Hey everyone,
I’m in a bit of a pickle here. My old man’s got this local business website that’s been running on WordPress for like two decades. He’s asking me to help spruce it up, but I’m not really a WordPress guru.
He’s looking to make it mobile-friendly and add some kind of event gallery. Thing is, I’m more comfortable with Next.js, React, and Tailwind.
So I’m wondering: should I bite the bullet and learn WordPress to update his site? Or is it worth the hassle to move everything over to the tech I know?
I’m worried about the time it might take either way, and I don’t want to mess up his online presence. Any advice from folks who’ve been in a similar spot would be awesome.
Thanks in advance!
As someone who’s been in your shoes, I’d say sticking with WordPress is probably your best bet. I once tried migrating an old site to a new platform and it was a nightmare - lost SEO rankings, broken links everywhere, and a ton of unexpected issues.
WordPress has come a long way in 20 years. There are plenty of mobile-friendly themes and plugins for event galleries that can give the site a modern feel without starting from scratch. Plus, you’ll save yourself the headache of moving all that content.
If you really want to use your React skills, look into headless WordPress. It lets you use WordPress as a backend while building a custom frontend. But honestly, for a local business site, vanilla WordPress with a good theme will likely meet all your needs with way less hassle.
i think stickin with wordpress is less risky. its plugins and community support make updates easier, even if not 100% your tech vibe. try headless if you’re feelin adventurous, but learnin wordpress basics might save you a lot of headaches. just my take.
From my experience, migrating an established site can be more trouble than it’s worth. WordPress has evolved significantly over the years, and it’s quite capable of handling modern requirements like mobile responsiveness and event galleries. There are numerous themes and plugins designed specifically for local businesses that could streamline the update process. If you’re concerned about the learning curve, consider hiring a WordPress developer for a short-term contract to handle the major updates. This approach could save time and potential issues while allowing you to focus on content and design aspects you’re more comfortable with. Remember, preserving SEO and existing content should be a priority when dealing with a long-standing business site.