I get this sort of question a lot.
Sometimes, I’ll run into a potential client who understands they might need help with their logo, or brochure…but for some reason, they’d like to be a little more hands-on when it comes to their website.
Especially once I mention that I use WordPress for all the websites that I do.
“Oh, WordPress? I can do that.”
There’s no point arguing, so after I chuckle to myself, I let them go on their way.
Inevitably I get a call a few weeks later.
“Um…yeah, WordPress was a little harder than I thought. It’s just not doing what I want it to. Can you do my website for me?”
Sure.
So is WordPress easy or hard? Well, it’s both.
I tell everyone, including my students, that WordPress has a rather steep learning curve, but of course it’s possible for anyone to learn and master.
Just like everything else in life, all it takes is time, effort, and commitment.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
Just like everything else in life, #WordPress takes time, effort, and commitment. Click To Tweet
The WordPress Myth
There is one common myth that floats around about WordPress that drives me bonkers. It’s that coding or knowledge of code is not necessary to create a site or blog.
But that’s not true.
Having a basic understanding of HTML and CSS is essential to creating a decent WordPress site. So if you’re super squeamish around code, you might want to hire a designer or skip WordPress altogether, and use a more user-friendly drag-and-drop type system, like Squarespace or Weebly.
But to those of you who are more adventurous, I like to use my husband as an example. I helped him setup and got the basic design down for his WP site, lifebyjohn.com. But he did a lot of the heavy lifting himself afterwards.
And he is not a designer, nor a developer. In fact, at the onset he knew zero (as in, zip, zilch, nadda) HTML or CSS.
But, he is very tech-savvy and comfortable around computers. And he is very resourceful, and was able to figure things out as he went along.
Plus, he also was able to devote over 60+ hours to work on his site.
Did you catch that? For the average Joe, doing your own WordPress site is as easy as:
- being comfortable around technology/computers
- being resourceful and knowing what questions to ask
- having 20-80 hours to work on said site
So I tell my DIY clients, if you meet these criteria, of course you can set up your own site, and you have my blessing. These types of individuals tend to do very well with WP.
It just so happens that most people I’ve come across don’t want to spend that much time or effort on their website, which is what they pay me to do.
So yes, technically *anyone* can set up their own WordPress site, but like anything, you get out of it what you put in.
What WordPress is not
WordPress is not is a magic wand that creates an amazing site, instantly.
WordPress is not is a magic wand that creates an amazing site, instantly. Click To Tweet
What it’s also not is something that you set up once, and then walk away and forget about. A self-hosted WP site takes additional time and effort to keep things updated, to fix things, add content, and to keep it secure.
So the question of whether or not you should set up your own WordPress site really comes down to whether you want or need a very basic looking site with basic functionality, or whether you want a site that looks and behaves more professionally.
Whatever you end up choosing is completely up to you, I just like people to know exactly what they’re getting themselves into before doing something.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love using WordPress. It makes creating websites SOOO much easier than painstakingly coding each and every page. It works seamlessly in browsers, is SEO optimized, and makes adding or editing content a snap. As a content management system for developers and designers to use for their clients, it rocks.
I just don’t like how its reputation as being relatively easy has been stretched to mean that even a caveman could do it. I would pay good money to see that 😉
What about you?
Do you think WordPress is easy or hard? Has it been touted as too easy or too hard in the past?
Sheila Patterson is the owner and Creative Director behind Apex Creative. GCU professor by day, brand identity expert by night, she loves all things related to design. When she's not creating amazing logos and websites, you can find Sheila tormenting her husband and two feline furbabies, catching the latest Game of Thrones episode, or reading a good book.
Naps are nice too.
29 Comments. Leave new
Great article. I tell my clients they can use WordPress and hire me to do the graphics/logos etc or they can just have me build the whole site. I try and make them understand going the WordPress route and having me fix it later might cost them time and money in the long run.
Thanks for reading, and for your compliments!
Great point, I also try to make clients understand that cutting corners up front usually equals more time and money down the road 🙂
Nice post. WordPress is a great platform and you can do so much with it but you have to have the time to learning it. It is not a out of the box “click and you are done” kind of product. I think the general public has come to believe that building a website is a 1-2 hour process. There’s more to building a website than just using WordPress.
Hi Stephen, thanks for reading!
Totally agree, WP is great and can so many things, but oftentimes there’s a disconnect between what people think it is and the reality.
A website definitely should take more than 1 or 2 hours, right? I think thanks to things like SquareSpace there’s this new mentality that a website can be created quickly out of the box, but just dragging and dropping things. There’s almost always hidden problems with that though.
Sadly, even folks in the trade tend to underestimate the rigors of Word Press. It is anything but ‘simple and easy’.
#truth 🙂
We all face this as designers from time to time. When you hear about any client DIY, try to find the root of that decision. Is it money? (I can do it myself and not pay anyone else), is it experience? (I’ve done before and did a “good” job), or someone convinced them it’s easy to do and they want that control. As we know, most of those roads lead to an unsatisfied experience and end product. It also applies to other aspects including strategy, design, writing and photography. We’ve all dealt with these DIY aspects that make the job very challenging. Honestly, I tell the client they need to hire a WP/web pro before they spend on anything else (even me!) Communicates that I have them in my best interests and the importance of doing it right. I also remind them I NEVER DIY professional services unless I’m prepared “not to care” about the result… That makes them stop and think the most. It’s frustrating, but by understanding their thought process you can offer a recommendation that might work for everyone.
Thanks for reading, David!
I like your methodology, of trying to get to the root of the problem. Those are great questions to ask if a client is one of those DIYers.
Great post! You have a wealth of great content on your site as well. Kudos!
Thank you!! 🙂
Great post Sheila. I often run into this. Even with clients I design sites for, they have no concept of how long it takes to set one up, nor how long it takes to maintain it.
I typically explain, yes you can, but here is why you shouldn’t; noting all the reasons you have stated, but also that unless they have an eye for design, its not going to be what they want it to be. And as you say, they will usually come back and ask me to “fix it”.
I also agree with Lou-Ann, you have some great stuff on your site. Will definitely keep checking back.
Thank you for the kind words!
Great point, I often find the same thing. A lof ot DIY clients might have an idea in their head of what they want, but they just can’t make it happen. Or, or more likely, it doesn’t look as good as they thought, simply because they don’t have a background in design or know the rules and principles of design theory.
My experience with these types of clients is to show them the ‘back end’ of a professional WP site,… This seems to scare some sense into a client.
We then offer to help them set up a SECURE WP site and offer to be available as a consultant and provide training so they can handle their own day to day content issues.
I find non coding people don’t understand that WP can be very secure or very vulnerable depending on how WP is set up and maintained. Non developer WP clients don’t know anything about WP SQL security and config security issues etc. I want to make sure their site is protected so they can get the most from their website.
To me, professional design and online presence is important, if the client wants to stumble through it,… fine, but professional WP security is a must these days!
Speaking of security, it’s good to see you are keeping your site current and using version 4.0. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for reading!
LOL@scaring your clients with the dashboard, that’s great!
Great points about security, you are right on. A WP site can be either very secure or not at all, but you have to know what you’re doing.
I’m all about that WP security! 🙂
Hi Sheila, This post is classic! Good comments by all. Been there. Done that. It usually takes about a month and the client is back for our help. One client who decided not to do it on their own said later, “I’m so glad we hired you. Going through the process of building the site with you made me realize that there is a huge amount of strategic marketing involved. It’s not just about pasting copy into pages. You need to consider website structure, navigation, content, visual impact, photography, database integration, and so much more! And all this is in addition to the programming, SEO and security. Thank goodness I was working with someone who could direct the process and get things done right. I had NO idea what building a WordPress site would take and can see now why it costs what it does. There is no way I could have built my own site while working a full time job and running a business. It takes hours!”
Hi Ann, thanks for reading!
If I had a dollar everything I heard those exact words 🙂 Sounds like you and I would be rich, haha
Hello Sheila,
I’m a graphic designer who works primarily in print. WordPress sounds like a great tool (with the right time and effort). Do you have any recommendations on how I can learn WordPress?
Thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah!
Like you, I primarily work in print. I only started doing websites simply because they’re such a demand there.
WordPress is wonderful, but like I’ve said in this post, there’s a very steep learning curve. I basically just jumped in and it was sink or swim, but fortunately, there’s a ton of great resources out there.
I’d start with a beginner’s guide YouTube video, just do a search (try “wordpress tutorial for beginners”), and a ton will pop up. Once you start getting your hands dirty and start playing with it, it all starts to make sense 🙂 Best of luck to you!
Hi David,
Unfortunately, I’m just as familiar as you are with those drag-n-drop type sites. One that I heard was decent for code-phobic clients was Weebly, but again, zero experience with.
One thing, in addition to the recurring costs you mentioned, that I consider a huge negative with these hosted sites (compared to self-hosting with WP) is that the client doesn’t have control over their content.
Basically, let’s say they sign up with SquareSpace or Shopify, get everything going, and then a year down the road decide they want to use a different solution. There’s no easy way to export or transfer all their content over; they essentially lose everything.
I think it’s one of the dirty little secrets of these “easy” editors, and another big reason why I try and get my clients to use self-hosted WordPress, even if it is harder at first.
Hi Sheila,
I can certainly relate to your frustration.
On the extreme low end there are hosting companies that work with so-called designers who will install a theme and setup 5 pages in exchange for an affiliate commission. (Free website with a year of cheap hosting.)
On the high end, I’ve seen WordPress / WooCommerce sites go out the door at over $30,000.
From a return on investment standpoint, those are not exactly interchangeable solutions. 🙂
Cole
Hi Cole, thanks for reading.
You’re totally right, there seems to be a lot of variance in the market that doesn’t make a lot of sense.
At the high end, I actually can see how even a WordPress site can get into the tens of thousands of dollars…mostly if it’s a custom theme built from the ground up, with tons of functionality/features. That’s pretty rare though.
As far as ROI goes, it’s hard to put a number on that. If you’re a Fortune 500 company, I’d say investing even 100k in your site is worth it, if needed.
I’ve picked up a few clients who thought the same thing and became frustrated at the process. Installing? Easy. Uploading a theme and activating? Easy. Modifying the theme the way you actually wanting, configuring extensions to do what you want it to do(nonetheless finding the right ones), organizing the site, securing it? Not so easy. I give potential clients the rundown of things to consider and most will decide to go with me because I was honest with them. I’ve even given them my getting started guide prior to hiring me – just that little bit of value goes a long way.
Hi Jim, thanks for reading!
LOL, totally love and agree with your breakdown, it’s spot on.
I think a lot of clients believe that setting up a WP site is as easy as installing a theme. Er, not so much. 😉
Great article! Things are not as simple as it seems. I would like to also point out that even organizing the site and security are things that a lot of people can do. At uGurus I think they call it a commodity. It’s even harder to make a website that sells. Our clients doesn’t need a web site they need more revenue more customers with a trackable ROI to make sure they are just not wasting money. And not everybody can do that. What do you think?
You got it Alex – and that is my USP. Without trackable goals for the site, it’s nothing more than a brochure sitting in a pile of papers. The same mindset that the “site setup is easy” is “build it and they will come”. It comes down to communicating value of your solution and how it can convert marketing into sales.
You’re totally right, Jim, many people have the false assumption of “if you build it, they will come,” which is always fun when I try to convince them otherwise 🙂
Hi Alex, thanks for reading! I don’t think we’re quite at the place where a website is something that most clients feel comfortable doing themselves (despite WP)–many of them are still squeamish about even the thought of code.
But I’m sure that will change, as more and more “easy” DIY site builders like SquareSpace and Adobe Muse pop up. You’re right, though, we need to find more ways to offer real value to clients and show them real ROI.
Very nice article! I really liked this.
Thanks!