Nowadays, almost anyone can create a website. Content management systems (CMS) like WordPress and Joomla are accessible and easy to setup for everyone, but coding a site from scratch is a task that only programmers with the required expertise can take on.
Anyone can learn how to code, but many consider the time investment might not be worthy. On the other hand, the turnover and demand for web developers and designers are very high.
As end users and clients, there are significant advantages and disadvantages to each platform choice, so below we take on the issue of website building from both approaches.
WordPress covers most of the average user needs
In simple terms, CMSs are practically ready-made platforms that offer users all the tools and means they could need to build the website they want. They also include services like hosting and technical support to keep things running smoothly.
WordPress is arguably the most popular CMS in the world, hosting roughly 20% of all websites currently online. It offers free and paid versions, but both have the same easy-to-use interface and straightforward approach that has made them so popular.
For the gross of end users, WordPress has everything they need, whether they want a static website like a blog or a page with more dynamic elements like a product site or a portfolio. Even e-commerce platforms can be built on WordPress, but for some custom options, you’re going to need a programmer.
Skilled developers well-versed in both hand-coding and WordPress usually step in if you want to add something particular like a database element that requires MySQL knowledge or PHP modifications not directly available in the platform.
With a WordPress website, security is taken care of on a regular basis; customization options are a dime a dozen and features can be added and removed easily through plugins. The backend, or the administrative side of the platform, is also easy to use.
Smart programmers should include WordPress in their skills repertoire
Hand-coded websites obviously have their advantages, including virtually endless personalization, enhanced security through either obscurity or strong reinforcements, and functionality catered to your needs. Your skill as a developer truly is the limit.
Unlike WordPress, when you build a web page only the people that have access to it can detect flaws and fewer people know how to fix it.This also means that it all depends on the number of programming languages you know, and how you employ them to create the user and admin experience you want or
This being the case, it is no wonder that developers have grown accustomed to managing themselves in both traditional coding and WordPress tweaking. After all, dealing with WP clients can be just as demanding if they have highly specific needs.
Knowing your HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL will put you at a great advantage when sorting your way through WordPress. You can go straight to the code and get to work right on the framework to make the site do whatever you want or look a specific way that is not pre-built with a theme.
Plugins, as far and wide as they go, only go so far. Applied programming skills are sometimes more straightforward than trial and error with different add-ons, which sometimes have security vulnerabilities.
Coding is necessary, but CMS can accelerate the process
Bottom line, if you are a developer working on a personal project or with clients, it is almost certain that you will need to work with WordPress at some point. Whether it is to build a custom theme or add and tweak some part of a website that is impossible to do without technical know-how.
As an end user, chances are high that your demands never surpass your capacity to find the solution to a problem you might run into while using WordPress. The platform supports multiple languages, features search engine optimization, and it is as flexible as it gets.
Website building has never been easier, although that does not undermine the skill it takes to learn and make a living out of creating them from scratch.