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Is WordPress
the Best Tool
for This Job?
Sallie Goetsch
WCLAX 2016
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Learn to
identify the
projects that
are just
right—not
only for you,
but for
WordPress
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First thing
you need to
know: WP is
not the baby
bear.
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Just because
you can…
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Doesn’t
mean you
should
Even if you’ve never used anything
but WordPress.
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Is this the right type of project for WP?
https://wpshout.com/when-to-use-wordpress-flowchart/
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Bet you still can’t read that
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Here’s the idea
WordPress does a lot of different
things pretty well.
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Sometimes you
need to do just one
thing, spectacularly
And the client is willing to pay the
cost of the custom development.
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Sometimes
WordPress is
overkill.
(I couldn’t find a photo with a fly.)
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Two Examples to Illustrate
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Website 1:
Perfect for
WordPress
• Articles
• Reviews
• Event Listings
• Organized by date & topic
• Multiple authors
• Editorial review process
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Just one problem. It was 1994.
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Matt
Mullenweg
was 10 years
old.
Not the real Matt. Or the real 1994.
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Here’s what I built instead.
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2016 and it’s
still not
WordPress!
What are they thinking?
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What makes
Didaskalia a
good fit for
WP?
This is the interactive quiz part.
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Website 2:
Not a good
fit for
WordPress
•Static content
•Tiny budget
•Non-technical client
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But because
WordPress was
my default tool,
I built them a
WordPress site.
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That means maintenance.
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What they
really
needed:
basic HTML
•Small number of pages.
•Small budget.
•Cheap hosting.
•Just has to sit there.
•Content never changes.
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How to
identify these
projects (and
clients).
Not only is their old site a Yellow
Pages ad, that’s all they want for a
new site.
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Then there
are these
cases…
The project would fit WordPress,
but the client doesn’t.
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They want the
features,
but not the
responsibility.
Sorry, Spiderman is trademarked.
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Hosted services have a place
Wix Squarespace
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The
advantages
of hosted
services
• UI easier for many people
to grasp than WordPress
• Different types of sites
available
• Updates and security
handled for you
• TCO less than a similar
self-hosted WP site.
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The big dis-
advantage?
https://medium.com/@anildash/prince-transformed-
eab793c75757#.xk6ttt6js
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Not much data portability, either.
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Signs your
project is a
good fit for
WordPress
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Client believes a website is a business
investment & budgets accordingly.
• Multiple types of content that require regular
updates
• Needs custom design or functionality not available
from hosted services.
• Ownership & data portability matter
• Site needs to do many different things (blog,
portfolio, LMS, etc.)
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When a
project is too
big or too
small…
You have two choices
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Learn to use
a new tool…
(Because you didn’t have enough to
do learning JavaScript)
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…or send the
prospect
somewhere
else
Make friends with people who do
Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, etc.
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Success
is at the
intersection
Right for
You
Right
for WP
Right
for the
Client
Don’t take it on if it doesn’t meet all
three criteria
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https://speakerdeck.com/wpfangirl
Look me up
Twitter: @salliegoetsch
Web: wpfangirl.com
Meetup: eastbaywp.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 510-969-9947