Why I don't use WordPress, but...

Why I Don't Use WordPress to Build Websites

Anyone who knows me knows, I hate using WordPress: It's slow, limiting, burdened by plugins that step on each other's toes, and that ask for payment every time you want to unlock a supposedly free feature.

Developing a website quickly with WordPress is "easy," no one denies that. But unless you buy a ready-made theme (and then your site becomes a copycat of a thousand others), the best you can achieve is a decent site.

With the technologies I routinely use, sites make a significant leap in quality: faster, more flexible, more enjoyable to navigate, and above all, more extensible.

WordPress alone has never given me that feeling. And I often find myself explaining to clients why their site, despite costing a lot of money, isn't up to modern standards.

An Exception to the Rule

Recently, a friend and colleague of mine asked me to help with a new project: a website for a client who sells products online, developed entirely using WordPress and a popular visual development plugin. The client was already using WordPress to manage their catalog and orders. Asking her to abandon everything and learn a new platform would have added an unnecessary obstacle to her work. The problem was that the site was too slow, unoptimized, full of bugs, and plugin incompatibilities. The client knew her product was good, but felt the site was holding her back. It was clear, therefore, that it needed to be completely rebuilt.

The solution was to leave WordPress where it worked: in the backend, as the product management engine. For the frontend, however, I chose Next.js. This architecture, known in jargon as headless, separates what the user sees from what the manager uses.

Next.js handles page display, image optimization, and fast navigation. The client didn't have to change a single habit. Visitors, however, found a completely different site: lightweight, fast, and designed for mobile devices from the very first version.

When I explained this choice to colleagues and friends in the industry, the reaction was almost always the same. Some shrugged, others turned up their noses.

No one could understand the need to complicate things by combining two tools that were so different. Why not use Shopify? Why not a more modern platform? Why keep WordPress in the middle? Some told me it was overly complicated, like an "engineer looking for problems," and all things considered, I can't disagree with them. However, my answer was always the same: "Because it's the right thing to do." When it comes to technology, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every project has its own needs and constraints. My experience has taught me that choosing the right technology depends on the specific context, the clients' habits, and the project's goals.

Overall, my goal is to always meet the client's needs, without imposing solutions that could complicate their daily work, so maintaining WordPress for product management was the most sensible choice.

The Results

The new site launched with loading times under a second. Previously, they were over five. Page speed metrics improved between 20 and 50 percent, in every single category. This change has a direct impact on SEO and search engine rankings. Sales have increased. Traffic, despite the recent relaunch, is already growing. The first order on the new site arrived within hours of going live, a sign that we were on the right track.

Users definitely noticed the difference: they found the navigation fluid, the images loaded immediately, and the purchasing process was clean and frictionless. The revamped design also shed new light on the brand: it respected the existing artistic direction, but presented it with more care, more breadth, and greater attention to detail. We didn't completely change its identity, but we made it more readable, closer to what the client had always had in mind.

Not just numbers

Okay, metrics are important, but they're not everything! Previously, the client had to interface with many different people and teams to manage advertising campaigns, IT security, website changes, and much more. This led to several problems:

1. Every single error was bounced between all the parties involved, significantly increasing the time to resolve it.
2. The solutions weren't targeted, so a substantial portion of the budget for everything related to the website was practically wasted.
3. Acting as an intermediary between each party took up a lot of time and money, not to mention the patience required to resolve each challenge.

Moving on to the solution my colleague and I proposed allowed her to save more than 70% of her budget compared to the period before ours, and from now on, any changes, inquiries, or concerns will be handled quickly and accurately.

The client has repeatedly complimented us on our work, and I can only be happy to have given her a website that allows her to work better and grow her business.

Contact me

If you think you're in a similar situation—your website is slow, not optimized, or you think it could be more valuable—contact me! The initial consultation is free and you'll get a response within 48 business hours.