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Wordpress or own design

by neilward
11 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
I am new to this forum and only just starting to get my head around the amount of information that is in here!

My question is in the vast majority of posts reccomend using Wordpress. I know html, CSS and PHP and can very easily knock up a site that looks better than the wordpress themes I have seen. Do people recommend Wordpress because it is easier than saying go and learn HTML or is there a good reason to use Wordpress?
Thanks,
Neil
#design #wordpress
  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    Wrong title!

    WordPress is NOT a design tool: it is a CMS (content management system). And if you make your own theme - you have wordpress AND your own design. Many people do it - or they hire a designer to do it...

    People recommend WordPress because they don't know any better; because they have never used any other CMS; because of the herd mentality (=everybody is using it...); and, finally, because they don't know html/css/php.

    Actually, they really don't need to know: that's the beauty of a CMS - publishing your content without learning how to make a web site.

    Oh, and a vanilla WP installation (before the user starts screwing it up) has a few nice features that help with getting out your content: RSS, valid code, structured content etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan321
    I use joomla mainly myself, which is another CMS. I've yet to use wordpress as much as I have used joomla to be honest.
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  • Profile picture of the author postsalot
    I also know design but I build most of my sites in wordpress. The ease of use is definitely good for people with no coding skills. But even if you have coding skills you can use them to code your own themes that look like anything you want. Check out builder by ithemes it allows you to create your own custom themes from scratch.

    I still recommend wordpress as a platform though as it does do a lot of the seo work for you if you set it up right. Which is the main reason I prefer it over straight html sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Killian
    Many people use Wordpress, my self included, not because of the herd mentality, but because it saves a ton of time. I use to build html website and it took time, alot of it. I use to do some php coding as well and that took even more time.

    It doesn't matter what any one says, creating a CMS like wordpress is going to take time and or money. Many people might not have much of either, time or money.

    Why re-invent the wheel? Everything is ready-to-go, out of the box. And if Wordpress doesn't do what you want, code it so it will.

    Hey, if your good with html, css and php, make your own. Just think about how much time it's going to take before you start.
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  • Profile picture of the author bleasy
    It depends what you are looking to acheive.

    If you want to create a simple 5 page website for example that will only be updated by yourself, then coding it yourself as simple HTML pages would be the best option.

    If however you have a larger website or if you are creating a website for a client to update, the Wordpress is a great solution.

    I have started using Wordpress for my content management systems but I have only ever coded my own themes. Just becase you are using Wordpress as the content management system doesn't mean you have to stick to the themes that are available on the internet.

    Unless someone asks me to use a specific theme, then I will continue to do so!
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    • Profile picture of the author slowwalkere
      Originally Posted by bleasy View Post

      If you want to create a simple 5 page website for example that will only be updated by yourself, then coding it yourself as simple HTML pages would be the best option.

      If however you have a larger website or if you are creating a website for a client to update, the Wordpress is a great solution.
      Eh. Even for small sites... I'd use a CMS. Why?

      It separates design and content completely. Type your pages as content, work your design into a theme. Makes life much easier if you want to make some changes. Sure, you can change CSS easily enough on a static site, but if you want to change the mark-up then you'll have to edit every page (unless you're using a templating engine of some kind... and then why not use a CMS?).

      It also makes it easy to expand and change things in the future. Right now you want five static pages. What if you later want a blog? What if you want to add a sidebar and integrate a feed? What you want when you get started may not be what you want six months down the road... and a CMS makes it much easier to adapt and change things.

      To the OP, like many others have said, it's not one or the other. If you know how to design, then take a quick tutorial through making a Wordpress theme and design your own theme. You get a powerful CMS to manage your content, and you still get your unique theme.
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      • Profile picture of the author mjsca07
        If I had your knowledge, I'd be customizing themes I like with WordPress.
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  • Profile picture of the author wordpressseoacademy
    Why design your own theme? It is NEVER cost effective unless you sell them and can be had for almost NOTHING. Warning: stay away from FREE WP themes. Take your business more seriously than that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
      Originally Posted by wordpressseoacademy View Post

      Warning: stay away from FREE WP themes. Take your business more seriously than that.
      Do you think this warning also applies to free WP videos pushed by signature links?
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  • Profile picture of the author queen bee
    You can try customizing WP since WP is really simple to use and therein lies its beauty.
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  • Profile picture of the author blogfreakz
    WordPress is great! As far as i know this is the easiest cms on net and used by millions of blogger and website owner, because WordPress is so easy to understand and manage.
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