What everyone gets wrong about WordPress

You cringe every time you have to share your website link.

Not because it’s broken. Because it feels like a relic of a smaller version of yourself. The site that got you started doesn’t match where you are now. It makes you look amateur when you’re not.

And if you work in the sustainability or impact space, there’s another layer: your work is ethical and sustainable, but your website isn’t.

So you start looking into a redesign.

You talk to designers. You ask peers. And at some point, the platform question comes up: Should you stay with your current setup, or switch to something better?

That’s usually when you hear it:

“WordPress isn’t the right choice for you.”

Maybe you read it in a forum. Maybe a designer pitching their preferred platform told you that. Maybe you just absorbed it from the general conversation around modern web design.

And because you don’t have the technical background to verify those claims, you believe them.

Here’s the problem: when you take those assumptions at face value, you might be ruling out a platform that could actually give you more control, more calm, and more long-term stability than the alternatives.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the most common myths, why they’re so easy to believe, and what actually matters instead.

Why it’s been so easy to believe these myths

If you’ve believed any of these myths, it’s not because you’re uninformed or “bad with tech.” You’re smart. And these ideas are everywhere.

There are two big reasons WordPress has gotten a bad reputation in certain corners of the internet.

It all depends on the WordPress setup

Because it’s so flexible, there are a lot of WordPress sites out there that are poorly configured. Random blogs from 2012. Sites overloaded with plugins. Dashboards no one wants to touch.

Yes, these sites deserve a bad rep.

But: people assume the platform is the problem. In reality, the setup is.

WordPress an easy target

WordPress has been around since 2003 and still powers 40% of the internet.

It’s easy to rant against the big player. Designers and developers who work with newer platforms or fully custom code often position WordPress as “old,” “slow,” or “outdated.”

And since most clients don’t have the technical background to verify those claims, the story sticks.

So if WordPress has felt like something to avoid? That makes sense.

How these myths have been holding you back

Believing these ideas about WordPress doesn’t just shape your opinion of a tool. It shapes your options.

When you write WordPress off entirely, here’s what you might actually be turning down:

• A website that grows with your business instead of boxing you in
• A website you can manage without tech overwhelm
• Ownership and independence from big platforms
• A more eco-conscious digital footprint

Take Lilli, who runs IMMA Collective, a community for impact-driven solopreneurs. Her website worked fine on her old platform. But she kept noticing the disconnect: she was trying to attract sustainability folks, with a slow, and carbon-heavy website. That gap between values and platform pushed her to switch. Now her site reflects what she actually stands for.

I’ve been working with WordPress since 2015. I’ve seen it at its worst—back when you needed a lot of patience and a good memory just to make basic changes. And I’ve seen it evolve into something much more intuitive and powerful.

I’ve also looked under the hood of plenty of Wix and Squarespace sites for clients who were told those platforms would be “simpler.” Often, they weren’t. They were just limited in different ways.

So let’s talk about what’s actually true.

Myth #1: “WordPress is only for bloggers”

Because WordPress started as a blogging platform back in 2003, many people still think it’s basically just a digital diary. A place for personal thoughts, long-form articles, and not much else.

The truth is, WordPress has grown up.

Today, it powers over 40% of the entire internet. It’s no longer “just” a blogging tool. It’s a full-scale Content Management System (CMS) that can handle everything from simple service-based websites to complex membership platforms, online courses, and e-commerce.

What makes this especially relevant for solopreneurs is flexibility over time. You might start with a few core pages and a contact form. Later, you may want to add email marketing, digital products, workshops, or gated content. With WordPress, that’s possible without having to rebuild your entire site or lock yourself into one specific provider.

You’re not choosing a tool just for today. You’re choosing a foundation that can grow with your business.

And that theme—flexibility depending on how something is built—comes up again and again when people talk about WordPress.

Myth #2: “It’s way harder to use than Wix or Squarespace”

When people say WordPress is hard to use, they’re usually talking about editing.

They imagine confusing menus, buried settings, and a dashboard that feels risky to touch unless you know exactly what you’re doing. Compared to the promise of drag-and-drop simplicity from platforms like Wix or Squarespace, WordPress can feel intimidating by default.

That perception made sense years ago. Today, it’s mostly outdated.

Modern WordPress editing is visual. With the Block Editor and Full Site Editing, you work directly on the page: adding sections, rearranging layouts, updating text and images without touching code. For day-to-day content changes, the experience is comparable to all-in-one platforms.

All-in-one platforms are designed to guide you into predefined layouts and guardrails. WordPress allows designers to build custom design systems that still remain easy for clients to use. That’s how you end up with a site that feels tailored and high-end, without sacrificing manageability.

If WordPress ever feels hard to use in 2026, it’s usually because some developer has built a custom-theme based on outdated technology. Or a bloated page builder like Divi or Elementor.

The same pattern shows up when people talk about security and maintenance, too.

Myth #3: “WordPress is insecure, messy, and a maintenance nightmare”

WordPress is seen as fragile. Easy to break. Easy to hack. A system where every new feature requires another plugin, and every plugin introduces more risk. The solution, people are told, is to pile on even more plugins for security, backups, and performance.

At that point, the site doesn’t feel empowering anymore. It feels like something you have to constantly watch.

But insecurity, plugin chaos, and constant maintenance aren’t built-in features of WordPress. They’re symptoms of poor decisions layered on top of it.

A stable WordPress site starts with restraint. Fewer plugins, chosen intentionally. Features that are actually needed, and nothing more. Combined with managed WordPress hosting, most of the scary parts are handled automatically: updates, backups, monitoring, and security checks happen quietly in the background.

Cost is another area where this misunderstanding tends to surface.

Myth #4: “WordPress is more expensive than all-in-one platforms”

At first glance, WordPress can look like the pricier option. You pay for hosting. Maybe a domain. Sometimes themes or plugins. Compared to a single monthly fee from an all-in-one platform, that can feel messy or unpredictable.

But when you zoom out, the picture changes.

All-in-one platforms bundle everything into a subscription, and those subscriptions tend to increase as soon as you need more advanced features like e-commerce, memberships, or higher traffic limits. You’re also renting the system. If prices change or features disappear, you don’t have much leverage.

With WordPress, you own the site and the setup. You can choose your hosting provider, switch if needed, and avoid ongoing license costs where they’re not necessary.

Most of the solopreneur websites I build run on around 20€ per month for premium managed hosting and a domain. That’s roughly the same as a standard Wix or Squarespace plan, without being locked into a single ecosystem.

And yes, if you need more advanced features later on, you might invest in a plugin. But that’s true everywhere. The difference is that with WordPress, those costs are intentional, transparent, and tied to your actual needs as your business grows.

Environmental impact is often the next concern that comes up.

Myth #5: “WordPress is bad for the environment”

This is the myth I push back on the hardest because it sounds informed, ethical, and well-intentioned, while still missing the point.

Yes, WordPress is often described as “heavy.” It uses a database. Pages are generated dynamically. Many WordPress sites rely on heavy page builders like Divi or Elementor.

So yes, if you compare a poorly built WordPress site to a minimal static site, the latter will win on raw efficiency.

A common picture: A sustainable web developer posts on LinkedIn how they rebuild a WordPress site with their static site framework of choice. They proudly show of how they improved the carbon rating from mediocre to A+. Let’s be clear: these people are marketing their way of working. So they benefit from painting WordPress as a problem. The truth is, a knowledgeable WordPress expert can also achieve A+ ratings and 100% performance ratings.

In any case, that WordPress bashing skips the real question solopreneurs need to ask:

Compared to what, and at what cost?

Yes, a fully custom-coded site can be a few percentage points more efficient. But for most solopreneurs, that efficiency comes with a long-term trade-off: permanent dependence on a developer for even the smallest changes.

So what happens when you compare WordPress to other easy-to-use platforms?

As said, plugin overload, missing performance optimization, and cheap hosting in fossil-fuel-powered data centers are not a problem of WordPress itself.

In fact, WordPress is the only major website platform where you can actively choose sustainable hosting, strip out unnecessary features, optimize performance deeply, and still retain full control over your site.

With most all-in-one platforms (Wix, Squarespace, Framer, Webflow), you don’t get that choice. Their hosting is fixed. Their infrastructure is opaque.

From a sustainability perspective, WordPress isn’t the problem. It’s the most realistic compromise between environmental responsibility, usability, and long-term independence. When built intentionally, it’s one of the few options that lets you align your digital presence with your values without giving up control.

“But is there a playbook for a good WordPress setup?”

You might be wondering if there’s a checklist or guide you can follow to DIY this.

Honestly? I haven’t found one that covers everything. Maybe I’ll write one someday. (If that sounds like what you need, feel free to drop me a note.)

That said, here are five critical elements that separate good WordPress setups from poor ones:

• Use managed WordPress hosting instead of cheap hosting providers. Your hosting partner handles security and updates automatically.
• Check how green the hosting actually is. Look for providers powered directly by renewables, not just buying carbon credits or “green” certificates.
• Make sure caching and performance optimization are included. Good hosting providers build this in.
• Avoid heavy page builders like Divi and Elementor. They add bloat, can slow your site down and feel hard to use.
• Keep your plugin count low. Each plugin adds complexity and potential security vulnerabilities.

These five elements pull together expertise in design, performance, security, accessibility, and sustainability.

That’s why I don’t recommend doing it alone, especially if your business (and time) matter to you.

What you can do differently now

Now that you know these myths don’t hold up, the question shifts: how do you actually choose a platform and designer?

Stop treating the platform choice as a personality test. The platform itself matters less than how it’s used and who’s using it.

Instead of asking “Which platform is best?” ask:

• Why does this designer choose this platform? Are they optimizing for their workflow, or for your long-term independence?
• How skilled is this designer with this platform? Surface-level knowledge shows up in the final product.
• How does the platform support your values and long-term independence? Can you own your content, choose your infrastructure, and make changes without constant outside help?

If you’re interested in my work, here’s what you need to know:

My websites are built on the 5 Solopreneur Website Foundations, one of which is Independent Technology. That foundation is about reducing dependency on platforms, providers, and decisions you can’t control.

I use WordPress very intentionally. Not because it’s trendy, and not because it’s familiar, but because it allows my solopreneur clients to:

• fully own their content and structure
• stay independent from big tech platforms and sudden price changes
• grow their website alongside their business, without constant outside help

My sites are built with a carefully chosen, sustainable tech stack. I use built-in design patterns so clients can create new pages confidently on their own. Training is part of the process. If you’re switching from another platform, I make sure you understand how your WordPress site works so you’re not swapping one form of dependency for another.

That’s what The reLaunch is designed to deliver.

A quick recap and some encouragement

WordPress isn’t outdated. It isn’t just for bloggers. It isn’t inherently insecure, expensive, or bad for the planet.

When it’s set up with intention, it gives you independence from big tech platforms and control over your content. As open-source software, it’s one of the few platforms where you can align your website with your values of ethics, sustainability and inclusion.

If this post has you questioning some long-held assumptions about your website, that’s a good sign.

If switching to WordPress or improving your setup feels like the right next step, I invite you to book a Clarity Call. We’ll not only look at your current setup, but also talk about how your website can help you with your business goals. Not a sales pitch or commitment. Just a conversation between solopreneurs.

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