According to a Hubspot article, WordPress was used by 45.8% of all websites on the internet in 2023, an increase from 43.2% in 2022. In other words, more than two out of every five websites use WordPress.
However, whether we like to admit it or not, WordPress is primarily known for blogging sites—that’s what its original design was. That’s why plenty of people question whether WordPress can handle the demands of enterprises.
Well, the short answer is, yes, WordPress for enterprises is entirely plausible. And in fact, many enterprises use WordPress already. But if you (or a client you have) still have doubts, we invite you to keep reading as we delve into using WordPress for enterprise-level needs.
Myths that Prevent Enterprises from Choosing WordPress as Their CMS
While WordPress actually already stands as one of the most popular content management systems in the world, there are still plenty of misconceptions about its capabilities. Here are some of the myths regarding WordPress’ functionality, security, and scalability—and how they’re debunked!
Myth 1: WordPress Is For Blogging, Nothing Much
As mentioned above, WordPress was indeed a platform dedicated to blogging. But it did evolve, and today, it’s a robust content management system that powers plenty of websites on the internet.
Leading eCommerce platforms, news outlets, schools, and even big companies such as Walt Disney and TechCrunch have built their digital presence on and trust WordPress. With plenty of themes, plugins, and customization options available, businesses can create websites that suit their needs and goals.
In other words, dismissing WordPress as a tool for bloggers means you’re overlooking many things it can do for you and your business, to your detriment.
Myth 2: Open Source Isn’t Ideal For Enterprises
When something is “open source,” it means anyone can modify and share it because it’s accessible to the public. WordPress is an example of open source, meaning anyone can look at and change WordPress code. That makes some people view it as unreliable, unprofessional, and even unsafe at times.
But as mentioned above, many big companies are using it. These companies wouldn’t WordPress it if it weren’t reliable, right?
Also, WordPress being open source means that it’s customizable, and you don’t need to buy or pay for expensive licenses to use it. That makes it helpful for businesses that are saving money and want to do things their way.
Myth 3: Security Is A Big Issue With WordPress
Related to the second myth is that because WordPress is open source means that it’s not secure or that it attracts plenty of hackers. But if you think about it, plenty of people are already looking at the code, and most don’t want WordPress to fail since they’re using it. That means problems get spotted more often than not and get fixed easily, even security concerns.
Many times, the real problem is how users handle their sites. Some might use easy-to-guess passwords or forget to update their sites and/or plugins. It’s like leaving your house’s front door open and then blaming the house for getting robbed!
And remember, it’s not just WordPress. All kinds of programs, software, and technology can face these issues.
For big companies that want to be extra safe? They can always add more security features to their WordPress sites and test their sites frequently. Using a staging environment for testing is highly recommended.
Yes, it’s that simple.
Myth 4: WordPress Has An Unexpectedly High Total Cost of Ownership
Okay, WordPress might be free to use, but some believe it’s going to cost a lot more as you add plugins, get themes, and so on. But to be honest, it really depends on you.
For example, there are already plenty of free plugins and themes for you to use—that’s zero cost right there. And you can also save on setting it up if you study long enough instead of calling in an expert to do it for you.
In short, WordPress can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it. But what’s great about WordPress is that you often get great value for what you pay for.
The Reality: 10 Benefits of Using WordPress as Your Enterprise CMS
So, the myths above have already been dispelled, right? But let’s keep on going. Here are ten additional benefits of using WordPress for enterprises.
#1 – You Save On Costs, Plus It’s Convenient
As mentioned above, WordPress is free. This means you’re not shelling out big bucks just to get started using it for your business. The same goes for themes and plugins you want to use to improve your site.
Also, since WordPress was first designed for the use of bloggers, it’s user-friendly. You can easily develop a site and pass it on to your clients who may not be techy, and they’ll still be able to use the basic functions without too much hassle.
And speaking of user-friendly, many hosting providers offer instant WordPress installations. You can get your site up and running in just a few minutes!
#2 – WordPress Has Great Customizability And Responsiveness
WordPress themes are already pre-made to look good on both big and small screens. Your site will look great and work well, no matter what. And speaking of looks, you have thousands of themes to choose from, each offering a different style.
If you can’t find one you like, you can always create a custom WordPress theme. Some themes even have drag-and-drop builders. Create your own unique website simply by, well, dragging and dropping. The possibilities are endless.
You also have plenty of plugins to choose from, whether you want contact forms or photo galleries. Whatever you want for your website, there’s likely a plugin that can help you out. You won’t need to know complex coding.
#3 – Scaling Your Site Is Very Much Possible
Planning on growing a bigger business? It’s pretty easy with WordPress. You can start with a simple structure and then add more as needed. It’s easy to add new features with plugins.
And since WordPress is commonly used, you can easily find bigger and better tools and hosting options to support your website if and when this becomes a need.
#4 – WordPress Has Regular Updates and Security Patches
Security concerns? WordPress releases new versions regularly. With WordPress’s frequent security patches, cybersecurity issues and unscrupulous hackers are generally kept at bay.
As mentioned above, plenty of people already use WordPress. That means there are already plenty of people on the lookout for issues, which means most issues are reported and resolved quickly.
Of course, when updating your WordPress version, don’t forget to do the same for your plugins and themes to avoid security risks.
#5 – User Role Management Is Straightforward
Managing who can do what on your website is super important, especially if you’re concerned about security. WordPress makes it easy by letting you assign roles like Administrator, Editor, Author, and so on. Each has its own set of allowed actions on your website.
You can also create custom roles if none of the already offered roles fit and easily assign access levels. This helps you prevent unwanted changes and keeps your website the way you want.
#6 – WordPress Is SEO-Friendly
WordPress is designed to be loved by search engines. Its code structure and design make it easy for Google and other search engines to read and index. Plus, you can install plenty of plugins on your website to optimize findability.
Search engines also love websites that are mobile-friendly. And as mentioned above, WordPress is that, too!
#7 – You Can Use WordPress REST API
WordPress REST API lets different software and apps chat with your WordPress site. It uses JSON, a format most programming languages understand. This makes plenty of apps and tools connect easily with WordPress.
With this API, WordPress isn’t just for websites. Now, you can build mobile and desktop apps and integrate with other platforms simply by using the data you get from your WordPress site.
The REST API also has built-in authentication methods, meaning only authorized apps and developers can access your data.
#8 – You Can Use Products from the Vendor of your Choice
WordPress lets you mix and match products from any vendor you prefer, as long as they’re in the WordPress directory. You can pick the best themes, plugins, or services that align with your budget and needs. If your preferred vendor stops updating their theme or plugin, it’s easy to transfer to another one—you’re not required to be tied to just any single one.
#9 – WordPress Supports eCommerce and Multisite Websites
As mentioned, WordPress has evolved from just being a blogger platform. You can now run eCommerce businesses on your website. With plugins like WooCommerce, you can transform your website into an online storefront with product displays, shopping carts, and secure payment methods.
That’s not all—for those who want to manage multiple websites or domains, WordPress offers its multisite feature. This allows you to oversee and control a network of sites from a single dashboard, streamlining your website management.
#10 – WordPress Can Go Multi-Lingual
Need to overcome language barriers and appeal to audiences across the globe? WordPress lets you do that as well. For example, plugins like WPML and Polylang allow you to add and manage multiple language versions of your content easily.
Other plugins can even automatically detect a visitor’s language preference based on their browser settings or location and then serve the content in their preferred language or let visitors choose their preferred languages.
Thinking of Adopting WordPress as an Enterprise? Do These Things
As you consider WordPress for enterprises, plan ahead. WordPress has lots of tools for all types of businesses, but your big company or your client’s likely have their own special needs. Here’s some advice to help you get started without any hiccups down the road.
a. Choose your Enterprise Hosting Partner Carefully
One of the most important decisions you’ll need to make is selecting the right hosting partner. Don’t just rely on price or go for the cheapest. After all, your chosen hosting service will take care of your website’s performance, security, and scalability.
If your hosting partner can promise:
- Good performance even during heavy traffic
- Top-rated, robust security measures
- Flexibility for future scaling
- 24/7 support for any issues that can arise
- Specialized WordPress solutions
And has a track record for fulfilling all of these, then they’re likely worth considering.
b. Go For A Custom-Created or Customized Theme
While numerous pre-made themes are available on WordPress, a custom-created theme can provide numerous advantages for enterprises. For example, the custom theme ensures that your website is unique to your brand, which helps you stand out from your competitors. Another thing great with customized themes is that you can ensure they’re only built with the features you need, leading to faster loading page times, better SEO, and more effective security.
Oh, and if you need or want to scale in the future, custom themes are easy to modify since you can contact the developer directly or if you’re the developer. You won’t need to research or study a premade theme step by step or reach out to its developer anymore.
c. Pay Attention to Security and Maintenance
For enterprises, ensuring the site’s security and keeping it running smoothly is important. After all, enterprises are often prime targets for hackers. Regular security checks, firewall installations, and consistent monitoring can prevent breaches, protecting your data and your customers’ trust.
As mentioned above, you should also ensure that you keep your WordPress version and that all your themes and plugins are updated. Don’t forget to backup your website regularly in case of any unforeseen issues so you don’t lose any data.
d. Optimize… Then Optimize Some More
WordPress is constantly changing—there are always new versions, plugins, themes and even tools that are being launched, all of which give you better ways to enhance your website performance. It would be in your best interest to keep track of these things so that you’re keeping your site running smoothly and getting the best of what WordPress has to offer.
By continually fine-tuning and embracing WordPress innovations, your enterprise website can stay a step ahead, delivering a top-notch experience to your visitors and customers.
Most Important: Rigorous and Continuous Testing Via InstaWP
We’ve been talking about how plugins and themes more than make WordPress for enterprises suitable, but here’s one more important thing you need to do: test WordPress plugins and themes in a WordPress sandbox environment. That way, you won’t damage or affect your actual website.
You can do this by signing up and making an account with InstaWP. Do this first before going to the next sections—it’s important!
Test In A Staging Environment
To make a copy of your actual site in a staging environment, go to your Plugins section and look for InstaWP Connect:
Install and activate the plugin, then go back to your Plugins section. Click Create Staging.
This screen will appear:
Since you already have an account with InstaWP, just press the Connect button. This will take you to your InstaWP Dashboard, and this notice will appear next:
Press Approve, and InstaWP will connect with your WordPress account. You’ll be then taken back to your WordPress with a new menu:
You can now make a staging environment of your actual website and test everything you want without damaging your live site. We recommend selecting the Full Staging option:
Not skipping anything but at the same time, just choosing active themes and plugins to avoid bloating:
And not excluding anything in this section so you can really have a feel for your actual site.
Just press Create Staging for this next step. InstaWP will work automatically and create a staging environment for you that’s a copy of your website.
And as you’ll see, the staging site will appear in your InstaWP dashboard so you can access it anytime you want until it expires:
Now, to use it, click on the first button on the right menu, the one with the arrow, and you’ll automatically be logged in.
Test Each Plugin/Theme Before Adding It To Your Enterprise Website
Now, because you have a test site, you can now add whatever theme or plugin you want to try! And with InstaWP, it’s easy: just go to your WordPress sandbox and act like you’re on an actual WordPress.
For example, you want to test a plugin, such as WooCommerce. Go to the Plugins menu then install it, like in this image:
And you’ll find that it works how it would work in any actual WordPress site!
Performance Comparison And Testing For Everything
Now that you know you won’t be destroying your actual site at all, feel free to test everything to failure or breakage – you should test themes, Plugins, Page Builders, And More.
Want to see how a new theme looks? Try it here.
Curious about a plugin someone recommended? Test it out.
Put together a combination of themes and plugins you’re interested in; mix, match, add, and remove, all without any worries. And if something goes wrong, there’s no problem: your actual website is still safe and sound. Use Staging to do so.
Think of it basically as setting up a practice space for your website. And when you’re sure about what works best, you can make those changes on your real site.
Test Your Site With Version Or Beta Updates
You can also try out the latest WordPress version or Beta updates in this test space. This helps you see if your site is compatible with the latest updates. If anything’s off, you’ll know what adjustments to make.
Always do this check for your themes and plugins, too. It ensures everything stays up-to-date and works seamlessly.
Conclusion
WordPress, while initially designed for bloggers, is now also great for use for enterprise brands. While there are plenty of myths and misconceptions about it, it’s good to remember that major brands already utilize WordPress. That’s probably because its pros far outweigh suspected cons, like security and scalability.
Plus, there are workarounds to the cons of WordPress, thanks to plenty of plugins.
In a nutshell, with regular updates, plenty of customization options, and enterprise-level hosting solutions, WordPress is both flexible and reliable for businesses of all sizes. Just don’t forget to test and secure your website regularly, and you’ll be good to go.
