also introduce potential compatibility issues, security vulnerabilities, and can negatively impact website performance. Managing and updating an extensive list of plugins can become a significant ongoing task. Plugins are not officially vetted and without scrutiny can easily introduce breakages, or worse, security holes.

Technical Maintenance

Maintaining any larger than a simple WordPress site can be demanding, especially for users without web development experience. Regular updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins are necessary to secure and optimize the site, which can be time-consuming and usually require professional assistance. I've lost count the number of times I've been contacted to firefight a seemingly innocuos Wordpress update that knocked the whole website offline.

SEO Challenges

Although WordPress is known for being SEO-friendly, achieving optimal SEO performance can be a challenge without the bloat of additional plugins and their customization. Moreover, the added overhead introduced by unnecessary plugins or themes can hinder a website's ability to rank well in search engine results.

Alternative Solutions

For projects requiring high levels of customization, complex content relationships, and a focus on performance and security, CraftCMS emerges as a superior choice. Its considered approach to content modeling, performance optimization, security, and customization capabilities make CraftCMS particularly well-suited for bespoke website development, offering a tailored solution where WordPress often falls short.