Why WordPress?

Over the past 20+ years, we’ve partnered with numerous clients and development teams, using a wide array of CMS platforms. We’re always ready to support whatever technologies our clients need—but when asked, we often recommend WordPress.

IOP is focused on creating bespoke websites—we don’t use off-the-shelf templates with predetermined areas to fill in. (Those are great, inexpensive —if limited—options for a simple first website.) There are many factors which drive our client-specific development recommendations, but for projects of the right scale and complexity, here’s why we choose WordPress over similar platforms:

8 Reasons We Use WordPress

1. Economy of scale. Most web projects have 60-70% common technical elements, and building on our established framework let’s us devote time to the 30-40% unique to to you—where the real value lies— creating a custom site with all the bells and whistles you need and none you don’t.
2. Proven. WordPress is the most commonly used CMS in the world, and it has held that title for more than seven years. It powers The White House, The Walt Disney Company, BBC America, Sony Music, and many, many more. All told, over 40% of all active websites, ~65% of all CMS-driven sites are on the platform. WordPress has been available since 2003, and it has used that time to grow and mature.
3. Ease of use. If non-technical people will be managing the site and maintaining the content WordPress has a simpler interface and is easier to use. And because it’s so prevalent on the web, many have likely used it before (plus it’s simple), making training staff and updating a breeze.
4. Customizability. With an open source codebase and an extensive ecosystem of resources, we’re able to customize WordPress to suit the unique needs of our clients.
5. Multi-User. Content management can be either centralized in one or two people, or distributed among a larger team.
6. Search engine friendly. Features such as automatically-generated metadata, mobile-friendly image optimization, and built-in permalink support give WordPress sites an edge in the SEO space.
7. Economical. Instead of spending money on license fees, your investment benefits your organization. WordPress itself can be used for free. (Of course, there are fees for hosting, plug-ins, an agency to create the site and maintenance.)
8. Managed hosting availability. Secure, stable managed hosting platforms built for WordPress are dedicated to keeping your site online. Based on experience, we highly recommend WP-Engine.

WordPress is not the right tool for every situation, there are lots of articles on the topic of the ‘right’ CMS. WordPress isn’t great for complex integrations with custom systems, complicated taxonomies or lots of custom requirements. But it fits the bill for many sites.

We’re happy to discuss the options and see what’s right for you.

Below are a few examples of sites we’ve built in WordPress, click to learn more: