Hosting Companies Passing off WordPress as a Content Management System

It seems that the popularity of wordpress from back in the blogging era has transitioned into passing it off as a website content management system (CMS).

Trying to pass off wordpress as a Content Management System is a lot like try to pass off a moped as an SUV.

If you need a vehicle to get to work each day, yes a moped is cheap and it will likely get you where you need to be, but it wont be good enough for 99% of the people driving to work each day.

Hey, there is nothing wrong with driving a moped, it gets the job done, unless you have 2 people, unless it is raining or snowing, unless you have to go more than a few miles to work, unless you have to carry anything bigger than a lunch box etc, etc......

Sure you save money, but does it do what you need?

Wordpress was designed as a blogging program, which is great for Bloggers.

But not so good for retailers, not so good for anyone that needs a more comprehensive website.

Blogs are blogs and websites are websites. There are very different things as much so as a moped and and SUV.

Any webmaster pushing any customer toward wordpress is just wasting your time.

Sure they can download loads of free templates, make changes and even find plugins and apps for setting up an online store.

But an online store on wordpress is a bit like selling produce from the back of a pickup truck. You have to dig through everything, there is no order and people question themselves whether they should buy from you at all.

Again, sure that pickup truck is a lot cheaper than retail space, but most business people will opt for an actual store.

Professional shopping carts have been developed just to sell. They are extensive and have tools developed over many years to have an effective online store. They are specialized to do one task and not be a one size fits all solution like wordpress.

Since websites are virtual it is hard for business owners to understand they are being sold a lemon.

If a webmaster can sell you a website on wordpress for the same as a website on something a little more expensive like pageBuzz then they make more more money.

Webmasters can use cheap hosting, cheap software, do it quickly and get paid the same as website that takes more time and costs more each month. Sometimes the cost difference can be 1/20th or 1/30th of the more expensive systems. But for the business owner, they end up paying the same amount either way.

Just like a car dealer selling you a moped for the same price as an SUV.

For the car dealer, no sane person is going to look at a moped next to an SUV and think the have the same value.

But for he slick webmaster, they know, you wont know the difference.

So rather than companies spending 10 years developing a great content management system, they just take one that is free, like wordpress and pass that off as the method to manage your website.

And it has immense popularity because of the millions of teenage bloggers that want something cheap or free.

But just because you teen wants a website to talk about the latest Britney or Miley scandal, does that mean it is the right tool to run your website?

Just because your teen wants a moped to get to school is that what you need to get to work?

I certainly hope that people will understand, just because something is popular does not make it good and certainly not good for all circumstances.

But now those former teenage bloggers are building websites for businesses and their preference is wordpress, because they grew up on it.

Well, they grew up on bicycles as well, but I bet when they were old enough they wanted a car.

As a business owner, you need to evaluate more than just what is popular or what someone tells you is the right choice.

Just because these huge shared hosting companies offer something does not make it good.

In fact the mere presence of it in almost all systems that offer cut rate hosting should tell you, it is there because it is cheap, and that is contrary to being good.

Now don't get me wrong, word press is a great tool for the right job. But running a website is not the right job for wordpress any more than you would hire your landscaper to cut your hair or your doctor to repair your car.

Everything has its place, every tool has it use.

Just realize when wordpress is the right tool and when it is not the right tool.