TL;DR
WordPress is popular, but for professional business websites, custom code is often better. WordPress has limitations in performance, security, and flexibility. Custom code gives full control, better performance, and security.
Who is this for
- Businesses looking for professional websites
- Business owners who want to avoid WordPress problems
- People deciding between WordPress and custom solutions
SEO Keyword
wordpress vs custom code, why not wordpress, wordpress problems, custom code benefits
WordPress – When is it Enough?
WordPress is good for:
- Personal blogs – easy to use, many themes
- Small business cards – quick deployment, low costs
- Projects with limited budget – free CMS
- Projects without performance requirements – low traffic
WordPress Problems for Businesses
1. Performance and Speed
- Slow loading – WordPress loads many unnecessary things
- Lack of optimization – themes and plugins slow down the site
- Cache problems – requires additional plugins (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache)
- Large page size – often 2-5 MB HTML
Custom Code:
- Loads only what's needed
- Optimization built-in from the start
- Fast loading (often < 1s)
- Small size (often < 100 KB HTML)
2. Security
- Frequent updates – WordPress, themes, and plugins require constant updates
- Security vulnerabilities – popular = more often attacked
- Dependencies – one outdated plugin = risk
- Lack of control – you don't know what all plugins do
Custom Code:
- Full control over code
- Less attack surface
- Updates only when needed
- Own security measures
3. Flexibility and Functionality
- Theme limitations – hard to do something custom
- Plugin dependency – each feature = another plugin
- Plugin conflicts – different plugins can conflict
- Customization limitations – hard to do something non-standard
Custom Code:
- Full flexibility – you can do everything
- Features tailored to needs
- No conflicts – everything under control
- One-time development cost
4. SEO and Optimization
- Heavy themes – often poorly optimized
- Code bloat – WordPress generates a lot of unnecessary HTML
- Core Web Vitals problems – often poor Lighthouse scores
- Structure limitations – hard to optimize for SEO
Custom Code:
- Optimization from the start
- Clean, semantic HTML
- Excellent Lighthouse scores (often 100/100)
- Full control over SEO structure
5. Long-term Costs
WordPress:
- Hosting (often more expensive for WordPress)
- Premium plugins (often $50-200/year each)
- Premium themes ($50-100 one-time)
- Updates and maintenance (time-consuming)
- Performance problems (may require CDN, cache)
Custom Code:
- Hosting (often cheaper)
- No plugin costs
- One-time development cost
- Easier maintenance (fewer updates)
- Better performance (fewer resources)
When to Choose Custom Code?
Choose custom code if:
- You need a professional business website – image and performance matter
- You have specific requirements – custom features, integrations
- Speed matters – Core Web Vitals, SEO, conversions
- You want full control – security, functionality, appearance
- You plan to grow – easier to add new features in custom code
Example: WordPress vs Next.js (Custom Code)
WordPress:
- Load time: 3-5 seconds
- Lighthouse: 60-80/100
- HTML size: 2-5 MB
- Plugins: 10-20 (often conflict)
- Updates: monthly (WordPress + plugins)
Next.js (Custom Code):
- Load time: < 1 second
- Lighthouse: 95-100/100
- HTML size: < 100 KB
- Dependencies: only needed
- Updates: when needed
Summary
WordPress is good for simple projects, but for professional business websites, custom code is better. It gives full control, better performance, security, and flexibility. The one-time development cost pays off in long-term savings and better results.
Want a Professional Website with Custom Code?
- Contact us – we'll create a website tailored to your needs
- See our work – examples of professional websites
- Check prices – transparent pricing